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THE SUMTER WATCHMAN, Established April, 1850. 'Be Jost and Fear not-Let all the ends Thon Aims't at be thy Country's, Thy God's and Truth's." THE TRUE SOUTHRON, Established June, 1814 Consolidated Aug. 2,1881. SUMTER. S. C.. WEDNESDAY. JUNE 6, 1906. Sew Series-Yo!. XXT. No 46 Cfo ?trjjmaji at? ?k?m. Published Every Wednesday, -BY OSTEEN PUBLISHING COMPANY, SUMTER, S. C. % Terms: $1.50 per annum-in advance. Advertisements : One Square first insertion.$1.50 Every subsequent insertion.. 50 Contracts for three months, or longer will be made at reduced rates. AU communications which! sub? serve private interests will be charged for as advertisements. Obituaries and tributes of respects will be charged, for. DISPENSARY INVESTIGATION. SOME DEVELOPMENTS IN COLUM / BIA WEDNESDAY. A Number of Witnesses Present as to the Colleton J_nqniry, and Their Tes? timony Given at the Afternoon Ses? sion of the Investigating Committee ls Racy Reading. Columbia, May 30.-Said Chairman H, H. Evans, chairman of the State hoard of control, to Mr. J. Monroe rWalker, a member of the house of representatives, from Colleton county, "lid like to give you a good gun if you will take it." Said Legislator J. Mon? roe Walker to Chairman Evans, can? didate for re-election, "Thanks,* Pd like to have it." Two weeks later Chairman H. H. Evans wrote to Legislator Walker that he knew nothing about guns, but to draw on him for $75 and buy the gun for this money. Legislator Walker drew for the $75, clearly indicating his 4 willingness to accept the money, but the draft which Chairman Evans wrote him to draw was returned with the notfe that Evans was out of town. Now, it is to be remembered that Mr. Evans was then chairman of the board and candidate for re-election, and that Mr. Evans subsequently re? ceived the vote of Mr. Walker. Neither Mr. Walker nor Mr. Evans might have meant any harm, but this""' is simply a gratuity that has come to light Mr. Walker does not even now ap? pear to appreciate any wrong in his willingness to have accepted the $75 from an officer in whose re-election or defeat he was actively to participate. He told a frank story, and whether it was pure, downright innocence on his part, or a disregard of what was improper, does not matter. Mr. Walk says that the Fair week promise of the gun and the subsequent offer of the 575 in lieu of the gun were not made good and that he'has never gotten either. Then there was a suit of clothes. Cashier W. W. Smoak, who handled the draft of Legislator Walker on Chairman Evans, said that Walker told him that Major John Black, now a member of the State board, had given him a $40 suit of clothes. . Mr. Walker says that Cashier Smoak lies when he says he told him that Ma? jor Black had given him a $40 suit, and Mr. Smoak says that waiker lies if he denies telling him that Major Black gave him the $40 suit. There is about the same confliction between Mr. Smoak and Mr. Walker in their testimony about the gun. Mr. Smoak is under the impression that Legislator Walker told him that the gun was being given him by both Chairman Evans and Major Black, both candidates for the board at the time. Mr. Smoak insisted that he caution? ed Legislator Walker not to make the draft as it would be misunderstood and would be certain to leak out, but Legislator Waiker denies this and says when the draft was returned un? paid he expressed his joy to Cashier Smoak and promptly returned the $75 advanced on the draft on Chair? man Evans. Mr. Walker said that the whole thing was a matter of friend? ship, no other consideration. Legisla? tor Walker says that Cashier Smoak is mad with him about some forgery case he won against the Farmers' and Merchants' Bank, and because Mr. Smoak was defeated for captain of a military company by Mr. Black, (not Major Black) and that he is sore. It was on this line of inquiry that Mr. Fraser Lyon made his now famous pilgrimage to Walterooro, about which Major Black tackled him on the report that he was going into his per? sonal affairs too far. The evidence has been presented that Mr. Evans offered a gun and later the $75 substitute *o Legislator Walker, and that Mr. Walk? er accepted it, expected it, and drew a draft for it, but the draft was return? ed. Walker says he got nothing out of this offer. Mr. W. W. Smoak was an unwilling witness, but he gave the impression that when he felt that he had to speak i he spoke exactly what he believed to be true in every way.-News and Cou? rir. Columbia, June 2.-As a result of having become excited and used pro? fane language in the presence of the dispensary investigating committee, Mr. W. G. Childs, president of the Bank of Columbia and also of the Co? lumbia, Newberry and Laurens rail? road, has been cited to appear before the committee on the charge of con? tempt It was apparent at the time that Mr. Childs did not mean to show con? tempt for the committee, but he meant to express very forcibly his position in regard to testifying against certain dispensary people through the medi? um of repeating anything which he had heard in a joking manner and might be taken to reflect upon the integrity of honorable men. Mr. Lyon was trying to get the in? formation so that the committee could pass upon its relevancy. He had sub? mitted the matter for the committee as a whole to pass upon wrhen Mr. Childs very excitedly exclaimed: "Well, by God, I would go to jail be? fore I