Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1880-10-04
THE PORK DEAL.
Ho'o Arnaour Settled Up Wsth He Boys o,a
the First of the Month.
IOhioaro T;ynao

|
Phll Armour 90. are not Jews-they are
very fond of pork. They have always liked it,
and for two or three months they have made
1t steady diet. 1t is singular TO mark the
eccentricities born of q ruling passion, or of a
habit long persisted in. It will be remembered
that the TRANSMISSION of blood from the animal
TO the genus homo at one time promised TO be
tine panacea for many worldly ills. Remarka-
pie cures were announced, and there was a
blood craze until it was ascertaiued that tho
patients, while they were temporarily relieved
OF their sufferings, were becoming assimiIated
| In character to the animals whence their
vital supply was obtained, and in the end
generally became nothing more than healthy
manlacs. Those who have carefully observed
The members of the house of Armour & Go. of
late have noticed many peculiarities directly
traceable to their pork dicker. For instance
their fayorite recreation is to occupy barber's
| chair. They are always clean shaved. They
slip out at the side doors, the back doors and
all other doors, at all hours, and seek the ser
vices OF tonsorial artists. The two or three
shops adjacent to their offices have been kept
busy for months shaving Armour g. Co., and
their fifty clerks. Men who have sold rork
short of late, might attribute the fascination
to the word "shaVe," but that would be unjust.
1t is simply The delightful Utilization of the
brush, manufactured out of hogs bristles, that
lends the irresistible charm. 1t has also been
| observed that the colored brethren have been
cordially received at the Office Of Armour Co.,
and treated with distinguished consideration.
heen-eye politicians connected this evident
fact with some visionary colonization
scheme, ana 1t became bruited abroad that
Armour 90. were In league with the Repub.
lican national committee to run Africans into
Indiana to vote at the State election. Of
course there was nothing in these reports. Ar
mour q 10. can help receiving the darky Just
now, because he is son of Han
These are only few of mauy peculiarities
that have baen remarked upon, each of which
ls liable to misinterpretation, provided the
real cause Is not known.
Along in February last, Armour & Go. were
pretty well stocked with pork. 1t was worth
$l4 per barrel then, and they had much money
tied up In the article. Presently it commenced
to go down. They made strenuous efforts to
rally the market, but still the prices went
down, down. They concluded to stand aIoof
and let it go. 1t went to $l2, then to SI1,
then to $40, then to 80. so, and even below.
When 1t got to bottom figures they commenced
TO ouy a htsle, merely for family USE and
when they found Whist really desirable edible
1t was they bought more. The more they had
The more they wanted, and they not only
bought the 250, GOO barrels for sale in Chicago.
but they went outside and bought in New Or
leans, Cincinnati, Milwaukee. st. Luuis-any-
where the product could be had. Nor were they
content with the whole amount in sight. Their
appetites was Unsuitable They bought over e.
million barrels of option pork in Chicago
alone, not to mention fabulous amounts Of this
fictitious product purchased elsewhere For
table use option pork is slim diet, bearing
about the same relation to the picked article
that the photograph of q chicken does to a
square meal But in the counting-room an op-
tion, provided it is well dressed, goes for as
much as clear slider.
About the time Armour & Co, had all the
pork there vas in the country, and few mil
lions more. other people wanted pork. They
were referred to Armour & Co., and never
went away hungry-provided they paid the
price. Despite Armour & Co.'s Iaudible en-
deavors TO keep the price down to q reasonable
hsure. it.persistently went up, up. Many mis-
guided bears hung en- 20 it till il had got up
! out Of sight, and either jumped upon some
other sailing product and came down easy, or
incontinently dropped to everlasting smash.
During the month of August the squeeze
bad never been suspected of taking hand at a
deal II pork any more than a
deal in poker. Members of the Young
Mems Christian association, men of business.
clerks, and not a few ladies who ostensibly de-
voted their entire time to sewing circles and the
heather, reluctantly came forward, acknowl-
edged the pressure, paid the difference, and
were thankful to get out alive. To all such
bIrdened souls Armour & Co., were kind. They
told them pork was good thing 10 have, and
let them have all they wanted--at the market
price. Il tell you" said the good MIR. Phil
Armour to The Times, there has
never been day that we haye not been
glad to SEQ purchasers. and did not take special
pains to assurethem of our affection for them.
You see, our extensive ramifcations brought us
| into direct connection with the consumer. We
knew that he needed pork. and wss able and
willing to pay for it. Sometimes he hegitated
but it was the work of but few moments to
press the truth home upon his doubling SOUL
| and he bought and ate and waxed fat. And so
1t is that the most of all the pork there was in
| sight two months ago has been consumed, and
there are not more than seventy thousand
barrels OF the genuine article in Chicago to-
day. The good man evidently regretted
| the scarcity, lest il should produce q
famine among the gentiles, and intimated
that in case worse came to worse he was willing
| to distribute q few barrels of Options among
the poor for immediate relief I'VE didn't
handle pork" he continued, ''as Keane did
wheat-piie it up TO the skies and then stand
| and look at it. We knew pork was good to eat,
and whenever we found q hungry man we fed
him pleutifully-always at the market price.
And SO it comes to pass that people shall cry
| pork porkf when there is no pork" Could
the good MIR. Armour have had an eye on the
October deal when he made that remark? !?
| probably not.
| The September settlement was made yester-
day, and every man who had sold short walked up
| to Armour q Co.'s office and settled. In this
way the account was squared on 55, 900 barrels.
| This was considered virtual acknowledgment
that there was no corner; that pork was good
| thing to have, and that in buying all they
could get of it Armour & Co. had simply given
evidence of profound wisdom. That is, Ar
rnour & Co. complacently took it in that way
They have not a single complaint to make
| against the world. The spirit of Christian
charity pervades every member of the firm and
every clerk in the vast office. They are willing
to give all they have to the needy-at the mar
| ket price-and ask nothing in return but a
kindly appreciation of their benevoIence-and
| a prompt settlement of differences.