Swift vs. Wallace

Presumably under considerable pressure from the agricultural sections, Secretary Wallace of the Department of Agriculture demanded that Swift & Co., the Wilson Packing Co. and the Cudahy Packing Co. give federal auditors full access to their accounts, records, documents. The demand was made for the express purpose of determining how far the companies are buyers and sellers of live stock and products manufactured from live stock, how far they are engaged in interstate commerce, and to audit figures previously submitted to the Government to determine if they are correct.

Swift 6, Co. have announced that they will not " permit the Department of Agriculture to place auditors permanently in their offices with power to examine at all times their books, papers and documents." Mr. Swift, in a formal statement for his company, declared: " We claim on behalf of our 45,000 stockholders the right which the Constitution guarantees to all citizens of being permitted (in the absence of specific charges) to conduct our business peacefully without interference from Government agents."

Mr. Swift argued that if the Government has power to maintain accountants in his office, it could do likewise in all other business offices in the country--which would be " unthinkable." He also implied that Secretary Wallace has construed the recent Packers and Stockyards Act to be much broader in scope than the text of the Act justifies.