Arizona state miner., 1924-05-03
HORRIBLE USAGES
Phoenix Practice of Selling
Injected Meat Exposed


most everything in way of sem
satlons, was visibly shocked this
week. 1t was over the transfer
here of a Phoenix practice of
selling condemned meat to mar
kets for sale as food. 1t was so
unusually sensational that Dad"
watson, as guardian of public
welfare responded to requests for
signing of complaint before the
county attorney in order to stop
a shameful practice and place the
blame where it rightfulIy be-
longs. An analysis of the matter,
naturally evokes the question by
fond parents: NV, God! what
wont metropolitan commercial
lists do for the almighty dollar.
A Phoenix veterinary named
Gerdes, for lack of such an off,
cial, was appointed Inspector to
examine the local dairy herd of
j. r. Barnette. The Inspector,
it appears. ordered the slaughter
of two tubercular cows, the car
cas- of one being destroyed. and
the other finding it's way into the
Wickenburg markets for sale as
wholesome, inspected food. But
it was recognized and both mar
kets rejected the meat as infec-
tious and conscientiously declined
it and removed it to the ice plant
where at last accounts it still
awaits claimant.
1t didn't take long for the ex-
citing story to get out and a big
howl of indignation went up. In
fected meat! Tubercular milk
what! WOW!
Judge Riggs, appealed to, went
to Phoenix and came back look
ing for some public spirited citi-
zen to go before County Prosecu-
tor Cunningham and swear to a
complaint charging Oofty Goofty
and John Doe with murder of the
innOcents or spreading contagion
in Wickenburg.
Aha! Dad Watson, editor of the
State Miner, was the only one
who would do it? He went to
Phoenix, warned that he would
stir up a hornets nest that 'ould
follow him to Sweden. if he said
even a whisper that might be in
terpreted as breathing defiance
to Solomon Powder and Citron
Cornsilk. Wise legal counsel by
the next Judge of the Superior
Court suggested that the heinous
offense charged to Wickenburg
was a common usage at Phoenix;
so much so that the meat mar
kets there were wise and but
chers were forced to ship all sus-
picious Or condemned carcases out
of town, to Congress Junction,
Wickenburg and other places in
the interior where they eat buz-
yards for turkeys and lizards for
sandals, without a whimper.
A visit to the Chairman of the
livestock board at the Capitol in
nearly every particular verified
the foregoing usages. with ex-
plantations that the state reim-
burses the owners of slaughtered
stock. expecting them to lose a
prOportionate share of the loss
occasjoned by expense of testing
and slaughter. OF course. if a
portion of infectious carcases are
sold the owners profit accord
ingly. The prosecuting attorney
undoubtedly leans to the theory
that infected livestock has no
place on the menu of an Ameri-
can household and no doubt will
be glad to feel that himself and
family may be protected against
inoculation from diseased. or in
fectious dairy produce, but where
in'ell 1--WE mean in Phoenix) can
he get somebody to swear to a
complaint that will arouse the
human race to protect themselves
from inoculation and extinction
when human life is so cheap.
Dad Watson summed it up this
way: Phoenix butchers are the
venders who have set aside COM
mon laws of humanity: her meat