The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1919-01-30
HENEY ATTACKS BILL FOSTERED
BY DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
KENDRICK MEASURE PROPOSES TOOTHLEss EG ULATION-
STORY OF BEEFsTEAK SENT CONGRESSMAN MANN-HIs
ss LONG SERVICE PACKERS

ate committee on agriculture. The
bill under consideration was the Ken
.drick bill, drafted in the department
of agriculture for the innocent use
Of the Democratic senator from
Wyoming for the supposed purpose of
securing government control Of stock
yards, stock cars, refrigerator cars
and cold storage warehouses ITO
stimulate the production, sale and dis
tribution Of livestock and livestock
products" The Kendrick bill was a
hopeless thing, because it. proposed
licensing" Heney knew it. He did
not want to say so at the start, 50 he
talked about the big packers and why
the government must smash their
monopoly Of the food business in this
country.
Senator Norris, Senator Kanyon
and Senator Gronna, by turns, drew
from Heney the story Of the fight he
made, as counsel f0f the federal trade
commission, to get into the private
office vaults Of Henry Veeder, counsel
for Swift & Co., to secure papers
which he believed would prove that
the five big packers were operating a
pool in Handling" public officials
Veeder denied their authority to
search. Hugh McIssac, an examiner
for the commission, persuaded Veeder
to go through the papers in the vault
and let McIsaac read such ones as
Veeder chose to give him. Veeder
draws a salary Of $1,000 year for
his cleverness in seeing that the pack
ers' secrets are guarded. .:S F..
Mann's Beefsteak
"McIsaac reported to me-" said
Heney, "that he saw one letter which
Veeder wrote to Louis Swift, during
the time the Borland resolution de-
nanding an investigation of the pack
ers, was pending in committee in the
house. In that letter Veeder told
Swift that he had had good many
talks with James r. Mann, who now
is the Republican leader in the house
and that as he was going away the
last time Mann remarked to him that
he had not had good beefsteak in a
long time. Veeder sent him a $3.bC
steak, and he asked Louis Swift
whether is should be charged to the
Chicago house or the Washington
house Of the firm. Swift wrote back
lit appeared, that the steak could be
charged to the Chicago office, but that
Mann ought not to be given more
than six on seven steaks in a year,
There was laughter at the revela-
tion of the methods and the littleness
! of packer and politician. Senator Nor
ris remarked that Swift had not un-
derstood congressional appetites very
we'll, to limit the steaks to seven in a
year! Senator Kendrick, Democrat, all
the time smiled cheerfully. But Sc
did his Republican friends, Norris
Kenyon and Gronna. They had blown
to bits the political future of the
leading old guard candidate for the
speakership of the next congress. The
only member of the committee who
looked sad was "Jimmie" Wadsworth
Of New York, who is Penrose hench-
man and stockholder in Swift & Co
Ed. Ward, organizer of parcels post
truck routes, whispered to another
grinning spectator that Mann had sold
his speakership for q beefsteak,
which was one more argument for re-
ducing the high cost of living.
Mann's Ten Year Service
Heney told Of another letter re
garding Jim Mann, which was discov-
cred by one Of his assistants, Doctor
A. p. Adams. It was dated 1907 OF
1908 the period when the horrihle
filth and cruelty to employees IN the
packing plants was told to the country
by Upton Sinclair's book, "The Jun
gle" and congress was passing law
establishing federal inspection Of
meat packing. The packers were fight
ing against the government inspection
Of their products. Isl
In this letter it was shown that
Veeder had presented q horse to Con-
gresham Mann, and the delighted
congressman had written him q pro-
fuse letter Of thanks, saying that the
horse was splendid one and just
what he wanted;
], 50 Mann enlisted in the packers
secret company Of well-wishers more
than 10 years ago, when the con-
science Of the nation had revolted ct
their barbarity and corruption. For
10 years they have counted upon him.
They were about 70 see him lifted 70
the speakership of the house when
Heney tore aside the can1ouaage. i,
The senator's wanted TO know how
Mann earned, his beefsteaks. s.
Heney read, ia reply, the letter sent
at about that time to the big packers
by their three lawyer representatives
ia Washing dacM Manus, Chaplin
and White eviie ewing the fight over
Tie Borland resolu lution, in which they
concluded, ssks h stands today Feb
ruary, 1915 \. nothing en- prevent
criminal pios ion1 a They recon1-
[1neuiled seveaa plaus for side 1acl-
ing m H. @ \ 81 H. a \ d y W