Meat industry and trade

Telegram from Theodore Roosevelt to Murdo Mackenzie

President Roosevelt tells Murdo Mackenzie that if the Beveridge amendment is enacted as it currently stands, he does not see any good reason to present a report to the public. If there is a failure to pass legislation correcting “the evils which the report shows,” however, Roosevelt would be obligated to release the report. He does not wish to cause undue damage to businesses, and “should regret greatly if by unwise action in refusing to see that the necessary legislation is passed they force me to lay formally before Congress the reason why in my judgement this legislation is imperative.”

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-05-27

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to James Wolcott Wadsworth

President Roosevelt wishes to speak to Representative Wadsworth about the amendment to the agricultural bill giving effective inspection and control over the meat packing industry, as he believes the situation must be immediately remedied. Roosevelt has determined to withhold the damning report he received as long as he gets the legislation allowing government oversight over the industry because he fears the economic effects it may have, but he will do so if he is unable to secure the means to solve the problem. Roosevelt believes passing the amendment will be good for both people raising cattle and the beef-packers themselves.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-05-26

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Charles Patrick Neill

President Roosevelt would like to speak with Commissioner of Labor Neill about his report on stockyards and meat packing once Neill and James Bronson Reynolds have gotten it in suitable shape. He would also like to discuss the report with Neill and representatives of the Department of Agriculture. Roosevelt believes the matter should not be acted on hastily, as it will have far-reaching effects.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-05-23

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Charles Patrick Neill

President Roosevelt sends Commissioner of Labor Neill a second report from the Department of Agriculture on the packing town matter, and says that it is more satisfactory than the first report. Roosevelt asks Neill to consider the report in connection with his own investigations and report to him on it.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-04-16

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Kenesaw Mountain Landis

President Roosevelt appreciated receiving the telegram from Judge Landis. He remarks confidentially that he believes it would have been a better thing for the country if Landis had ruled on the beef trust case, rather than Judge J. Otis Humphrey.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-04-16

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to James Wilson

President Roosevelt warns Secretary of Agriculture Wilson to be careful of further leaks from his department regarding the governmental investigations into beef packers. Roosevelt believes that the department should announce that the report is merely a preliminary one, as he is also unsatisfied by its current state. At present, it does not give any clear, definite answers, and Roosevelt has submitted it to Commissioner of Labor Charles Patrick Neill for revision and further development.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-04-11

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Upton Sinclair

President Roosevelt believes Upton Sinclair is more agitated than the facts warrant, and reassures him that there is “no official whitewash or official anything else sent out from Washington,” and suggests that Sinclair’s Chicago correspondent is untrustworthy for suggesting such a thing. Commissioner of Labor Charles Patrick Neill or James Bronson Reynolds are too well known to be able to investigate internal conditions of the meat packing industry as Sinclair describes in The Jungle, and assigning a man to go undercover will likely take months. Roosevelt again admonishes Sinclair that he and his correspondent must “keep [their] heads” for their work to be of value.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-04-11

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Upton Sinclair

President Roosevelt tells Upton Sinclair that he is glad that Sinclair is able to put Charles Patrick Neill on the correct track in his investigations of the meat packing industry. Roosevelt comments that he has asked Neill to report to him on both the treatment of the workers and the conditions of the meat, but remarks that “as I have the power to deal with one and not with the other, it is more my duty to look after the one than the other.”

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-04-09

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Charles Patrick Neill

President Roosevelt sends Commissioner Neill of the Department of Commerce of Labor a self-explanatory letter from he received from Upton Sinclair, and instructs him to report about the condition of workers, as well as diseased meats.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-04-09

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Otto Gresham

President Roosevelt tells Otto Gresham that he believes the recent decision in the beef trust court case to be bad law, and that “from the moral and social standpoint it was a blow to righteousness in the community.” Roosevelt believes Commissioner of Corporations James Rudolph Garfield and Attorney General William H. Moody acted well throughout the trial.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-03-29

Letter from William Loeb to Jordan Stabler Company

On behalf of Edith Kermit Carow Roosevelt, William Loeb informs the Jordan Stabler Company that the last half-dozen hams received from the company have been inferiorly cooked.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1905-02-20

