, 1888-11-22
THE CATTLE KIN GS.
How They are Made to Suffer
BY the Railroads.
CHICAGO CONTROLS THE TRADE
because tho Railroads Discriminate
Against 50. acknowledgements
By the senate Committee.


Colorado City, Texas, who related the de.
cadence OF prices on cattle, and attributed
IL principally to overproduction. he had
heard Of combination of dressed beef In
terests in Chicago. but did not have any
personal knowledge of Its existence. Inc
witness likewise had 10 personal knowl'
edge of discrimination by railroads.
The next witness vas J. w. Osborne.
division freight agent of the Wabash.
The witness said he had been In the
freight business for forty-two years. He
owns farm in Nebraska, and raises cat
tie. His evidence was substantially as
follows: There are fourteen classifica.
tions in cattle. Thirteen Of these are sold
by weight, while milk cows are sold by
the head. Chicago is undoubtedly the
largest cattle market In the country, and
shipme ents from Chicago TO the interior OF
Illinois are very large. Illinois farmers
buy cattle, but the production there has
largely decreased. =.
Osborne then explained bow the consoli-
dation of commodities at any point reduced
the prices. He did not know personally
of the existence OF combination in Chi
cago for the purpose of reducing prices to
the producer. There was an element in
railroad affairs now which had never ex.
listed prior to the passage Of the Interstate
commerce law; that was printed rates 80
that the shipper knew just what he had to
pay. One.sisth of the cattle shipped from
Illinois to Chicago averaged from 1900 to
1900 pounds. Cattle rose 81 per hundred
in May last, but have deprecated 80 cents
since October.
Senator vest-"what caused the rise of
the price in May?"
Witness--"I think it was the appoint
ment of this committee. may be hung
by some of the cattle men for saying this.
but am not here in the interest OF the
cattle men. never saw, and | think no
cattle man ever saw. q rise in the price OF
cattle in summer before"
Senator Vest-"Is not the concentration
OF the market at Chicago an injury TO the
cattle growers"
Witness--'I think 80. but others are of
the opinion that it is advantageous be.
cause they take oil light cattle and use
them for canning purposes.
Senator Vest--"ls 1t not fact that st.
Louis, as cattle market, has largely de.
cre.sed?"
Witness--"It has not increased"
Vest--"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 receipts we're 5O3,-
682 head. ChicaRo's receipts that year
were l,49S. $50. st. Louis dropped in
1886 to 377, $50 and Chicago in that year
received 1855. 800"
attribute this? Was there a combination
called 'eveners. in 1888. that divided the
cattle business ?"
Witness-"Yes. sir; there was such
combination and there was rumor to the
effect that the combination took the busi-
ness from St. Louis and placed it in Chi
cago. know no other transportation or
reason for the change in the market from
st. Louis to Chicago
Senator Vest-"pid not Eveners get
8l4 per carp"
Witness was rumor to that
effect"
Senator vest-"Was the Wabash
asked to Jay its share to the combination
Witness-"Yes; such demand was
made in 1885, but the Wabash declined TO
do so."
Senator Cullom--"W roads were in
this combination 2"
Witpess--"rhe New York Central,
Erie, Pennsylvania and connections. From
the beginning of this combination Chicago
commenced going ahead at a phenomenal
rate and Sc. Louis fell back. The combi-
nation WAS for the benefit of Chicago and
the rebate did not apply to st. Louis or
any o her place.
J. U. Beatty of FL Paso, Texas, was the
next witness 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 a S75, 900
refrigerator, which enabled them to have
fresh meat four or FIVE days old. The rail-
road agent informed him his obligations
to Mr.. Armour were such that he would
not get cars for them to ship cattle out to
the Pacific coast. The result was that the
refrigerator had to be shut down. Then
MIR. Armour began putting beef In refrig-
orator cars. He broke the market from
81 cents to 4 cents, and the cattle rails.
ers near FL Paso were compelled to ship to
Kansas City at loss. His firm never
shipped beef to the City OF Mexico
which was better market the year round
than any in this country"
Senator Cullom-'Then you we're driven
out of the United States?"
Witness-.'It looks that way" The
witness said he referred to the South ern
Pacific and Santa Fe roads.
Senator Plumb-"Did you make COM
plant to the interstate com mission?''
Witness-"l think not When Armour
broke our market down the president OF
the refrigerator company, Il. A. Newman
made application for cars"
Brewster Cameron test iied that he was
raising cattle on an open range of Arizona
He considered Chicago controlled tht
markets Of the country. When he cams
TO Chicago the market drovers had tn,
rriviieRe Of looking through hole in tn,
fence at them, but had not free chance II
buy. Many cattle raisers we're on th'
verge Of bankruptcy. A large number o
producers could have got out but they helt
on in vain in the hope that the Chicago
combine would not continue to contro
prices"
q. Z. Slauphte, of Dallas, Tx, stool