would tell these jokes, and Mr. Lyon had a right to confer with me before if he wanted to." Mr. Lyon stated that he would leave the matter to the committee. \ Mr. Hay, he chairman, stated that Mr. Childs could be excused from the wit? ness stand. The latter went out of the senate chamber vowing that he would not tell anything to reflect upon any? body else if he had heard it in a jok? ing way. Mr. Lyon, thinking that Mr. Childs had exceeded the proprieties of the oc? casion in defying the committe be? fore the testimony had been insisted upon by the committe, made the fol? lowing statement; "Mr. Chairman, in order that my position in this matter may not be misunderstood, I wish to say that I think that this witness should stay on the stand and should show respect to this committee, and I also think that that respect should be enforced, and I think that he should subject himself to examination, and if the questions .that I ask him are improper this com? mittee should say so, and when they do say so, why that is satisfactory to me, but I do not think that a witness should be allowed to come here and defy this committee in the style that has been done. Now, that is my feel? ing about a transaction of this kind. I do not know what Mr. Childs knows. I have no idea. I have heard the ru? mors, and I think he should be requir? ed to answer if these questions are rel? evant to our investigation." The chairman (Senator Hay) "Well, Mr. Lyon, I do not know that we should discuss this matter any fur? ther right now. We can take it up in the committee and discuss it among ourselves-the bearing of it." The Order. Following is the order passed by the committee in executive session: "State of South Carolina-County of Richland. "To W. G. Childs, Esq. "You are hereby notified and requir? ed to appear before the committee to investigate the State dispensary in the senate chamber at Columbia.. S. C., on Tuesday next, 5th day of June, A. D., 1906. at 12 o'clock m. to show cause why you should not be attached for contempt of the committee in being guilty of disorderly conduct and con? tempt in the presence of the commit? tee on Friday, the 1st day of June, A. D., 1905. Herein fail not. "J. T. Hay, "Chairman." "Columbia, S. C., June 1st, A. D., 1906." Columbia, June V-After hearing the arguments of th attorneys of Maj. John Black, Governor Heyward yes? terday notified the attorney general, Mr. Leroy F. Youmans, that it is the intention of the governor to remove Major Black from office if the law gives him the jurisdiction so to do. Governor Heyward says in a dinified way that Major Black's conduct is a grave offense against the peace and dignity of the State and his inclination is to remove Major Black from his office "as a rebuke for such behavior on the part of one holding so import? ant an office." The attorneys representing Major Black argued with Governor Heyward for two hours yesterday as to his ju? risdiction in thc matter. The principal argument was made by ex-Sen. W. B. Gruber, a brother-in-law of Major Black. The whole matter was referred to the office cf the attorney general, and it is probable that Mr. Youmans will not. have an opinion ready before Tuesday, as he was indis? posed yesterday. A? soon as he receiv? ed the letter from Governor Heyward's office yesterday afternoon, Mr. Duncan C. Ray, the assistant attorney general, carried the communication to Mr. Youmans. The question was referred to this office in an unofficial way sev? eral days ago by Governor Heyward's secretary, Mr. J. E. Norment, and Mr. Youmans has been studying up au? thorities and references on the point o:? the removal of officers for cause. Following is the letter from Gov? ernor Heyward to the attorney gen? eral: "June 1, 1906. "Hon. Leroy. F. Toumans, "Attorney General, "Columbia, S. C. "Dear Sir: It has been reported to me as governor of the State that on Friday, May 25th, Mr. John Black, a director of the State dispensary, made a threatening attack upon Mr. J. Fra? ser Lyon, a member of the investigat? ing committee of the dispensary. A communication from the committee, acidressed to me, was received at my of See Saturday morning, the 26 th instant, containing a transcript of the testimony given by Mr, Lyon, detail? ing the circumstances of the affair. With this formal action of the com? mittee before him, my secretary, Mr. Norment, referred the correspondence to your office during my absence. "The first knowledge I received of th:;s incident was through the newspa? pers while at Walterboro/and almost immediately afterwards the Hon. W. B. Grut er, one of the attorneys for Mr. Black, requested me to take no decis? ive action in the matter until an op? portunity was given for Mr. Black's side of the case to be heard. "This formal request was made on the -ground that the conduct of Mr. Black concerned private and personal aff airs not in any way connected with the official duties of his office, and that the governor therefore had no power to remove him-even granting that he would have the power to do so in a proper case. "In order that no injustice might be done, and for the further reason that I as goveror of the State believed it to be my duty to act within the law, assurance was give? that I would not condemn a man without giving him the privilege of appearing in his own defense. Mr. Black's attorneys appear? ed before me today. 