The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1889-09-10
CATTLE COMBINE.
Vests Committee st Kansas City
Probing the Methods Of the
Big Packers.
Testimony Geing to Show the Syn
dieSts Absolutely Fixes the
Prices of Beet Cattle.
one Packer who says His Business A. GO
Ing to the DoEs-DividInE Up
the Territory.

KANSAS CITY. No, sept 9.-The
dressed beef senatorial Investigation com
mittee began its session here this morning.
The examination OF George W. Click. of
AtehisOn. ex governor OF Kansas, and
Charles Durst, OF AtchisOn, occupied the
morning. Both are stOckmen. Click testi-
hea That he had been in the cattle raising
business for thirty years, during which
Tune the prices Of cattle had deprecated
~ OF 40 per cent The cause of this, wit
ness said, WAS the establishment in Kansas
City Of great packing interests, which de-
yeloped AZ first great competition among
lne sellers OF cattle aud Afterwards a COM
oiuati0n among the packers, which was
soon SO powerful that its members could
bby cattle Al their own prices.
nave you and knowledge OF the work
ines VI the combine - asked senator Vest.
fes. l have shipped cattle % Kansas
CITY and placed them on the market al the
market price. The packers buyers pro
tested the price was too nigh and assured
me II did not want 20 sell AZ their price I
could reship my cattle 20 Chicago. / did
that several times and found each time the
Armour SWift-MOrTis combination con
tr0lled that end Of the route too l was
forced in the end 70 sell at their price.U
Witness testified further that the effect
Lad been 20 drive many cattle men Of KAN
sas out OF the business. The packers also
EoltAtAlCo tllr rate On tUe railroads 70 the
extent that the packers Of Kansas CRY had
almost ruined the Butchers' busiDezs of
Atcblson, and would have done so entirely
had not The city council passed an ordi-
the hOOf.
In the afternoon Ex-Governor Click. Of
Kansas, was called and asked regarding
tne ne sanitary regulations Of the kansas
City stock yards. lie said so far as he
knew there was practicaIly no sanitary
supervision Cf tAe yards E John J.
Roe OF Saline county, testified that the
price OF cattle had depreciated fully three
OF four dollars per cwt within the past
nVe years. This had been caused he said.
oy lack OF competition, which lie believes
y due 70 combination between a select
Few OF The packers, who determine the
price to be paid Tor cattle. before this
good
Michael Lynch, Of Saline county. said
this year he had not sold cattle al = ann
cient advance over the purchase price To
pay LOT Tue corn he had fed them.
IN relating bis experience II the Chicago
market he said that two men came 70 him
~ the same lime and made BIDS exactly
alike. He was told they were agents 81
tne Dig four he could fnd no other bid
0eTs and had 70 sell 10 these men at thefv
Ptioes, prices or shiD the cattle home. Several
Otner WttneEses testified g. D rgcticaliV Ehe
same ELECT, some Of them asserting the
railroads favored the packers The prices
eyer.
A j. MOrrig. OF the packing frm of
Morris. Butts * Co asserted the dressed
0eet business was going to the dogs as fast
as The cattle business. There WAS too
much competition In il and none OF the,
packers were making money.
Mr., Plumb asked II the packers are not
attempting % drive the slauRhferinR butch
ers out OF business Witness reluctantly
eon'sftec his cue.1nrrs h1d r1reisos ttrsaf-
eDing letters tTpm one of the packers in
the combine. Witness hrm was not in the.
combine. He had = personal knowledge,
oI tne combination between Armour swift
motifs and Hammond, by which the terri
tofy east OF the Mississippi was divioed
among them In such manner that neither
would encroach on the territory Of the
others.