Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1884-10-08
To the Citizens Of Sacramento.

A S MUCH AS WE DISLIKE TO MAKE EX-
n plantations through the public print of our
personal or business acts, we deem it due to our
selves at this time to make clear, candid and
concise statement of our connection with the
slaughter-house nuisance that has been brought
SO prominently before the public during the past
few months. At the outset it can be said OF us
that we have lived in this city fer upwards of a
quarter OF u century, and have ever been re-
garded as straightforward and law abiding citi-
zens have never stood in the way of any needed
improvements but have been found in the front
rank of any movement that had for its object
the future health or prosperity of Sacramento.
Our slaughter houses, the unjust condemnation
Of which has led to so much unfriendly discus
sion, were erected very many years ago. at n
time when the residence portion of the city was
all west of Twentieth street. Last spring long
before the rains had ceased, we, in connection
with others in the same business, were notified
that our slaughter-houSeS and corrals must be
cleaned. We invited the Health Officer to visit
the premises, asked him his advice what was
expected of us, and OF our future intentions
which were the removalof our hogs from within
the city limits, the filling up OF our yards with
sand and gravel, the earting Off daily of the
blood, otfal and matter of any description that
was i'll the least offensive TO sight, TO smell. or
that cou d be considered deleteriouS to the
health of the community. This statement made
in good faith, was accepted by the Health Off
Ger, the Board of Health and the City Trustees,
who have been requested at Tarious times to
visit the premises and see for themselves that
our every promise was being more than fulfilled.
The hogs were removed long since and the yards
that are being complained of reeking with
filth are the same to-day, as they have been for
weeks past, and any fair-minded unprejudiced
citizen who will inspect for himself will ascer-
tain that such bold statements are unqualifiedly
false; and, on the contrary, that the yards are
clean, sweet, unotfensive, and will compare IA
vorably with those of any other portion of the
city. We have been, knowing the extreme vim
dictiv mess OF our prosecutors, SO very careful
OF our premises thai even the water used for
washing the slaughter-hoUse floors has been re-
moved. Time and again has the Health officer,
the members of the Board OF Health and the
City Trustees visited the premises, and on the
occasion of every visit did they declare that the
premises Wee in cleanly and inoffensiye con,
ditiOn, their location in position which rem
dered it utterly impossible for the existence OF
nuisance such as complained of by LeMay and
his supporters Dr. Cluness, the President of
the Board OF Health, after two careful inspec-
tions, recommended the place as healthy, and
as being kept III excellent condition. DR.. Laine,
DR.. snyder Dr. Bruno, all members of the Board
OF Health, inspected the premises and joined i'll
their Presidents report. Not later than a week
ago Trustees Nielsen and Gutenberger in order to
satisfy themselves upon this much mooted qUes-
tion rode out to the slaughter-houses and gave
them close and careful inspection. they
claimed then, and openly asserted that as City
Trustees it was not their intention to drive such
an industry from the city, and expressed much
| surprise at the statements of the agitators of
| this unheard of raid upon the individual rights
! of law abiding citizens. Their observations
cOncluslNeIy proved 10 tnen tnat the various
yarns that had been from time to time la d before
| them were not in the interest of the welfare of
the city or the protection of general health, but
were i'll the line of persecution. They openly
declared that from the location of the slaughter
| houses and the residence of MIR. LeMay, that
| owing TO the direction of the pre-
yailing winds if the slaughter-houses were
| ever so offensive not one single odor
would ever reach the oliactory nerve, no
| matter how sensitive it might be- OF anyone on
the LeMly premises. When these J. en- com
bined oGt of a spirit of mslignity topcrsecute u.s.
| they brought INTO their employ a lawyer, Grove
| J.. johnson, whose feeling, personally were in
| full accord with the LeAiay Com bnaticn, and he
was not SLOW in finding an uuheard of ordinance
which said that no slaug hteT- houses should be
mautainud within the city limits. This unjust
| ordinance, that had been slumberng for up
wards of fourteen years, Was touched by the
wand OF this eminent legal light aWoke from
| its Rip Van WinSle sleep, and Used for oar per
secutlon. Unjust, unfair, unmanly, not willing
| TO allow usto make statement, 10 even be heard
| heir every act has been characterized by low
cunning that would do credit to an embryo law
yer but is line of action that would be scorned
| by any man learned IN the legal lore. We knew
nothing of the existence OF such an ordinance.
| Ii seems to have been passed years ago for what
| purpose the records do not show, and was never
| attempted 10 be enforced. General Hart, trust
| ing to the good Judgment of Judge Armstrong,
asked him in regard to the CONSTITUTE onality of
| the ordinance. lie replied that 1t had been
| passed upon by hcSuprcme Court, who claimed
| that it was good law, but much Is he respected
their opinion he must say that his Ogn is that it
| is unconstitutional. the Board OF Trustees in
| formed us that they would pass an amended Or
| dinance that would allow us to remain where
| we are under certain restrictions, provided the
Board of Health would recommend ii. The mat
ter was reported to the Board of Health and re-.
| cciyed their hearty approval and Endorsement.
| They even went so far as to write, unsolicited,
| certain certificates recommending the proposed
action, and the petition Ior the same was signed,
| not by people who lived III the city remote from
the slughter-h houses, but those OF the immediate
neighborhood. When Dr.. Cluness wrote his
] recommendation to the Board requesting them
| to grant our petition we remarked that we were
| sorry to put him to So much trouble. His reply
| came promptly, 81 want to do what is right
| Before the Board Monday he, in substance, sal !
| that his previous statements concerning the
| condition of the premises were untrue and took
| a back track. The fact is, the Doctor came to
| our place, rs would detective, early Saturday
| morning, when we were asleep. The slaughter
! house is thoroughly cleansed every evening i'm
| mediately alter the slaugh:ering IS done; but on
| Fridays they have great deal of work, owing
| to the fact that they have to slaughter for two
days, and some cases, as in this one, when their
| work lasts till well long into the night, the
| cleaning is postponed until the next morning,
and al they have to do that day Is to clean up.
! If the Doctors visit had been hour later, or
| at any reasonable hour OF the day, he would
| have found the premises i'll thoroughly
| cleansed condition, aud the Objectionable mat
| ter referred to by him would have disappeared
He discovered 81 hCgs in a dry and grayeled lot.
| The Doctor is no doubt aware of the fact that
| swine driven for any considerable distance, or
| having been shook up by transportation on
| cars, must be rested from two to three days
prior to their being slaughtered, before their
meat would be properly cooled out and fit for
| food. The pigs referred to by the Doctor were
| there for that pun pose, and not for feeding and
| fattening and their pens were looked after with
the utmost care. 1t will be necessary for the re-
| peal of section u, of ordinance IL, before the
next State Fair, or one OF their best exhibits at
the Park will be excluded. However, this or
dinance is just as fair us the one which compels
us to abandon our property and move outside of
| a city, for the improvement OF which we have
| been taxed for the past twenty-five years