'From Mr. Lyon's statement sub? mitted to the committee, it appears that a grave offense was committed against the peace and dignity of the State, in that the life of a member of the investigating committee was threatened, while in the discharge of his duties, by one of the highest offi? cials of the State dispensary, the af? fairs of which institution he was then investigating in accordance with an act of the general assembly of South Carolina. "My impulse is to follow the sugges? tion of the committee and remove Mr. Black from his office as a rebuke for such behavior on the part of one hold? ing so important an office. "I herewith hand you all of the pa? pers in this case. In addition to the papers from the committee, which you already have in your possession, you will find also the points made in ar? gument by Mr. Black's attorneys, in which it is urged, among other things, that the facts and circumstances do not show sufficient cause for removal. ' To the end that I may /act within the law, and in order that the commit? tee may -be fully protected, I request that you give me your opinion as to my authority as governor in the prem? ises. For these reasons permit me to direct your careful attention to the fol? lowing inquiries, to each of which I beg that you give me categorical replies: 1 .'First: What offense or offenses are charged or implicated by the facts and circumstances disclosed! "Second: Are any of the offenses charged such, as if sustained, will legally authorize the governor to ex? ercise the power of removal? "You will understand the necessity of pr?Wpt action, and I trust that you wi 1 kindly file your opinion as soon as possible in order that I may act. .'Respectfully your?, xD. C. Heyward, "Governor." NO JAIL"FOR CHILDS. Columbia, June 2.-It is practically certain that Mr. W. G. Childs will not be sent to jail for contempt of the dispensary investigating committee next Tuesday. He said today that he would cheerfully apologize for using the cuss words he used yesterday, al thought he will go to jail before he will repeat rumers Mr. Lyon tried to force him to repeat Friday. The un? derstanding is that the committee will deal with the disorderly conduct only. Henry Hess, a white farmer, of San? aca, Oconee county, committed suicide by hanging himself with a wire Mon? day night. His mind had been unbal? anced by financial trouble?. Five students have been expelled from Erskine College for defacing a monument on the campus; by pouring tar over lt t. ?,?,M.S HORRORS OF FILTH. CHICAGO PACKING HOUSES ARE FOUL AND DIRTY BEYOND WORDS. The Report of the Investigators, Even Though Expurgated and Toned Down by Order o? President Roose? velt, Shows That the Packers Have Been Feeding the Public on Dis? eased Meat and Filth. Washington, June 4.-The The long expected report of the special com? missioners who investigated the Chica? go stock yards was transmitted to congress today, accompanied by a special message from' the president. The salient portions of the report fol? low: The President: As directed by you, we investigated the conditions in the principal estab? lishments in Chicago engaged in the slaughter of cattle, sheep, and hogs and in the preparation of dressed meat and meat-food products. Two and a half weeks were spent in the investigation in Chicago, and during this time we went through the prin? cipal packing houses in the stock yards district, together with a few of the smaller ones. A day was spent by Mr. Reynolds-in New York City in the investigation of several of its leading slaughter houses. During our investigation statements of conditions and practices in the packing houses, together with affidavits and-documen? tary evidence,, were offered us from numerous sources. Most of these were rejected as being far from prov? ing the facts alleged and as being be? yond the possiblity of verification by us. We haT:e made no statement as a fact in the report here presented that was not verified by our personal ex? amination. Certain matters which we were unable to verify while in Chicago are still under investigation. The fol? lowing is therefore submitted as a partial report touching upon those practises and conditions which we found most common and not confined to a single house or class of houses. A more detailed report would contain many specific instances of defects found in particular houses. Before entering -the buildings we" neted the condition of the yards them? selves as shown in the, pavement, pens, viaducts, and platforms. The pavement is mostly of brick, the bricks laid with deep grooves between them, which inevitably fill with ma? nure and refuse. Such pavement can? not properly be cleaned and is slimy and malodorus when wet. yielding clouds of ill-smelling dust when dry. The pens are generally uncovered ex? cept those for sheep; these latter are paved and covered. The viaducts and platforms are of wood. Calves, sheep, and hogs that have died en route are thrown out upon the platforms where cars are unloaded. On a single plat? form on one occasion we counted 15 dead hogs, on the next ten dead hogs. The only excuse given for delay in re? moval was that so often heard-the expense. Nothing shows more strikingly the general indifference to matters of cleanliness and sanitation than do the privies for both men and women. .The prevailing type is made by cutting off a section of the workroom by a thin wooden partition rising to within a few feet of the ceiling. These privies usually ventilate into the* workroom, though a few are found with