T. Roosevelt Insists on Regulatory Legislation, 1906
I have
recently had an investigation made by Commissioner Neill of the Labor Bureau
and Mr. J. B. Reynolds, of the situation in Chicago packing houses. It is
hideous, and it must be remedied at once. I was at first so indignant that I
resolved to send in the full report to Congress. As far as the beef packers themselves
are concerned I should do this now with a clear conscience, for the great
damage that would befall them in consequence would be purely due to their own
actions. But the damage would also come to all the stock growers of the country
and the effect of such a report would undoubtedly be well-nigh ruinous to our
export trade in meat for the time being, and doubtless the damaging effect
would be apparent long after we had remedied the wrongs. I am there- fore going
to withhold the report for the time being, and until I can also report that the
wrongs have been remedied, provided that without making it public I can get the
needed legislation; that is, provided we can have the meat inspection amendment
that has been put on in the Senate in substance enacted into law. Of course
what I am after is not to do damage even to the packers, still less to the
stockmen and farmers. What I want is the immediate betterment of the dreadful
conditions that prevail, and moreover the providing against a possible
recurrence of these conditions. The beef packers have told me through Mr. Louis
Swift that if I will not make this report public they will guarantee to remedy
all the wrongs which we have found or may find to exist. This is good as far as
it goes, but it does not go far enough, and it is absolutely necessary that we
shall have legislation which will prevent the recurrence of these wrongs. I
should not make the report public with the idea of damaging the packers. I
should do it only if it were necessary in order to secure the remedy.