The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1907-03-02
Secretary Wilson Makes Pub
lie Strenuous Letter.
ALLEGES DISGUSTING METHOD
Department Of agriculture Accuses
John r. Warner, of Charleston,
:. C., with Making Practice of
Distributing All Manner of Taint-
ed and UnwhoIesOme Meats.


tainted. inferior. unhealthful, unwhole
some, and unsound meats. obtained from
any source, in any conceivable way"
This is a sample of the language used
by Secretary Wilson, of the Department
Of Agriculture. in a public letter sent TO
John +. Warner. a meat dealer. of
Charleston, S c. Warner and his meth
DDS and practices are severely scored, and
he is given dire warning to discontinue.
The letter goes on TO say: a watch has
been put over your incoming and out
going shipments Of meat and meat food
products, and this watch will be main
tanned until the department is satisfied
YOU are conforming your business To the
law"
The letter begins with the statement
that Warmers numerous letters and tele-
grams 10 the department concerning the
shipment of meat in interstate commerce
and the disposition Of meat which has
been illegally shipped on his order have
received careful consideration. Further.
that all orders and regulations had been
forwarded TO him, and that one letter
pr0pounding seventeen inquiries relating
10 no. > meats and the distinction be-
tween No. ] and No. ., and the numer-
Gus others, had all been carefully an
swered
Secretary wilson's Letter.
Secretary Wilson's letter is. in part. as
/ follows:
Under date OF October 10. 1895, you
wrote to the department as follows. /
have "a few little shipments Of prime No.
II meats that came in. Can 1 ship them
out Of my state? They are not inspected
or stamped as they were shipped before
/ the new law, but / viii guarantee that
/ the quality is prime No. !. ! Will certify
+ TO it if YOU desire it,
J To enable you TO dispose Of the meat
food products you had on hand. which
meats were guaranteed by you as being
prime No. ]. on October Is, 1906, a certih-
cate Of exception, No. 5,576. was granted
/ to YOU The department ascertained very
soon, however. that you were using this
/ exception not only to ship In interstate
commerce the meats which you had on
hand before the Inauguration Of the meat
/ inspection law, but also all meats that
you were able 10 obtain. In your CORE
/ spondence with various packers you made
the following statement:
I am the only house here that has
been granted a certificate OF exemption
/ from Washington. This proves to you my
/ general reputation.
Claims Special Privilege.
''You wrote to packers having inspec-
ton. packers not having inspection, and
to farmers and retail dealers, requesting
them 20 ship to you all their inferior
meats and in certain eases you stated
that the United States Department of Ag-
ricuiture permitted the interstate trans
portation of such meats, regardless OF
the fact that you had been advised that
the law did not permit the movement Of
unsound meat in interstate commerce.
You had printed circular letter, which
bears date Of November !. 49,, and which
reads as follows:
The latest rulings in Washington now
permit YOU TO ship interstate all your
! iuger.0r-grade meats, known as seconds
or what I cali No. ,. Your Inspector viii
issue stamps for same, therefore, please
Iconsign me all YOU have ut once, quantity
no object. and 7 will guarantee 10 render
you sales and check within twenty-f0ui
hours after arrival at top prices. Ship
as soon as possible. before holidays come
IL can also handle pickle pork and staG
/ meats
WiIIfuI Deception.
"The above would indicate that II was
your wiHmI intention TO mislead shippers
Giving YOU the benefit OF the doubt and
acting on the hypothesis that you had
made an honest misinterpretation of the
ruling. on November l6 the department
sent you copy of the instructions which
had been issued to inspectors in charge
and which had been misquoted in youI
circular letter.
1T appears. however. from letters now
in the departments files over your sigma
ture. that you thereafter wrote to pack
ers telling them that inferior meats. which
the Federal inspector in charge At theiI
establishment would not permit 10 be
shipped ln interstate commerce, might hC
shipped in interstate commerce.
Mark Meat "HoR TaDOw."
.Disregarding all the instructions am
advice which had been given you by thu
department, you wrote to packers having
Federal inspection asking them to shil
TO YOU mutilated meats and such parts
as will not pass Federal inspection. You
asked them to pack these meats down
in tierces and to mark the same hos
talIow.' and to ship them 10 you, as you
could realize more from their sale thar
the packers could secure by tanking the
meat. You have instructed shippers thai
if they bill tainted meat as tallow 81
soap grease no stamp Of inspection i:
required,
'.The department has conclusive evi
dence that sour and tainted meats have
been shipped TO and received by you. il
some instances billed as soap grease, OF
meat unfit for human food. and il is tn,
Inference of the department that yoI
disposed Of these unsound, unhealthful
unwholesome meats for human consump
ton in the city of Charleston and else
where.
Receives Final warming.
You have undoubtedly been an aces
sorry both before and after the fact L
the violation of the law. and unless yol
discontinue your practices Immediately
you will be reported to the Department
Of Justice for prosecution.
Surmlse mat the methods employed
by you in conducting your business vii
be of interest to the health authorize.
of the city of Charleston, and to the au
thorities of the State of South Carolina
Accordingly, 1 have sent a copy of thi:
letter to the mayor of the city of Charles
ton and a copy TO the governor Of the
State Of South Carolina. Il is further
my purpose to give copies of this letter
to the newspapers"