a window opening into the outer air. Many are located in the inside; corners of the work rooms, and thus have no out? side'opening whatever. They are fur? nished with a row of seats, generally without even side partitions. These rooms are sometimes used as cloak? rooms by the employees. Lunch rooms constructed in the same manner, by boarding" off a section of the work? room, often adjoin the privies, the odors of which add to the generally insanitary state of the atmosphere. Abominable as the above-named are the one that affects most directly and seriously the cleanliness of the food products is the frequent absence of any lavatory provisions in the privies. Washing sinks are either not furnish? ed at all or are small and dirty. Neither are towels, soap, or toilet pa? per provided. Men and women return directly from these places to plunge their unwashed hands into the meat to be converted into such food products as sausages, dried beef, and other compounds. Some of the privies are situated at a long distance from the workrooms, and men relieve them? selves on the killing floors or in a cor? ner of the workrooms. Hence, in some cases the fumes of the urine swell the sum of nauseating odors arising from the dirty-blood-soaked, rotting wooden floors, fruitful culture beds for the disease germs of men and animal/. An absence of cleanliness was also found everywhere in the handli meat being prepared for the variou meat-food products. After killing carcasses are well washed, and up t< the time they reach the cooling roon are handled in fairly sanitary an< cleanly manner. The parts tha leave the cooling room for "reatmen in bulk are also handled wiih regan to cleanliness, but the parts that ar sent from ihe cooling room to thost departments of the packing houses ii which various forms of meat product are prepared are handled with no re gard whatever for cleanliness. Ii some of the largest establishment sides that are sent to what is knowi as the boning room are thrown in { heap upon the floor. The worker; climb over these heaps of meat, selec the pieces they wish, and frequentl] throw them down upon the dirty floo; beside their working bench. Even ii cutting'the meat upon the bench, th< work is usually held pressed agains their aprons, and these aprons were as a rule, indescribably filthy. Thej were made in most cases of leather 01 of rough sacking and bore long accu? mulated grease and dirt. In only a few places were suitable oilcloth aprons worn. Moreover, men were seen to climb from the floor and stand, with shoes dirty with the refuse of the floors, on the tables upon which the meat was handled. They were seen at the lunch hour sitting on the tables on the spot on which the meat product was handlel, and all this under the very eye of the superintendent of the room, showing that this was the com? mon practice. Meat scraps were also found being shoveled into receptacles from dirty floors where they were left to lie until again shoveled into barrers or into machines for chopping. .These floors, it must be noted, were in most cases damp and soggy, in dark, ill-venti? lated rooms, and the employes in utter ignorance of cleanliness or danger to health expecorated at will upon them. In a word, we saw meat shoveled from filthy-wooden floors, piled on ta? bles rarely -washed, pushed from room to room in rotten box carts, in all of which processes it was in the way of gathering dirt, splinters, floor filth, and the expectoration of tuber? culous and other diseased workers. Where comment was made to floor su? perintendents about these matters, it was always the reply that this meat would afterwards be cooked, and that this sterlization would prevent any danger from its use. Even this, it may be pointed out in passing, is not wholly true, A very considerable por? tion of the meat so handled is sent out as smoked products and in the form of sausages, which are prepared to be eaten without being cooked. A particularly glaring instance of uncleanliness was found in a room where the best grade of sausage was being prepared for export. It was mafde from carefully selected meats, and was being prepared to be eaten uncooked. In this case the employee carted the chopped-up meat across a room in a barrow, the handles of which were filthy with grease. The meat was then thrown out upon tables, and the employee climbed upon the table, handled the meat with his un? washed hands, knelt with his dirty apron and trousers in contact with the meat he was spreading out. and after he had finished his operation, again took hold of the dirty handles of the wheelbarrow, went back for another load, and repeated this process indef? initely. Inquiry developed that there was-.not water in this room at all, and, the only method the man adopted for cleaning his hands was to rub them against his dirty apron or on his still filthier trousers. As an exertme example of the entire disregard on the part of employees of j any notion of cleanliness in handling dressed meat, we saw a hog that had just been killed, cleaned, washed and started on its way to the cooling room fall from the sliding rail to a dirty wooden floor and slide part way into a filthy men's privy. It was pick? ed up by two employees, placed upon a truck, carried into the cooling room and hung up with carcasses, no effort being made to clean it. As to the investigation of the al? leged use of dyes, preservatives, or chemicals in the preparation of cured