The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1888-05-04
SENATORS AT WORK.
Getting After the Beef and
Pork Trust.
TARIFF BILL IN THE HOUSE
,mau at the LO Iai LIE .tOn-Ksn-.==
tucky RepubIiOans-Etc.
SENATE.

WhSAlNGIOnt May O.-AAVhS SAS
bills reported and placed on the calen-
dar (unless otherwise noted) were the
following:
The Senate bill to retire certain dis
abled officers of the army.
The House bill authorizing the Presi-
dent to retire Alfred Plessanton, with
the rank of colonel.
The House bill for the promotion OF
army officers after twenty years con-
tinued service in one grade minority
dissenting.)
The Senate bill granting to the Ore
gon Railroad & Navigation Company
the right of way through the Nez Perces
Indian reservation.
The House bill to restore to the pub
lie domain part of the Uintah Valley
Indian reservation in Utah.
Stewart introduced bill to execute
the stipulations of the new Chinese
treaty. Referred.
The railroad land grant forfeiture bill
VAS taken I'D, and after considerable
discus sion the Portage Lake Canal mat
ter went over until tomorrow, and the
bill was taken up for the establishment
Of a bureau OF animal industry and to
facilitate the export of live stock and
their products.
Palmer addressed the Senate in sup
port of the bill, and read various COM
munications "to show the animus of
{.he opposition to the bill" which was,
he said, machine work right through"
The idea conveyed was that the oppose
ton came from the existing bureau of
GAimal industry.
Vest said that if half that was stated
was true, the Commissioner of Agri-
culture should be hurled out OF official
life, disgracsd and dlshonored, but he
(Yest) did not believe these statements.
He could not support the bill. He
proceeded to speak of what he called
"ths cattle isyndicate," and said the
people were helpless and in its power.
There were Eve men or firms in the
CITY OF Chicago which regulated the
price of cattle every day by their
manipulation of market prices. These
men owned cattle raisers' property and
confscated it as if they possessed the
right TO take it from his farm without
paving him one cent. Talk" said
Vest. "about trusts. Talk about pools.
p The cattle pool of Chicago is the most
infamous tyranny that ever existed in
the United States" +.
Plumb had also something to say on
the same subject. In his opinion the
worst CON bination in the country was
that of the beef and pork packers, hay
ing its headquarters in Chicago. There
was no trust or combination that had
had so. powerful or so bsneful
an influence as that combination.
For years, the prices of cattle to pro-
ducers had been going down. They
had gone down, he thought, so per
cent. In the same time, the price of
meat to consumers had gons up, and
every single dollar of difference had
gone into the pockets of that combi-
nation. Under the operation of this
and destructively. 1t was safe to say
upwards, raised west f the Mississippi
River, during the past five years, the
market value had been by this combi-
nation reduced not less than $40 per
head. The damage to the State of
Kansas alone during that period had
been more than $40 ,0OG 600, and the
wealth of the syndicate A had grown
proportionately They had a COM
mittee here now, having in
their pockets the money of
this "stock ring" to get Congress to
give them control of the question of the
cattle quarantine. This "com bine" had
allies in the railroad managers. They
had allies in the railroads. Step by step
they had come to the final condition,
where they actually fixed the prices of
cattle, just as if they were the men who
raised them. He believed in giving the
Commissioner of Agriculture all the
power proposed to be gwen to the
commission, and would not vote for
any measure that would detract from
the power and dignity of that depart
ment. 500.
Blair spoke briefly in favor of the bill,
which then went over, and the House
amendment to the Senate bill, establish
ing more land districts in Oregon, was
cencurred in. ..
After an executive seeeion, the Senate
adjourned until Monday.