Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1906-08-30
tttornay-G General Sends Governor
Findings on Diseased Meat
Issue.
NO WARRANT FOR CHARGE
State or It's Oficers Have Never Sold
Diseased Meat for Food Purposes
-widcsprcnd Publication Of
Another Accusation to lie
Investigated.

st. Johnsbury. Aug. 23,-The report
iof Attorney-General Fits to Governor
tBell on the diseased meat issue was
,made public to-day. 1t is as follows:
Brattleboro, VT, Aug. %, 1906.
tThe Hon. Charles ]. Bell, Governor OF
Vermont:
Dear Sir; Pursuant to the request
of Lieutenant Governor Stearns made
lduring your eXcellency's absence from
,the state, ! beg leave to report con-
lccrning the published charge, that the
State of Vermont is a dealer in dis
eased meat. ON August 14th There
first came to my attention II publlca-
ton making the charge that the state
iof Vermont is a dealer in diseased meat
and specifying therein, by way Of affl-
ldavit, the case of condemnation of AZ
Icows Of the herd of Frank T. Hutch
iinson of Worcester by the state cattle
kCommission in November, 1905. The
!affidavit of Hutchinson does not di-
trectly charge that diseased meat was
Nold for food purposes, but 1t carries
that Implication and is so construed
Ivy thN l"' ''NS
lately upon its coming to my notice. 1
lcalled it to the attention of tho states
attorney Of Chittendcn county, whero
the alleged offence is claimed to have
been committed and learned from him
THAT no complaint or intimatton of
seuch a thing had ever been made to
thim. / Immediately directed him to
carefully and fully Investigate the
snatter and report such facts as he
tCould learn relating to this specific
icharge.
Previous to 1904, it was the law of
Vermont that in all cases when an
animal was killed by order Of the cat
tie commissioners, its carcass should
ibe buried. The Legislature Of 1904
iamended this law by providing that
the condemned animal should be dis
posed of as directed by the conmis-
Fioner in charge. tsee act No. JAG OF
5000. 1t seems to have been the con-
Temptation of the law from the time
Of its first enactment that all cattle
showing any response TO the tuber-
lulin test shall be condemned by the
commission and slaughtered and then.
rs was provided in Sec. 4Sl5 of Yer
~ " fOSN
ton was required to be made and If
ihe animal was found by that cxamina-
ton to be affected with tuberculosis, II
was to be destroyed, If not. the carcass
of the slaughtered animal was to be re-
turned to the owner, who also received
lhe full amount of its apprised value. BN
lhe act Of No. 81, of 1902. a requirement
WAS made that the carcass should be
buried, which act was amended by thu
pct of 1904 above quoted. 1t appears tina
}he State cattle commission acting un
)er the last named law, have caused al
Condemned cattle to be slaughtered, a
1he slaughter house Of some rendering OF
lertilizing plant, sometimes at the plan
pf the Burlington Rendering company a
Burlington, and sometimes at plants o
Ak character in Massachusetts. and tina
in all cases post morten examination
Is made, and any meat and any carcass
(which shows disease, Is MADE into fer
Nil!Zer, and only such as are shown Il
abe free from disease are permitted 10 b
.hsed for food purposes. The post morton
examination is made under the regula
jtions of the United States government
There has been no evidence brought t
'7he attention of the States attorney O
10 me, nor has there any intimation o
any, SO far as ! have been able to lear
except as hereinafter stated, tnil III
,,neat of any carcass which is shown t
ibe diseased, has ever been sold or use
for the food purposes. on the %contrar
ut appears that the carcasses of all dis
oased animals have been destroyed an
made into fertilizer.
Taking UP specifically, the charge !
the Hutchinson matter, q careful perusi
of Hutchinson's published affidavit show
that he does not claim that the bee
which he suggests az having been IN tn
cooler ever came from his cattle. II
states that one hindquartcr was mari
ed paul Gcrmain, Burlington" a care
full inquiry by states attorney falls
show that there is any such person
Burlington now or was at tho time state
IN the Hutchinson affidavit. Hutchtnso
and whitney. (the party whose publisl
I'd affidavit confirms Hutchinson), 10
ptate to tho States attorney that tho
cannot say what became OF Hutchinson
cattle, that they do not identify "
quarters seen in the cooler as comir
from Hutch!nson's herd. In fact hi
they say that they did not, althoup
they say that the two forward quartz
mentioned In the affidavit showed on II
inside OF tho ribs that they were di
eased. These are the quarters which tho
Say lay upon tho floor with n chu1
cut out of the shoulders or eacH. 80
Whitney and Hutchinson state to Il
States attorney that they were told
tho butcher that hese chunks had be-
cut out out to feed to a dog. The catt
commissioner in charge, DR.. +. A. Ric
the manager OF the Burlington Rende
Ang plant, Mr.. Brigham and Mr.. Heat
khe butcher, who does the butchering T
Hhe Rendering company. all state tn
NO diseased meat has been used for TO
purposes. that all such has been used +