meats, sausages and canned goods we are not yet prepared to report. We did look into the matter of sanitary handling of the meats being prepared for the various food products. The re? sults of our observations have already been partly given. Other instances of how products may be made up, and still secure the stamp of govement in? spection are here given. In one well known establishment we came upon fresh meat being shoveled into barrels, and a regular proportion being added of stale scraps that had lain on a dirty floor in the corner of a room for some days previous. In another es? tablishment, equally well known, a long table w^s noted covered with sev fcKtl hundred pounds of cooked scraps ?I of beef and other meats. Some of these meat scraps were dry, leathery, and unfit to be eaten; and in the heap were found pieces of pigskin, and even some bits of rope strands and other rubbish. Inquiry. evoked the frank admission from the man in charge that this was to be ground up and used in making "potttd ham." In another establishment piles of sausages and dry moldly canned meats, admittedly several .yeras old, were found, which the superintendent stated would be tanked and converted into grease. The disposition to be made of this was wholly optional with the superintendents or representatives of the packers, as the. government . does not concern itself with the dis? position-of meats after they haye pass? ed inspection on the killing floor. It might all be treated with chemicals, mixed with other meats turned out in any form of meat product desired, and yet the packages or receptacles in which it was to be shipped out to tfie public would be marked with a label that their contents had boen "govern? ment inspected." It is not alleged here that such use was to be made o' this stuff. The case is pointed ?ut as one showing the glaring opportunity for the misuse of a label bearing the name and the implied guarantryNpf the United States government V Another instance of abuse in the use ^ of the labels came-to our notice. In. two different establishments great * stocks of old canned goods were, being put through a washing process to re move the old iabels. They were then subjected to. sufficient neat to "liven, up" the contents-to use the . phrase of the room superintendent After this, fresh labels, with the government name on them, were to be placed upon the cans, and they were to be sent out bearing all the evidence Of #being a freshly put up product. In one of these instances, by the admisissior. of the superintendent, the stock thus be? ing relabeled was over two years old. Tn the- other case the superintendent evaded a statement of how old the goods were. The lack of consideration for^the health and comfort of the laborers in the Chicago stock yards seems to be a direct consequence cf the system of administration that prevails. The va? rious departments a fe under the da? reel control of superintendents who claim to use full authority in coaling with the employees and who seem to ignore all considerations except those of the account book. Under this sys? tem proper care of the products and of the health and comfort of the em? ployees is impossible, and the con? sumer suffers in consequence. The insanitary conditions in which the. laborers work and the feverish pace which they are forced to maintain in? evitably affect their health. Physi? cians state that tuberculosis is dis proportionately prevalent in the stock; yards, and the victims of thjs disease expectorate on t?ie srengy wooden . fioors of the dark workrooms, from which falling scraps of meat are later shoveled up to be converted into food products. Even the ordinary decen? cies of life are completely ignored. Inspection before slaughter appears to have little value in most cases. That undue advantage of this inspection is taken by outside parties is charged, and opportunities for such are abund? ant, but no specific evidence was pre? sented to us. That this unimportant and superficial examination should b3 compulsory under the present law, whereas the more scientifis examina after slaughter is only permissive, in dictates a serious defect in the law. Inspection after slaughter appears to be carefully, and conscientiouly made. The government veterinarians maintain that it is adequate, insisting that a passing examination of certain glands, of the viscera, and of the gen? eral condition of the carcass is sufi cient to enable an expert, engaged constantly on this work, to detect at once the presence of disease, or of ab? normal conditions. On the slightest indication of disease or abnormal con? ditions the carcass is tagged and set aside for a later and more careful ex? amination. There should, however, be more precautions taken to insure that the instruments used be kept antisept? ically clean. The microscope examination of hogs to be exported to Germany appears to be made with gr eat care, and it may fairly be asked why the same inspec? tion is not mado of hogs killed for the American market. The statement that ham, pork and sausage, that are fre- . quently eaten raw in Germany, are not so used in America, is strictly true. Large numbers cf our foreign-born population eat ham and pork compar? atively raw, and hence need this pro? tection; and further, much of this pork goes into sausage to be eaten without being cooked. The Baltimore & Carolina Steam? ship company will put on a line of steamers between Charleston and Bal? timore.