Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1918-03-02
GENERAL PLUMER

store that did not keep 1t. An Armour
representative happened to be in the
store when Plummer s man asked for it.
saying it was ''for t:e general" +" The
representative then ordered the sam
pies sent.
General Plummer said Armour and
company, did not have the exclusive
right to sell and deliver meat at the
cantonment. Any company whose pro.
ducts pass inspection of the divisional
officers can deliver, Plummer said.
'Armour and company agreed to
keep car of meat at the camp for
the various officers messes," said the
commandant. "after 1 had granted them
permission, in accordance with orders
from Washington. The official order
gives such permission when deemed nee
essary to the proper supplying of the
camps.
Switching suddenly from reading a
number of letters purporting to indi-
cate the big packers received trade tips
from high food administration Officials
Francis ]. Heney, special government
council, read into the record q series of
letters from Armour and company, gov
ernment contract file.
These purported to show that Paul
Epeneter, Armour and company at Des
Moines, who said he received from Gen
eral Plummer, exclusive right to build
a sub-branch adjoining the commissary
at Camp Dodge" suggested sending
Plummer ga little package of toilet ar
ticles and few bars of soap.
These, said the letter, "will be high
ly pleasing to General Plummer. He is
a particular old codger and l imagine
is very fussy about such things"
This information was contained in a
letter signed with a typewriter sigma
ture of "R. r. Rightmire" Of Armour
and company, and was addressed to
"Mr. A. P. Shafer, soap works, 1t was
dated October 1S, 1917, and letter da
ted November l, signed by Rightmire,
stated that General Plummer s accept
in an attached letter.
tWe are doing a world business at
Camp Dodge and receiving every cour-
tesy from General Plummer," Right
mire's letter said.
Heney read a letter dated Camp
Dodge, Iowa, October 27, 1917, and
signed "E. H. Plummer'', according to
the official record, saying: "My dear
sirs: The package has not arrived. You
already know my loyalty to ruq s.rivo.lr
products. Nothing else win do -
A note written in pencil on this let
ter and signed by the initial "R'' said
"he gave US permits" Heney remark
ed, "that is the permit for the exclu-
sive right of maintaining that store
there"
Rightmire, according to the evidence,
apparently prodded the Des Moines of
flee to "look after the package"
after Rightmire saw the alleged
Plummer note Rightmire thought
it so urgent, the official record
indicated, that he sent a telegram to
that effect. The Des Moines office re-
piled by telegram dated October 20:
"General Plummer's s package received
Saturday, sent out today" ,t
The idea of the alleged gift it was
said in another Rightmire letter to Gen
eral Plummtr, dated October 20, 1917, to
have been born i'll a Des Moines drug
store.
''It happened recently that one of our
Des Moines representatives, said the
letter, "overheard a conversation be-
tween the drug clerk and prospective
buyer who was insisting ON Armour IS
super cream, and he said that it muat be
Armour S because it was for General
Plummer and he wouldn t use any other
kind.
''Our representative related this in