The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1888-11-22
BEEF MONOPOLY.
The Railroads Made Chicago
the Cattle Market.
srocK-RAIsERs IN A BAD WAY.
Armour Drives n California Refrig.
orator Firm oat of the Soan-
sry-a Great Combine

ST LoSTS. Nov. 3i--The senate commit.
tee investigating the cattle question re
sumed work tkis morning The first Wit.
ness. J. l. Bush. catticman OF Colorado
City. Tex, related the decaaenee OF prsees
OF cattle. and attributes il principally 70
oye7-prodactsca. Tie lad heard of a COM
( hlnssioa Of the dressed beef interests In
Gniezso. but did no: have personal knowl.
+ edge of its existence Witness had no
/ f'ersoaAi know ledge Of discrimination BY
/ railroads
RAuRo6D NAN TssrlFfEs.
The next witness was J. II. Osborne. d.
vision freight agent OF the Wabash. Wit
ness said he had been In the freight hass-
ness q years. He owns farm In SehraSka
aud raises cattle His evidence was sab
Stanu1liy a follows; There are Il cisss.fi-
cations IN cattle: Is af these are sold by
weight. while milch cows are Sold By the
head. Chicago was undoubtedly the isrr-
I est cattle market in the country, and ship
n1ents trom Chicago fo the interior OF Ms
uois were very large Illinois farmers buy
cattle. bnf production there has largely de.
creased, Osborne then explained how the
, consolidation OF COR. n0dities Al auy point
reduced prices. lie lid not kaow person
ais OF tile existence Of combine" in Chi
cSso VITA the purpose Of reducing prices
10 the producers. There was aa ell
ensnt IN railroad tariffs aaW which
had never existed prior 20 fhe passage
OF the Interstate commerce law. Tast was
prlnied rates, - thatt the shipper snew just
what he had 10 pay. one-sixfh % the cat
lie shipped from Illinois 90 Chicago
averaged i1s9 10 l150 pounds. Cattle rose
81 per hundred IN May last. but have de
precia'esi cents since October.
senator feSs-whaF caused the rise In
price N May9
wisness-l think il was the appointment
oi this committee. may he hung by
same af the caitiemen for saving this, but
am ~; here in the interest OF the cattle
men. never sag, and think no cattle
man ever saw. rise IN the price of csttle
IN the sumner before.
senator Nest--ls not the concentration %
the marke; at Ghlsago an injury 30 cattle
raiSers7
wituess-I think 50. but others are Of the
opinioa that Il is 81 advantage, bceause
they fake az the light cattle snd use them
for canning purposes
Senator Nest-fs il not fact iha. -.
Louis ss cattle market has largely DC.
creased.
wifness--It has not increased.
Nest-But Chicago has gone ahead
Withess-Ncs
Senator yest-when did this great differ
cnce between the two great cities beging
NiineSs-The maximum WIS reached
here in isSi, when receipts were 1o3. -.
head. Chicago receipts that year were
l.fss.ta =. louis dropped in 1856 to ST..
a5a, aad Ch!eago receipts IN that year were
1868, 500
Senator vesi-To what cause do you at
tribute thisg Was there combination
called the 'evtners" in lsS3 that divided
the cattle business.
Witness-Yes, sir; there was such
combination, aud there was such rumor
to the effect that that combination took
business from 81. Louis and put IL in Chi
cago. | know no other transportation
reason for the change in the market from
81 Louis to Chicago.
senator vest-nid not the ''eyeners" get
SIS per car
witness-There was n rumoF 10 that Ell
feet
senator ves.-was the Wabash asked TO
pay its share 10 the combination
witness-Yes, such demand was made
In ISs3, but the Wabash declined 20 do so,
Senator Cullom-what roads were Ia
this eonbination-
wstrcss-Tke New York Ccasral, Erie,
Pennsylvania and connections. From the
beginning OF this combination chicago
commenced going ahead az a phenomenal
rate and 81. Louis fell back. The eombina-
ton was for the benefit Of Chicago. and
the rebate did no, apply to 81. Louis or any
other piace.
DRIVEN OFT OF AMERICA.
T.C. Beatty, of Fl Paso, Tex, was next
called. He stated thar he was a raiser,
buyer aud seileruf cattle. He was in the
same business in California before going 10
Texas. The firm with which he was con
nected put up $4,000 refrigerator, which
enabled them 10 have fresh meat four or
five days old. This was entirely new there
The railroad agent Informed them that his
obligations TO Mr.. Armour were such that
he would not get cars for them 10 ship
cattle out 10 the Pacific 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 2 cents 70 IL cents. aud
cattle raisers near ~ paso were compelled
To ship 10 Kansas city at a loss. His frm
now shipped beef 20 the c!fy Of Mexico
which was better market the year rounf
than any IN this country.
senator Cullon-Thea you were driven
out of the United Sisiess
WitueSs-lt looks that way.
Witness said be referred % the southern
Pacific and Santa Fe roads.
senator flunb-pid Won make complaint
TO the interstate commissionf
WitnesS-i think not when Armour
broke our market down the president Of
the Refrigerator Company r. A. Newman
made application for ears.
THE CATTLE EAIsEEs HANKEUF1.
Brewster Cameron testified that he was
raising cattle on the open range 0f Arizona.
He considered that Chicago controlled the
markets OF the country. Mben the cattle
went into the Chicago market the dFoyers
had the privilege % looking through a hole
In the fence st them. but had free chance
20 buy. Many cattle-raiscfs were ou the
verge Of bankruptcy. A large number OF
the producers eenla have got Out. hat they
held On Ia the vain hope that the Chicago
combine wonid not coatintie ta control
prices
e. c Slaughter of Dallas, Tex. sloek-
raiser and banker. was Of The opinion hat
fhnra ..as a ra.snrfnl caEntLrn AZ fNi.aEa