New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-09-10
WOES OF CATTLE RAISEkS
TESTIMONY OF sToCKMEN AND scALPERs
IN KANSAS CITY.
rurv FIND THE MARKET IN CHICAGO DEVOID
OF NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. THAT THE
PACKERS ARE AIDED BY THE
RAILROADS.

RAILROADS.
Kansas City, Sept 0.-The Senate Committee In
vestrating the dressed beof question: began us session
here this morning in tho parlors OF the MIDLAND HOTEL
Tho examination OF two witnesses occupied inc morn
,nr session They were George W. Click, OF Atchi-
'ae C,overnor Of Kansas and Charles burst, OF
,.oh,eo, both were willing witnesses. being stock
non Tho Ex-Governor had been in the cattle raising
business fer thirty years, during which time the price
NJ cattle had detoroaed 30 or 40 per cent Inc cause
for this the witness said, was the establishment
IN Kansas City Of a great packing interest which had
DEVELOPED first great competition among tho sellers
~ cattle and afterward combination among PACKERS,
which powerful that us nichiOors eouiu ouS
cattle at their prices,
"Haye YOU any direct knowledge of the workings
of this combination 2" asked Senator vest.
ayes. have shipped cattle TO Kansas City, and
have placed them the market here at the market
price, The packers buyers protested that the price
was too high and assured me that II did not want
TO sell at their price / could cship
my cattle and send them TO Chicago. l
I did that several times and found each time that
tho Armour Morris swift combination controlled that
end of the route too. l was forced in the end to
sell at their price,
Charles burst, a butcher OF Atchson, corroborated
tho testimony Of Ex-Governor Click concerning the
depreciation In the prices Oh catto' TIC feIa'ed inc
following experience
al came TO Kansas City day 20 buy sheep.
I asked :he in the pens tho price of his stock
lie quoted fgure. l looked further after taking
an onion on his sheep. When l returned the sheep
had been sold at price considerably below my offer.
The combiuatCn's agent had bulldozed him into
selling TO him at lower price than 1 would have
given HIM"
do YOU state that as fact y asked Senator Vest.
"Noa replied the witness reluctantly, :" bat that
was my impression
When senator Vest called the committee to order
this afternoon the room was uncomfor'ably crowded
with stockmcn who took great interest In the pro-
ceedipcs Ex-Governor Click recalled to testify
regarding the sanitary regulations of the Kansas City
stock wards lie said that far he knew there were
practically no sanitary supervision Of Tho yards lie
surcested that the stockmen Of his State expected
Congress TO take the fever question in hand and leSS
late in such manner 10 reduce the spread of the
disease 20 minimum.
That's Just what we expect TO do he was assured
by Senator Vest, IT," he continued we can rouse
Congress TO the importance of the matter"
John j. j. Roe, stock feeder, Of Saline County,
No. testified that the prices of cattle had deprecated
fully 81 or 81 per hundredweight within tho last four
or five years
4What has caused this deprecatonl ~ asked Senator
Vest.
81 believe il is due to a combination between a Sc
ect few of the packers who determine the price TO be
paid for cattle 1t is not as 1t used to be- Before
this combination formed tbe competition was nice
and healthy
Similar testimony given by Michael Lynch, j.
Matthew Spann James Banks, James Lopez j. Richard
Thomas. Abel Leonard. The lastnamed sad;
"The railroads naturally favor the packers So long
as he dressed beef business prospers, they get two
haus one on the live cattle going to market and one
In the distribution Of the finished product The freight
charges show that the railroads favor the packers
The charges dressed meats arc much lower than on
live cattle be sure the higher charges on the lat
ter come out of the packers pockets in tho end but
you must remember that he gets the cattle at his own
prices and that he than makes up the difference
The price of beef to the consumer, continued
the witness, was As high over. He had PAID
20 cents for two pounds Of beef long as he coud
remember.
"The packers have hold of both ends of the string
them suggested Mr.. Vest.
"Yes, and they are pulling them so tight as to
choke the cattle business TO DEATH
Senator Plumb wanted to know If lower freight
rates would help matters any. The witness thought
not. What the cattle man wanted was regular raes'
chases Of cattle TO prepare for the market
James Hap, of Kansas City, said: u am q
scaPe Dago the packers I can n tbat Ermo1r
swift and the Others had formed combination 70
been used by them. They had warned him not TO
buy too many cattle lie had not needed the warn;
ing Tho next bunch Of Cattle he hsd D9Hg S c5 me aG
wanted TO know il he had had enough. lie told
them that he thought he had; Since then no had
done business small scale, and had not Deen
nterfered with by the packers.
A. j. Morris, Of tie packing firm Of Morris, Butts
& Co.. was next sworn. His answers were given
only after deep and long consideration Several
times Senator Vest was Obliged TO put on the thumb
screws call forth any response TO some OF tho
questions lie asserted that the dressed beef bust
going TO the dogs fast as the cattle bus
ness There was too much competition in it,. None
of the packers was making money lie admitted
that his customers had received threatening letters
from O packers in the combine. Ine Wit
ness had seen the letter, but he did not have It with
him at the time. The witnesses firm was not in the
combination They themselves hal received threat
enlng letters. The witness had personal knowledge
OF combination between Armour swift. Morris and
Hammond, by which tho territory east OF the Mis-
sissippi River divided between them in such a
manner that neither would encrOach the territory
of the Others. The prices Of dressed meats were
fxed he thought. by the individual firms, each in his
own territory.
SUICIDE OF Il BUSINESS MAN.