The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-09-10
CORNERS on CATTLE
The Effect of the Dressed Beef Com
bine on the Stockmen.

bine on the Stockmen-
KANSAS CITY. No, Sept. 9-The
dressed beef senatorial investigation COM
mittee beg an its session here this mornl g
in the parlors Of the Midland hotel.
Senators Henderson and Farweil had not
arrived at the hour of assembling, but
Chairman Vest ami members Pi-mo AMI
Coke were promptly on hand, and
at er being formally called to
order, the investiga non began. The
examination Of two witne ses occ Ipled the
mOrling session. They were George ".
Glyck of Atcnison, ex-g We nor # hansas.
aud Charl burst of AtchisOn. BJtu were
willing witnesses, being stOc lmen nj hal
all manner of charges to make against the
packers Combine
THE EX-GovERYoR's TESTIMONY.
The ex-governor Of Kansas testified first.
He had been in the cattle raj ing Business
for talrty years, during VIII ca time the
prices of cattle had dsteriurated 30 or -
Der cent. The cause for this, the wIthess
said, was the establishment in Kansas City
of the great packing interest winch had de-
vel0ped the first great co npetiuon amoug
the sellers Of cattle, and afterwards q COM
binatiOA among the pac6yrs wnica was 50
powerful that It's members could bay cattle
at heir own p ices.
Have Yod any direct knowledge of the
workings Of this combination" asked Seua-
tor Vest.
HIS OWN EXPERIENCE.
eyes, l have shipped cattle to Kansas
City and have placed the the market
here at the market price. The packers
buyers protested tina, tie price was 90
high, and assured me tHat if | did not want
to sell at their price c iuld reship my cattle
a send the t. Chicago. / uld Jnat ,ev-
eral ii es AID found eacn time that the Ar
mUur-M orls-Swift Com biuatiOu coutro led
That end of tue rou g to | was forced in
the end 10 sell at their price. The witAe5s,
testitying further, asserted at
the effect of the depreciation
in the prices of cattle had been
TO drive many of the cattle raisers of Kan
sas out of the business altogether The
packers also controlled rates on railroads 10
an extent, and the packers of kllsas City
had al most ruineI the business of Atchisoi,
and would have done so entirely had OF
the city council passed and enforced a city
ordinance requiring inspection of beef on
the hoJf.
WHAT IT STOPPED.
Before that ordinance went into effect
the packers could by their cattle in Atchi
son, ship the = to Kansas City, work the n
to dressed beef, reShip the latter product
to A;chson, and sell it che lper than local
butchers could sell their dressed beef
slaughtered at home. The in pection
dinance, however, has remedied this state
of affairs.
number Of witnesses testified in the
afternoon, who were unanimously of the
opinion tuat there Is a combination among
the packers to control the prlc s of cattle
and dressed beef The exps fence related
BY one of them is sample of the whole.
he said: II ok a train load of
cattle to Chicago this summer. | put
them on the market early in the morning.
got ono bid, 1t was too low. | would not
sell at that figure. | waited all dav. | got
no more bids, and was forced { , sell in the
event & at price lower by 10 cents per
hu I'd cd weight than | had been offe ed
IN the m rnng.n
Another witness who testified that cutie
were now 80 to 81 on the hundred pounds
cheaper than some years ago, in relating
hls experle co on the Chicago ma ket, stated
that two men came TO hi IL at the same line
and made bids ex &c ly alike. He did not
know the bi ders and did not
know by whom they wer9 employed, but
he wa, told that they were agents Of the
big Four
did you make an effort to get more bidsg'
asked Senator Plumb.
YES, but % bidders could be found We
had to sell our cattle TO tho two men who
had made the first bid at their own prices
or ship our cattle home again.