Show I 1 I 1 KOO M S 01 0 61 0 D S 9 A letten i 1 I I 1 I 1 ON ra F R 0 u R 01 m F I 1 U 4 H 0 11 I 1 U is I 1 E b a 9 AN uffe A L humorous haste hast e of packers to clean up their places is observed I 1 president says the theo investigation has not ended but need of government inspection is already I 1 evident I 1 washington june 8 in response to a request from the house Commit committed teo on agriculture president roosevelt today forwarded to representative wadsworth worth h th or chairman of that committee the report made to him by ag a committee ommittee of the department of agriculture regarding conditions in the chicago meat packing houses accompanying the report was a letter from the president in which he points out that there is no conflict in Gub substance stance between the nelli neill reynolds report and that of the agricultural department experts it is said in the latest st report that the packing house proprietors are manifesting almost A humorous haste to clean up re pave and even to plan for future changes new toilet rooms are being provided with additional dressing rooms and clean towels the report says that the haste towards reform would have been amusing if i it were not so nearly tragic the president says his investigations have not been completed but that enough has baa been developed in my judgment to call for immediate thoroughgoing thorough going and radical enlargement lar gement of the powers of the g government overn in inspecting all meats which enter into interstate commerce and foreign ign commerce follo irIng ing is the text of the letter of 0 the president to chairman wads worth tho the white house washington D 0 june 8 1906 sly my dear mr wadsworth in accordance with nath your request I 1 send you herewith the two reports of inspection by the committee appointed by the department of agriculture on april 5 and 13 this committee had already been appointed when I 1 notified the secretary that I 1 desired that such a comm commission lasion should be appointed in order to make inalee the investigation vesti gation subsequent complaints to me and the consideration of complaints all already ready made showed that the charges were no not only against the packing houses butt also 66 toa a Zer certain tain extent reflected upon the action of 0 emment inspectors and I 1 came to the conclusion that it was best to have an investigation mado made by outside individuals who could not by be charged wits wita 1 being in any way vay interested in the matter accordingly before the completion of tile the investigation of the department part ment of agriculture I 1 directed mr neill and mr reynolds to mike make an investigation vesti gation the first report of which has been laid before congress much testimony has been offered to us which has not been considered dered in this report for mr neill and mr reynolds in this report confine themselves to stating in more or less summary way the facts as to which they had been eye witnesses ri and what they have said cannot be successfully controvert ed some of the ground traversed by neill and re reynolds enolds Is not touched upon in the report of the committee of the agricultural department As to the ground covered in common by the reports of the two investigating committees there Is no conflict in substance as to the important matter although there is a marked difference in emphasis this being partially due to the greater length and detail of tile the report of the committee of the department of I 1 agriculture in my judgment tho the emphasis of the report of Aless rs noall and reynolds is abundantly justified by the facts to show the immediate and extraordinary change for the better which the mere fact of their investigation is already bringing about in tho the condition I 1 of the packing houses in chicago it is 1 only necessary to instance the follow ing portions of a letter received from i a most competent and trustworthy witness in chicago whose name I 1 will give the committee it if it so desires chicago friday buee I 1 on monday I 1 began a tour of all the great packing houses going first to Lib libbis bys then swifts ts tuesday all the morning discus discussed seil changes that ought to be made mad e and i caught a glimpse of the awakening at I 1 armours in the afternoon visited the plant with the superintendent superintend ten dent wednesday I 1 rested and contemplated the awakening of I 1 it is miraculous thursday visited nelon morris with the superintendent nelson mor alor I 1 ris has done much to muke he things bet beti i ter by tile the time the next inspecting party arrives they will have still more 1 new lavatories toilet rooms dressing j rooms etc cuspidors ors everywhere and I 1 s signs igns prohibiting spitting in most the i awakening seemed to come by force from without there was the slightest indication that tho the still small voice 1 j was at work also at Arni armours ours at my suggestion I 1 made no pretense of making an investigation ti but frankly announced that I 1 desired to see things in for myself and to get a fresh impression of cond eions as I 1 had lia d not seen the plants since before tho the strike on every hand i there was wai indication of an almost humi orous haste to cloan clean up re rc pave pavo ani an I even to plan tor for fu future ture changes new I 1 toilet rooms new dressing rooms new 1 towels etc etc swift and armour 1 1 1 were both so cleaned up that I 1 was avas I 1 compelled to cheer them on their way by expressing my pleasure at the cli changes anges tho the sausage girls were moved I 1 up stairs jhc where re they could got get sun and light they to have dressing rooms etc I 1 asked for showers and loc lookers liers for the lie casing workers at ar I 1 mours a and ni got a promise that the they would be put O tho the canning and stuffing toom loom and beef extract at armours seemed quite good in all of these rooms the girls worl work at libbis the girls ai aio 0 to be put into a I 1 blue calico uniform which they will secure accuro ac curo jit at half price they nrc are rutting in toilet rooms which they say are temporary and that when the building is remodeled they will have these put in a tetter oetter place this outward reform would have been amusing it if it was not nearly so tragic they tried to win help an the ground that loss of foreign trade would mean hardship for the workers in the neighborhood and I 1 must say I 1 do share this fear but I 1 cannot see the wisdom of ray my coming out publicly and saying that I 1 saw indications of an awakening f fr for r I 1 want the cha changes ages vo 0 be radical and permanent even though we all have to suffer for the present 1 I wish to repeat that my in eions are not yec vet through I 1 am not prepared to m make are a final statement either as to so much of the complaints as concern the management of odthe the bureau of animal industry or as to certain of the graver charges in connection I 1 with the adulteration of meat products as well as other matters but enough has been developed in my judgment to call for immediate and thoroughgoing thorough going and radical enlarge ment of the powers of the government in inspecting all meat when they enter into interstate and foreign commerce unfortunately the misdeeds of those who are responsible for the abuses we design to cure will bring discredit and damage not only upon them hut but upon the innocent stock growers the ranch men and farmers of the country the only way permanently ly to protect and benefit these innocent stock growers the farmers and ranch men is to secure by law the thorough and adequate inspection for which I 1 have asked sincerely yours signed THEODORE ELT LT hon eon james jamea W wadsworth chairman committee on agriculture house of t representatives I 1 |