The Daily Tombstone., 1886-09-08
I'sEE CHICxGos'rcCxY YARDS
The Enemy of the Plains Cattle
 Raiser.


 terests of plains cattlemen the past three years, has at last reached q crisis. The "black Friday" has come From steady, square, look into the face of the grim monsters which pre- sent themselves to our view, we must see only ruin to the beef shipper, who, having to compare notes, must see that the condition of the Chicago live beef market and the expense attend ant upon the railroad transportation, hay, yardage and commission, which is nearly $20 for every $IO0 of the value of his cattle. From any point on the outedges of the frontier this is true. A combination of well devised and long-deiiberated planning on the part of buyer and middlemen has surely wound a mesh around q seller of grass beef in the fall season, which can but soon show a culmination to our business. When 1t is known by every beef eater that at retail beef has q steady market price which seldom fluctuates in our great cities, and whose supplies now largely are filled by the refrigerator and Chicago slaughter system; upon the other hand, view the live weight prices paid for the cattle ill Chicago by these slaughter house ring butchers, such as Armour, Swift and Hutchinson, it is easily seen how, and to whom, the profits go. Now to him who shall successfully and by actual test, show up how we plains men can run our cattle to Chicago, or, in other words, dispose of our fall shipments without being at the mercy of these sharks, a monument of marble or bronze will be reared-if not of the real stuff, then engraven in memory hy us all. Now what blind uncertainty 10 load a train of cattle 1000 miles from mar ket! Will the market be bare or Overstocked on arrival? Will there be an understanding that such or such ! mal will be the buyer that day? If so, what price is the limit? What less than blackballed would be the fate of the owner of the train load that should, for once, to save fifty cents per head, be his own consignor. ID "stlike" good market these days k an exception, and the commission men (they are mainly gentlemen) have 1t Ly this lime well fastened up OF the end of their tongue, that they "hopc the next time will do better, or they are "sorry" the cattle Were not T little smoother, etc.
 Those among the weightiest of the plains cattle companies who have un- derta&en the system of stall feeding have not yet convinced others (nor themselves either perhaps) that such a procedure has any profit connected herewith. In fact it is stated on good authority that the contrary is nearer the facts so that We might as well call "a spade a spade" and say that the monopolists of Chicago con- trol our business and take the bull by the horns and by concerted offort, cut loose from our enemy. I can see but one way out of it. Were a com bination of northwestern plains cattle to be withheld from the market this fall, save . small percentage to pay running expenses, it would surely break things loose. But so many cattle are shipped each fall the pro- ceeds of which are designed to pay dividends, that for once this would have to go by when We take into con- sideration that the heft of this busi- ness is held and controlled by capital istS. They may in reality be sure of good results by holding out of market for another year. Gentlemen look at the beggerly condition of Chicago cattle market this fall and tell me # you can that it is the occasion of over production? How soon if this con- certed monopoly continues before it will be recorded of five cattle shippers like the car of consigned corn, that lately went the rounds of the news papers that needed $5 from the owner to "pay deficits" Or in other words, he corn didn't sell for enough by S5