Los Angeles daily herald., 1888-11-22
OFFICIAL GATHERINGS.
Meetings of Committees and
Associations.
THE BEEF TRUST INVESTIGATION
Knights of Labor Assembly-Baseball
COnventiOn-WOman's Suffrage
Society, Etc.

tion resumed work this morning. The
first witness was j. L. Bush, cattleman
Of Colorado City, Tex. He related the
decadence Of prices on cattle and attri-
buted it principally to overproduciion.
He had heard of combination of the
dressed beef interests in Chicago, but
did not have personal knowledge of its
existence. Witness had no personal
knowledge of discrimination by the
railroads.
The next witness was j. M. Osborne,
Division Freight Agent of the Wabash
railway. Witness said he bad been in
the freight business forty-two years. He
owns farm in Nebraska and raises
cattle His evidence was substantially
as follows: There are fourteen classif-
cations IN cattle; thirteen OF these are
sold by weight, while milch COWS are
sold by the head. Chicago was undoubt.
edly the largest cattle market in the
country, and shipment from Chicago and
interior Illinois were very large. Illinois
farmers buy scattle, but production there
has largely decreased.
Osborne then explained how consoli-
dation of commodities at any point re-
duces prices. He did not know personally
of the existence of combine in Chicago
with the purpose Of reducing prices to the
producer. There was an element in the
railroad tariffs now which had never
existed prior to the passage of the Inter-
State Commerce law; that was printed
rates so that the shipper knew just what
he had to pay. One-sixth of the cattle
shipped from Illinois to Chicago averaged
1000 to 1900 pounds. Cattle rose one
dollar per hundred in May last, but have
deprecated five dollars since October
Senator Vest-What caused the rise in
price in May?
Witness-I think it was the appoint
ment OF this committee; may be hung
by some Of the cattlemen for saying this,
but l am not here in the interest of the
cattlemen. | never saw, and l think no
cattlemen ever saw rise in the price OF
cattle in the summer before.
Senator Vest-Is not the concentration
of the market at Chicago an injury to the
cattle-raisers?
Witness-I think 50, but others are OF
the opinion that it is ad yantageous, be-
cause they take all the light cattle and
use them for canning purposes.
Senator Vest--Is it not fact that st.
Louis, as cattle market. has largely
decreased?
Witness-It has not increased.
Vest-But Chicago has gone ahead?
Witness-Yes.
Senator Vest-When did this great
difference between the two cities begin
Witness-The maximum was reached
here in 1881 when the recsipts were
503, ,8S2 head. The Chicago receipts that
year were l ,498,550. st. Louis dropped
in 1886 to 377 $50, and the Chicago re.
ceipts in tharyear were 1868 900.
Senator Vest-To what cause do you
attribute this; was there combination
called "EveEers" in 1883 that divided
the cattle business?
Witness-Yes, sir, there was such a
combination, and there was rumor to
the effect that the com mbination took busi-
ness from st. Louis and put it in Chicago.
l know no other transportation reason
for change in the market from st. Louis
to Chicago.
Senator Vest-Did not the "Eveners"
get SIS per car?
effect.
NC6G- w d6 VIC w dUdSIl dSk6u 10 DaV
its share to the combination?
Witness-Yes, such a demand was
made in '85, but the Wabash refused to
do SO.
Senator Cullom-What roads were in
this combination?
Witness-The New York Central, Erie,
Pennsylvania and connections. From
the beginning of this combination Chi.
cago commenced going ahead at a
phenomenal rate and st. Louis fell back.
The combination was for the benefit of
Chicago, and the rebate did not apply
to st. Louis or any other place.
]. G.. Beatty, Of Ell Paso, Tex, was
next called.
He stated that he was raiser, buyer
and seller of cattle. He was in the same
business in California before going to
Texas. The firm with which he was
connected put up $4,000 refrigerator
which enabled them to have fresh meat
four or five days old. This was entirely
new there. The railroad agent informed
them his obligations to Mr.. Armour were
such that be could not get cars for them
to ship cattle out to the Pa
cific Coast. The result was that
the refrigerator had to be shut
down. Then Mr.. Armour began putting
beef in refrigerator cars. He broke the
market from 31a to ~ cents, and the
cattle raisers near Ell Paso were COM
PEELED to ship to Kansas City at a loss.
HIS farm now shipped beef to the City Of
Mexico, which was better market the
year around than any in this country.
Senator Cullom-Then you were driven
out of the United States?
Witness-It looks that way. Witness
said he referred to the Southern Pacific
and Santa Fe roads.
Senator Plumb-Did YOU make com.
plaint to the Interstate Commission?
Witness-I think not, but when Ar.
mour broke our market down, the Presi.
dent of the refrigerator company, E. A.
Newman, made an application for cars.
Brewster Cameron testified that he was
raising cattle on the open range in Ari-
zona. He considered that Chicago con-
troled the markets of the country. When
cattle went into the Chicago market,
drovers had the privilege Of looking
through hole in the fence at them, but
had not q free chance to buy. Many
cattle raisers were on the verge of bank
ruptcy. A large number of producers
could have got out, but they held on In
the vain hope that the Chicago combine
would not continue to control prices.
G. @. Slaughter of Dallas, Texas, a
stockiraiser and banker, was Of the opin-
ion that there was powerful comb inc at
ChinaOo