The Pensacola journal., 1920-03-28
meat CAMP PAICN
HURTS PALMER
Packers Witness Tells House
Committee Price of Cheap
Cuts Would Be Increased
WOULD INJURE THE POOR
"Buy Cheap Cuts" Move Was
Fostered by Packers and Put
Out Through Palmer.
By GEORGE n. MANNING

Washington, March al The De-
partment of Justices nation wide
save money on meat" campaign. ap-
parently intended to educate the
housewives to buy cheaper cuts of
meat is being watched with consider
able interest in Washington in view
of the charges that the Beef Trust"
is back of Attorney General A. Nit
chelI Palmer's plan and the testimony
-of experts that instead of any reward
going to the public for its frugality
the plan will increase the cost of meat
and in the end prove very expensive
for the public-ea@sss,ses
Mr.. Palmers candidacy for Presi-
dent after the failure of any of his
predictions of lower living costs to
materialize gives added interest to the
Justice Departments campaign. 1t is
suggested that having failed miserably
to prevent meat price going higher
through his Fair Price Committee, Mr..
Palmer expects to reduce the house
wives meat bill by inducing them to
buy cheaper cuts.
The attacks upon Mr.. Palmer's
cheaper meat campaign followed the
discovery that the bulletins issued in
the name of the Department of Justice
were being prepared by the Institute
of Americans Meat Packers. an organi-
zation maintained in Washington by
the Chicago meat packers. The right
| of the Chicago packers to maintain a
bureau here TO further their interests
| is not challenged, but there is some
question of the ethics of the Depart
ment of Justice in adopting the pack
ers' propaganda as its own.
The Department of Justices advice
to the housewives on meats campaign
was started about two weeks ago when
| the offices of all the Washington cor
respondents were supplied with state
ments purporting TO come from the
Department but which really were pre-
pared in the office of the Institute of
American Meat Packers and distrib-
uted by a messenger from the pack
ers' office.
! The cheaper meats campaign opened
almost simultaneously incidentally
with the Attorney Generals supposed
dissolution" of the Packers Trust.
Mr.. Palmer's food experts" are now
well along with their campaign TO edu-
lcate the public's taste for chuck roast
land other cheap cuts of meat instead
of porterhouse Nsirloin steak mad Other
high priced cuts.
washinsHon critics view Mr.. Pal
lmer's campaign as an attempt to con
vince the public that its expensive
taste for meats and not the profiteer-
ling Beef Trust is responsible for higf
,meat prices
The statement issued ostensibly b,
the Department of Justice. but reall!
prepared and issued by the packers
washington office, reads:
TT is expected that the efforts of tn
Idenartment will have the cooperation
of retail meat dealers throughout tn
country as we'll as the cooperation o
the whole packing industry, Including
, several hundred different companies
; The housewife holds in her own ham
the remedy for very high meat prices
.Rv turning away from the expensive
! RI the inexpensive cuts she not onl
will lower her own meat bills, but Wi
Iarive down the price of the choic
' lcuts"
The first witness put on before tn
uousa Agriculture Committee by tn
hackers a few days later gave exper
!. testimony to the contrary.
Mr Palmer's propaganda received
ihodv bIox last Wednesday when at
ibearinp before the House Agricultur
tromnittee on the Kenyon-Anderso
: hin for meat regulation. L. d. Weld c
+be research department of Swift
lr.ornpany under examination, adn1itte
irbat If the Justice Departments cam
tnai9n is successful it will result in in
|, creased instead of reduced prices I
the public.
Mr.. Weld also admitted that th
5 hackers are cooperating with the Jus
e tice Department in the cheaper cut
d