The Dillon herald. [volume] (Dillon, S.C.) 1894-????, 1919-08-21
NO MERCY SHOWN
FOOD PROFITEERS
District Attorney Weston to Carry Out
Orders to Letter

Weston, United States district at
tOrney for the Eastern district OF
South Carolina, in a statement to
the press today, in addition to advo-
eating the creation of fair price fix
ing committee for each county of the
state, calls on those who have COM
plants to make about alleged hoard
ing or profiteering to make them
either to him at Columbia, or to his
assistant, ]. Waties Waring, at
Charleston, according to the division
of the district.
In order to expedite the investiga-
tions now being made by agents OF
the Department of Justice into the
standard of prices now governing the
Ifoodstuffs market, Mr.. Weston has
divided the Eastern district into two
subdivisions, one with headquarters at
Columbia under his supervision, and
the other at Charleston in charge OF
Mr.. Waring. The counties contiguous
to Columbia are under the district at
torney and those in the vicinity of
Charleston and its trade territory are
taken care of by his assistant.
The counties under Mr.. Weston are
Aiken, Allendale, Bamberg, Barnwell,
Calhoun, Chesterfield, Darlington,
Kershaw, Lee, Lexington, Marlboro,
Orangeburg, Richland and Sumter.
Mr.. Waring will have supervision
over Beaufort, Berkeley, Charleston,
Clarendon, Colleton, Dillon, Dorches-
ter, Florence, Georgetown, Hampton,
Horny, Jasper, Marion and Williams
burg.
When a citizen of any of the fore
going counties thinks that boarding or
profiteering in foodstuffs is being
practiced by the merchants of his
county he is requested to report the
facts to either Mr.. Weston or Mr..
Waring, according to which one of
these gentlemen is in charge Of the
county in which the alleged violation
of the provisions of the food control
act occurs.
District Attorney Weston is work
ing energetically in putting the ma
chinery in operation to stamp out
boarding and profiteering in his dis
trict, and actions of libel and profit
eering prosecutions are expected in
short order. Mr.. Weston is determined
to carry out tn orders of the Depart
ment of Justice to the letter and to
leave nothing undone to reduce the
present high standards of prices Of
foodstuffs if it is in the power of his
office. He stated several days ago
that violators Of the food control act
could expect no mercy from his office,
no matter how high the violator might
be in the business and social world.
II would request said Mr.. Weston
in giving one plan for reducing the
standard of prices, "that county food
administrators call at one a meet
ing of the citizens of each county at
the county seat and at this meeting a
list of fair prices should be agreed
upon for publication in the county
papers, and committee made up of
dealers and disinterested citizens
should be appointed to revise the list
Of fair prices each week, or whenever
it may be necessary. This would re-
suit in posting the people as to what
merchants are realizing a fair profit
and what merchants are exploiting
them. Public opinion is a mighty fac
tor in correcting any grievance, and
man who in the present crisis
through which the world is passing
seeks to impose on his fellow citizens
is distitue of patriotism and con-
science and should not be patronized
by the public. The day has come for
separating those who are willing t.
deal fairly with the public and those
who are gouging and rob5ing in a
desire to get rich quick"