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Show No Law Under Which DiscoT' i-if ered Evils Can Be Cor- , 'M rected. PESENT BUREAU WORK ; 1 ENTIRELY INADEQUATE . ! Report, of Special Commission- J ers Exposes Terrible Pack- ' ji ing-House Conditions. WASHINGTON, D. C. June 4,-Presl- dent Roosevelt todny sent to tho Senate ' j a special message on the packers' Investl- is i gatlons, and at the same tlmo transmitted' tho report of the special commissioners i, J conducting tho Investigation. Both mea- 'm cage and report aro printed ln full. j if! President's Message. The Senate and Houso of Representa- :L tlvcs: I transmit herewith the report l W i of Mr. James Bronaon Reynolds and Com- i f,!t , miasloner Charles P. Nelll, tho special y'l: committee whom I appointed to Investl- !' '; gate Into tho conditions In the stock ;, i yards of Chicago, and report thereon to ' , mo. This report, is of a preliminary na- b ' ! ture. I submit it to you nov because It shows the urgent need of immcdlato (, action by tho Congress In tho direction of ; i providing a drastic and thorough going (j Inspection by the Federal Government of ji'j"1' all stock yards and packing-houses, and j of their producLs so far a3 tho latter entor Into interstate or foreign commerce. 11 P, The conditions shown by even this short jfS' inspection to exist in the Chicago stock yards uro revolting. It is imperatively necessary, in tho Interest of society and j-' decency, that they should bo radically changed. Under the existing law It Is jil! wholly Impossible Jo secure satisfactory results. )ir ; ! Bureau Insufficient. j.!v; When my attention was first directed ; l H to this matter an investigation was made I j ' under tho bureau of animal Industry H j of the Department of Agriculture- l-i Whun tho preliminary statements of this ;, I investigation were brought lo my atteu- 'if tlon they showed such defects in tho law I and such wholly unexpected conditions 1 that I deemed it beat to havo a further ";jfi Immediate investigation by men not con- l nected with the bureau, and accordingly '''i"?.! appointed Messrs. Reynolds and Nelll. It was Impossible under the existing law that satisfactory work should be done ''1J by tho bureau of animal Industry- I am ' I now, however, examining tho way in ! which the work actually was done. , ',' I Discard Labels. ' jf Jf Before' I had received the report of fl'l i Messrs. Reynolds and Nelll 1 had dl- 'j't;f rected that labels placed upon any ,J ' packages of meat food products should , )i Jj state only that tho carcass of the animal from which the meat was taken had , t been Inspected at tho tlmo of slaughter. ; ' I If Inspection of meat food products at M f all stages of preparation Is not secured jj , by the passage of legislation recom- Mm mended I shall feel compelled to order i'iiil that Inspection labels and certificates on MllJli canned products shall not be used here- mf after. i II f Lacks Power to Enforce. Tho report shows that tho stockyards 1 Uo and packing houses are not kept oven , i-j I reasonably clean, and that tho method , SHll of handling and preparing food products ;il ') is uncleanly and dangerous to health. ; titJJ Under the existing law tho National Gov- ; eminent has no power to enforce lnspec- tlon of the many forms of prepared meat j J food products that aro dally going from , I the packing houses Into Interstate com- . , , rr.cToe. Owing to an inadequate approprl-atlon approprl-atlon tha Department of Agriculture Is rot oven able to place inspectors In all . j'A establishments desiring them. Present ' ? law prohibits tho shipment of uninspected ir.er.t to foreign countries, but there is no , provision forolddlng the shipment of un- s Inspected meats In Interstate commerce, una thus the avenues of interstate com- j I i merce are left open to traffic In diseased 'i '. f, of spoiled meats. If, as has been alleged !' j' i'J on seemingly good authority, further j i ,J ovl'.s exist, such as tho improper use of , w chemicals and dyes, the Government , lacks power to r-imedy them. A law Is reeded which will enable the Inspectors (j p , of the General Government to Inspect and ,,! supcrvSjo from the hoof lo the can the Mlt preparation of meat food products. The , M . ovll ems to bo muh less In the sale of . ,N tressed carcasses than ln tho salo of I' li u canned and other prepared products. j ; (V; Evasion Made Easy. 'Vt' In mv Judgment tho expenses of the V'l'f inspection should be paid by a fee levied II on each animal slaughtered. If this Is HiMhj not Jono. the. whole purpose of tho law J. u can at anv tlmo be defeated through an 'vt' Insufficient appropriation, and whenever ' H thero was no particular interest on tho I , !' subject It would not bo only easy, but . ( )!L , natural, thus to make the appropriation : . iff l Insufficient. If It were not for this con- 1 'jJ,j ! sideratlon I should favor tho Government ; , m paving for It. ' r&)t The alarm expressed ln certain quarters .flif concerning this feature should be allayed ij ,!7 by a realization of the act that In no j '.Mi case, undo.- such a law, will the cost of ifji inspection exceed S cents per head. 1 Roturned CaTcasses. Ahi I call special attention to the fact that this report Is preliminary, and that the ui ) i Investigation i3 still unflnlshod. It is not IT-I vet posslblo to report on the alleged , Ml l abuses In tho use of deleterious chemical , 1 ijjr compounds In connection with canning I l - X nnd proerlng meat products, nor on I Ut) 'a the alleged doctoring ln this fashion of ,' tainted meat anil of products returned lo '$ is the packers as having grown unsaleable ''2 or unuseable from age or from other rea- 'f I sons. Gray's allegations are mado ln ref- jjj ' crence to abuses of this nature. jfi J Legislation Necessary. I i h Let mo repeat that under the present j 1 1 ftj law there practically Is no method of ! 'i;-JL stopping these abuses, If they should bo , ' -aj discovered U exist. Legislation Is needed j .-r 'fln ln order to prevent the possibility of all i ) ! ' E abuses ln the futuie- If no legislation Is j l j 2 passed then the excellent results accom- pllshed bv tho work of this special com- til All1 mlttce will tnduro only so long as tho jj J'flif memory of tho committee's work Is fresh, I H and recrudescence of tho abuses Is abso- i ifll lutoly certain. p rjfll I urge the Immcdlato enactment Into 5 IjH law of provisions which will enable the SII Department of Agriculture adequately to fi SIM. Inspect tho meat and food products entor- i MB ing into Interstate commerce and to su- 9 fafl pcrvlsc tho methods of preparing the j ."J mine, and to prescribe the sanitary con- 'j J'o dltlons under which the work shall be i t t performed. 1 therefore commend to your ' favorable consideration and urge tho en- i i S nctmenl of substantially tho provisions K jp.jj known ns Senate amendment No. 20 to i tjl th-j act molting ar.nrcpriations for the De- S M? parlment of Agriculture for the fiscal I Mu' year ending June SO, 1007, a3 passed by 1 fira I tho Senate, Una amendment; betas com- 5v-"' ti Iinonly known os th Beverldge amendment amend-ment - -J" THEODORE ROOSEVELT. Th.e "White House, June i. 1900. |