The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1888-11-22
THE VEST COMMITTEE.
StOckmen and Ranchers Civ
ing Their Testimony.
VIEWS ON THE COMBINATION.
Obligations to IArmour-Many Cattle
Imen on the Verge OF Bankruptcy
The Chicago Market
Still InYestigattng.


ST. LOUIS, November 21.-The Senat.
investigating committee resumed it,
work to-day, J i. Bush being the frs
witness.
The next witness was
]. NJ. OSBORNE,
division freight agent of the Wabash.
Witness said he had been in the freight
business forty-two years. He owns a
farm in Nebraska ar d raises ca tie. His
evidence was substantially as follows:
There are fourteen classifcations IN
cattle. Thirteen of these are sold by
weight, while mich COWS are sold by
the head. Chicago was undoubtedly
the largest cattle market in the coun
try, and shipments from Chicago to
the interior of Illinois were very
large. Illinois farmers buy cattle,
but the production there has
largely decreased. Osborne then
explained how the consolidation
OF commodities at any point reduces
:. the prices. He did not know personal
My of the existence of a combine in Chi
: Cago 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 Interstate Commerce law. That
was, printed rates, so that tia shipper
knew just what he had to pay. One
sixth of the cattle shipped from Illinois
points to Chicago averaged 1900 to
1,50O pounds. Cattle rose 81 per hun
dred in May last, but have deprecated
five cents since October.
-
in price in May?
Witness-I think it was the appoint
menJ of this committee. l may be hung
by some of the castle men for saying
this, but am not here in the interest
OF cattle men. L never saw, and think
no cattle man ever saw, a rise in the
price OF cattle in the summer before.
Senator Vest-Is not concentration
OF the market at Chicago an injury to
cattle raisers?
Witness-I think so, but others are
OF the opinion that it is an advantage,
because 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 de-
. creased?
4 Witness-It has not increased.
Vest-But Chicago has gone ahead?
Witness-Yes.
Vest When did this great difference
between the two cities begin?
Witness-The maximum was reached
here in 1881, when the receipts were
503, 682 head. Chicago's receipts that
in 1885 to 81 $50 and Chicago in that
year was l 1863. 800.
Senator Vest-To what cause do you
attribute this? Was there q comblna-
ton called the "EVeners'' in 1888, and
divides cattle business2
WItness-Yes, sir; there was such a
combination, and there was a rumor to
the effect that the combination took
business from st. Louis and put it in
Chicago. l know no other transports-
ton reason for the change in the market
from ST. Louis to Chicago.
Senator Vest Did NOS the "eYeners'
get SIS carr
WItness-rhere was rumor to that
effect.
Senator Vest-Was the Wabash asked
to pay It's snare to the comDinstion2
Witness-Yes; such demand was
made in 1885, bat the Wabash declined
to do so.
Senator Cullom-What roads were in
this combination?
Witness-The New York Central.
Erie d. Pacific and connections. From
the beginning of this combination Chi
cago commenced going ahead at q
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. ..e
J. c. BEATTY,
OF Elp8so, Texas, 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 s$75,000 refrigerator
which enabled him to have fresh meat
four or five days old. This was
entirely new there. Thu railroad
agent informed them that his obliga-
lions to Mr.. Armour were such that he
would not get cars to ship cattle out to
the Pacific coast. The result was that
Then Mr.. Armour began putting beef
n refrigerator cars. He broke the
market from 81 to IL cents, and the
cattle raisers near Ell Paso were COM
PEELED to ship to Kansas City at loss.
His farm now shipped beef to the City
)t Mexico, which was a better market
The year around than any in this or
any other country.
Senator CuilOm-Then you were
driven out of the United States?
Witness-tt looks that way.
Witness said he referred to the South.
,rn Pacific and Santa Fe roads.
Senator Plumb-Did you make a
to the Interstate Commits
ion?
Wltness-I think not. When Armour
,roke our market down, the president
II the Refrigerator Company, E. A. {
Newman, made application for cars.
BREWSTER CAMERON
esti6e1 that he was raising cattle on
he open range of Arizona. He consid-
red that Chicago controlled the mar
,ets of the &C untry. When cattle went
nto the Chicago market drovers had
he privilege of looking through hole |
n the fence at them. but had not free
nance to buy. Mauy cattle raisers