Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1882-11-14
BILL VANDERBILT
Leading the Onslaught Of the
Eastern Butchers.
A Determined Effort Being Made to Kill
off the Chicago Dressed Beef
Traders-Serious Alarm
of the Latter.
A CONSPIRACY BACKED BY MILLIONS

CHICAGO, November 13.-'T have put
$50, ,Oo0,- said a prominent packer, "into
cars and equipments for carrying on the
dressed beef business. The dispatches
from New York and Albany, which an
nounce that T. z. Eastman, John B.
butcher, VIM. H. Vanderbilt and Others
have allied themselves to break up the bus
mess, is not the first ir5timation of the fact
which I have had. There is very little
doubt but that an effort is to be made BY
the rich Eastern live cattle men to break
down the dressed beef and perhaps the
canned beef business. If the railroad
magnates have joined the scheme shere is
certainly a great war On hand for the
Western packers"
The gentleman who spoke these words,
although q, very rich man and very sue
cessful packer, was
Very Easnest I'm His Manner
and was evidently much disturbed by the
prospect. He added:
I'VE have written long letter to-day to
Mr.. Vanderbilt 1--WE are probably as large
patrons as he has, and have been very
friendly with him. asking him that we be
treated honestly in this matter. II the
railroads are going to combine to. aid the
cattle men in their distress We want TO
know it before we have put $i,OOO,O0o or
possibly s., 900, 600 into an equipment for
shipping dressed beef"
How is it that the cattle and railroad
men are allies in this conspiracyH
"Such men as Tim Eastman and Jodn
butcher, OF New York, and Sam Allerton,
of Chicago,
Have MILLIONS OF Dollars
invested in the cattle business. Eastman
has been selling the Eastern butchers sew
eral million dollars worth OF beef each
wear. largely on time. have no doubt but
that he is owed 81, ,O00, 900 by butchers in
New York and elsewhere for meats, and
these men are being ruined by the cheap
beef coming from Chicago. Both Eastman
and butcher have, also, undoubtedly, some
millions OF dollars invested in Eastern
stock yards. Allerton alone owns the
yards at Philadelphia, valued at S2OOO,0OO.
1t is easy to see the stake the cattle men
are playing for. Vanderbilt personally
owns the greater share OF the Union Stock
Yards here. They we're appraised year
ago at $l3 0O0, 600 and are worth $26, ,OOOO 600.
am inclined to think that Vanderbilt
sees that the
Cattle Business 10 Moving West.
and that he fears that in ten years from
now the larger half Of the packing and kill
ing will be done at Kansas City, unless
something is done. Hlive cattle are kept
moving on to the seaboard, it insures the
existence of the Chicago yards. But as a
railroad stockholder he has q still larger
interest in having cattle moved to the sea
board on the hoOf Meats, when dressed
or packed, are reduced so pei cent in
weight. When the live animal is killed at
Chicago and the flesh sent in dressed, the
railroad loses Just one-half its freight. ltis
natural enough that the railroads should
strive TO kill a business which re-
duces their tonnage SO per cent. l
have known for some time that some
Movement Hostile to the Packers
was going on. There has been a mysteri-
ous paper going around for signatures, and
the men most active in handing it around
have been Sam Allerton and the other
cattle men. The most serious feature is
the connection OF Tim Eastman and John
B. butcher. Both are very near Wander
bilt; nearer than any other living men,
and one of them, think, is director in
the New York Central railroad.
"How do you expect they will go to
work to kill the Chicago dressed beef trade?
The papers, see, say that they are getting
up a company to ship dressed beef and to
undersell the Chicagoans."
"There IL no Reason 10 be Alarmed
at q scheme like that. Allerton, and
guess the others, own a canning establish
ment at st. Louis, but they have not been
able to compete with us and have assessed
and reassesSed their stockholders. So far
as underselling goes there is little danger to
be feared. There are people preparing to
90 into the dressed beef business here who
1t AHkn Or
MesSrs Eastman & butcher, or even along
side Mr.. Vanderbilt. This scheme OF a
rival dressed beef company is a mere blind.
AllertOn, butcher, Eastman and Wander
bilt do not want meats taken East dressed.
They want it taken there on the hoof. The
danger is that if Vanderbilt is in this
scheme, he will try to kill the business by
raising the rates. If Mr.. Vanderbilt is not
a party, there is still danger that Eastman
| and butcher will influence him to raise
the rates"
VanderbiIrs Power.
"Can Mr.. Vanderbilt kill the business by
| raising the ratesT
The Chicago packers are not masters of
the situation. We fear that Vanderbilt is.
There are the Erie and Canadian roads
| but the roads now act so in concert on all
matters of freight that it would make the
situation very serious for the packers. II
the railroads have joined hands with the
great cattle millionaires, there will follow
a war between the Western packers and
their rivals which will certainly cost both
sides great deal OF money. We propose
TO get a guarantee OF fair treatment before
we put any more money into equipment.
! don't mean to say that an untavorable
answer from Vanderbilt would drive US
from the business, but an alliance between
all the railroads certainly would"
Daily Dangers.