Letter from L. E. Minot to Theodore Roosevelt

L. E. Minot asks for Theodore Roosevelt’s support for the creation of a stock market surrounding the buying and selling of meat. Minot proposes a plan that involves securing agreements with cattle ranchers and other suppliers, as well as establishing suitable stock yards and packing houses. The goal is for this stock exchange to impact the entire country, and give rural districts access to farther markets. In addition to Roosevelt, Minot has sent this proposal to many leading figures such as the Secretary of Agriculture James Wilson and politicians such as Woodrow Wilson and William Jennings Bryan.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1911-08-31

Letter from James Bronson Reynolds to Theodore Roosevelt

James Bronson Reynolds reports his findings to President Roosevelt after a tour of the Chicago Stock Yards led by Samuel E. Bennett, Chief Inspector of the Bureau of Animal Industry for Chicago. He found many improvements since his previous inspection, including building improvements and better sanitation, lunches, and workwear for workers. However, he notes that there is still much work to be done.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-10-29

Report of Sidney A. Staunton, George B. Wilson, and Walter B. Izard to Joseph Bullock Coghlan

Captain Staunton, Naval Surgeon Wilson, and Paymaster Izard report to Admiral Coghlan on the actions of the board Coghlan appointed to inquire into complaints regarding the quality of meat served onboard ships and in the Brooklyn Naval Yard. The results of their interviews with a variety of crewmen from a number of ships leads them to believe that the negative opinions regarding the meat have overstated the situation. Actually tainted meat has only rarely made it through inspections, although they also state that in some instances the meat may have been tainted had it not been for “the improper use of preservatives,” which still had the effect of making the meat unpalatable and of inferior quality. They conclude that many of the animals slaughtered for meat do not meet the contract specifications, and suggest that, when possible, contractors should be required to deliver whole carcasses to ensure that the better cuts of meat are not being removed and sold elsewhere.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-08-06

Letter from Whitelaw Reid to Theodore Roosevelt

Ambassador Reid updates President Roosevelt on his recent interactions with the Grocers’ Federation Associations of the United Kingdom. The group requested that Roosevelt send a dispatch clarifying that canned American meat sent to foreign markets has always been carefully inspected, as half a million dollars worth of American tinned meats has become “dead stock” due to the recent agitation. Reid recommended they contact Secretary of Commerce and Labor Victor Howard Metcalf or Secretary of Agriculture James Wilson instead. Reid also mentions a letter he received from Sir Edward Grey expressing support for the proposal of a reduction of armaments in Russia.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-07-31

Letter from Edwin S. Conway to William Loeb

Edwin S. Conway has felt occasionally that he has been referring too many things to President Roosevelt, but explains to William Loeb that the reason for this is that he holds Roosevelt in high regard and is anxious to see Roosevelt’s policies carried out. Conway has had “some pretty warm battles” with bankers and magnates who side with the meat packers against Roosevelt, but is optimistic about the reforms that Roosevelt will be able to accomplish.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-06-30

Letter from Elihu Root to Theodore Roosevelt

Secretary of State Root compares President Roosevelt’s reaction to two recent events, the birth of a royal baby and the passage of meat industry legislation.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-06-20

Tell the truth about the packers

The Times-Dispatch reports on the need for governmental inspection of meat and meat packing plants. While previously companies boasted about their quality control, the publication of Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle and governmental investigations ordered by President Roosevelt have shown the truth to this falsehood. Such revelations have hurt the ability of American meat to be sold on the world market, thereby necessitating legislation allowing for government inspection.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-05-31

Letter from James Wilson to Theodore Roosevelt

Secretary of Agriculture Wilson regrets that information about the department’s investigation of beef packers in Chicago seems to have been leaked to the press. Wilson assures President Roosevelt that he will ascertain whether any of his employees had anything to do with it, although he also notes that the Chicago Tribune article contains errors and large portions of it may have been based on guess work.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-04-11

Letter from James Wilson to Theodore Roosevelt

James Wilson states Upton Sinclair’s staff gave out many dispatches related to the meat packing industry in order to promote Sinclair’s book.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-04-12