Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1889-09-12
The Senate Committee Open on
the Big -Four at Kansas City.
Governor Click and Others Give Inter-
esting Testimony Against the
Cattle Combine.
The Big Four Have Had Things in Their Own
Hands, and Have Regulated Cattle Prices
to Suit Themselves.

VentlOn began its session here TINS morn
ing in the parIors of the Midland hotel
Senators Henderson and Farwel had not
arrived at the hour of assembling, but
Chairman Vest and members Plumb and
Coke were promptly on hand, and after
being formally called to order the in
vest1gation began. The examina-
ton of two witnesses occupied the
morning session. They were George
W. Click of Atchison, exgov-
ernor of Kansas, and Charles
burst of Atchison. Both wefe8 killing
witnesses, being stockmen. anB had ia Il
manner of charges to make AGAINST the
packers combine.
The ex-governor of Kansas testified
first. He had been IN the cattle gaising
business for thirty years during g Ifiela
time the prices of cattle hd1 de-
preciated thirty or forty per cent. The
cause for this, the witness said, was the
establishment in Kansas City of great
packing interest which has developed
first, great competition among the
sellers of cattle, and afterwards a COM
binatlOn among the packers which was
so powerful that its members could buy
cattle at their own prices.
''Have you any direct knowledge of the
workings of this combination? Senator
Vest asked,
eyes l have shipped cattle to Kan
sas City and have placed them on the
the markets here at the markets price.
The packers buyers protestedft that the
price was too high and assure6A me that
if did not want to sell at theTY. price I
could reship my cattle and send. them
to Chicago. / did that several EiIne4apd
found each time that the Armour+ Morris
Swift combination controlled that eR4 of
the route too. ! was forced in theg6end st0f
sell at their figure. ~
The witness testifying further asserted
that the effect of the depreciation in the
prices of cattle had been to drive many
of the cattle raisers of Kansas out of the
business altogether. The packers also
controlled rates on the railroads, to an
extent, and the packers of Kansas City
have almost ruined the butchers
business =, of Atchison, and.
would have done so nt4feIy
had not the city council passed ana en-
forced q city ordinance requiring the i1-
spection of beef on the hoof. t;4Befofs
that ordinance went into effsa4s the
packer could buy his cattle in AkeAEon,
ship them to Kansas City, week. thsIaai
into dressed beef, reship the latter pro-
duct to Atchison and sell it cheaper than
the local butchers could sell their dressed
beef slaughtered at home. The mspec-
ton ordinance, however, had remedled
this state of affairs.
Charles burst, butcher of Addison,
Kas. was the next witness. He cor
roborated the testimony of ev-GOvernor
Click concerning the depreciation in
prices OF cattle. When asked if he had
come in direct contact with the combina-
ton of which Mr.. Click had spoken, he
related the following experience:
''T came to Kansas city one day to buy
sheep I asked the owner IN the pens
the prices of his stock. He quoted a fig
ure. I looked further, after taking an
option on his sheep. When 1 returned
the sheep had been sold, and at a price
considerably below my offer. The COM
bination IS agent had bulldoZed him into
selling to him at lower price than L
would have given him. -
''DO you state that as fact? asked
Senator Vest.
ono, - replied the witness reluctantly,
"but that was my impression.
Does the impression prevail among
your business acquaintance that there
is q combination among the packers to
control the prices of cattle and dressed
beef?' inquired Senator Plumb.
''That impression exists, responded
the witness.
AFTERNOON SESSION.
When Senator Vest called the commit
TO h oft In
crowded with stock men
who took great interest in the proceed
ings, especially that part which deval-
oped testimony concerning the big
Four. Senator Vest was also highly
Interested in this phase of the investIga-
ton, and questioned witnesses closely in
regard to their experience in selling cat
tie on the Chicago market.
John J Roe, stock feeder of Saline
county, Mo, testified that the prices of J
cattle had deprecated fully three
or four dollars per hundreds
weight in the past four or five years "a
''What has caused this depreciation I'M
values?'' asked Senator Vest 4
"Lack of competition, - asssftessthe
witness. yssl
:'where do you sell most of your cat
te?"
2 lin Chicago, -
'What is the reason of the lack of
there?'
81 believe it is due to the combination
between a select few of packers who have
the price to be paid for
cattle. 1t is not as it used to be before
this combination was form ed-competi
ton was nice and healthy.
nice, healthy smile oveIspread the
features of the interrogating chairman as
this testimony was given.
j. Matthews Spann of Saline county,
Mo-. could find but one bidder on the
Chicago market.
James r. Banks was in the custom of
selling his cattle on the Chicago maTkete2I
He could find no competition there. l35si
"'Who Is the maker OF prices of the catz..
tie thereof asked Senator Vest
1.-the Big Four, was the reply
Glow do you know?'i
81 don t know OF my personal knowl- !
edge; that is what my commission man
told me in confidence.
E'Who Is he?''
81 do not dare give his name.H
"Why not?
"Chicago packers would boycott him |
and rum his business.