Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1888-03-09
KEFRIGRRATORS.
Plan Proposed TO the FarnsrI' Alliance
md the Knights OF Labor.
MRYr D IA. rSc-

and the Knights of Labor.
NEW BRAUEFALs, Dec IS, 1857.
To the Monitor;
AS promised, herewith submit 10 you
the outline Of my ideS about plan TO be
adopted by the Farmers Alliance aud
Knights of Labor in regard TO the estsb-
| lishmen. OF reirigerstors in Texas, which
in my opinion could not fail TO succeed
and furnish beef at 4 more reasonable
| price 10 the consumers end better price
to the stock rsIseIs, VINO are now st the
mercy Of Armour & Co. aud railroad com
! psnies. To accomplish this refrigerators
| should be erected ia different
parts of the state, say on the
dividing line between stock raising
and farming interests, so that stock could
| be shipped to resch one Ct the refrigera-
tors in one bsul thereby preventing loss
Of flesh and fever, which csttle are liable
sf.er q long haul and starvation and
abuse on railroads, so that their fl4sh is
almost unfit for wholesome use. IL is
true that it would be great undertaking.
Il is my firm belief that no private COM
pa1y can succeed on account OF the mo-
po,Y OF Amour & Co, with their i'm
mEnse wealth and railroad fsVors. But 8
combination Of the Farmers Alliance and
Kn ghts of Labor, wno could add
l sincerely hope Will control legisla-
ton SO as to force the railroad
companies to give Us at least equsl rates,
even If not more favorable; at all events
they could not sfford to discriminate
against such power. II am correct in
these premises, there can be no doubt Of
| the anal SUCCESS, by running this busi-
ness on the cooperative plan and not
with view of making 1t q speculative
concern, the object Of cheap beef to the
consumers snd fair prices to the pro-
Queer would be accomplished. The next
question would be how to raise the funds
necessary to establish the reirigerstors,
ice machines, etc and further, would
not Armour & Co, IN order to
break down this opposition reduce
the price OF beef for Q short
time SO IS to make the enterprise q fail
ure; in order TO guard against such a
contingencies well as TO raise the money
necessary, it would have to be a stock
/ company, the shares TO be controlled by
the Farmers Alliance and Knights of La
DOR on the cooperative plan, and that no
one but member of the above orders
| should have vote and no more than one,
no matter how many shares he owned.
The management to be placed in the
hands Of 8 Joint board of the two organ
izatioDs and further that no one but a Mem
Der of these orders should De entitled to
full benz fits, except he be s shareholder;
Oy these means ne would have guarsn-
tee that they would patronize US even if
the opposition should temporarily reduce
the market below living rates. These Of
course ere only the outlines, and many
details are necessary to perfect the sys-
TEN. have had some correspondence
with stockmen as well IS farmers and SO
tsr have found no one that does not con-
! slider the plan feasible. There Is no,dOubt
| in my mind that the necessary stock
could be Coated; stockmen would
readily join us. The shipping Of live
stCck is Impractical, as the loss in weight
is more than sufficient to cover the
fseig1t, not considering the condition the
beef is in on its arrival. Nothing is more
| important TO the lsbOring class than to
reduce the price Of the necesssries Of
life, of which beef is one Of the most
essential outside Of bresdstu5. This
organization should be formed without
delay, so as to get ready by next summer.
Yours truly, Y.