Omaha daily bee., 1889-09-10
BEEF INvEsrIG ALTON.
Gov. Click Gives interesting Testi-
monY Before the SENATE COMMITTEES.

Gov. Click Gives Interesting Testi-
mony Before the senate Committee.
KANSAS CITY Mo-, Sept. 9.--TSpocial Tele-
gram to THE BEE. l--Senators Vest, Plumb
and Coke, the special committee on trans
portatiou and sale OF meat products, COM
menced its adjourned session at the Midland
hotel in this city. Many witnesses have been
subpened from among the cattle raisers
and sellers, as we'll as from the eight pack
ing houses here. The rest of the committee
is expected this evening.
The examination of George w. Click, Of
Atchson, ex-governor of Kansas, and
Charles burst, of Atchison, occupied the
morning. Both were stockmen. Click tes-
titled he had been in the cattle raising busi-
ness for thirty years, during which time the
prices of cattle had deprecated 80 or 40 per
cent. The cause of this, the witness said,
was the establishment in Kansas City Of
great packing interests, which had developed
at first great competition among sellers of
cattle, and afterwards the combination
among the packers, which was soon so pow
erful that its members could buy cattle at
their own prices.
"Have you any direct knowledge of tho
workings of the combinep asked Senator
Vest.
"Yes. I have shipped catlle to Kansas
City and have placed them on the market at
bue tldrhet pTlCc. Luz pdCheTS DuyeTs pTO-
tested that the price was too high, and as
sured me that If l did not want to sell at
their price could reship my cattle and send
them to Chicago. 1 did that several times,
and found each time that the Armour-SwifJ.
Morris combination controlled that end of
the route, too. was forced in the end to sell
at their prices"
Witness, testifying further, asserted that
the effect of the depreciation in the prices of
cattle mad been to drive many of the cattle
ret, CsNf rf ft.nh aftno N ltp-
gether. The packers also controlled the
rates on railroads to an extent, aud the pack
ers of Kansas City had almost ruined the
butchers business of Atchison and would
have done SO entirely had not the city coun-
Gil passed and enforced an ordinance requir-
ing the inspection of beef on the hoof.
Charles burst butcher, corroborated the
testimony of Ex-Governor Click. A recess
was then taken until 2:30 this afternoon.
In the afternoon Ex-Governor Click, of
Kansas, was recalled and asked regarding
the sanitary regulations of the Kansas City
stock yards. He said so far as he knew there
was practically no sanitary supervision of
the yards
John j. Roe, of Saline county, testified
that prices of cattle had deprecated fully 81
or S4 per hundred weight within the past five
years This had been caused, he said, by
the lack of competition, which he believes is
due to a combination between select few of
the packers who determined the price to he
formed the competition was good.
Michael Lynch, of Saline county, said this
year he had not sold cattle at sufficient ad-
vance over the purchase price TO pay for the
corn he had fed them. In relating his ex-
periencc on the Chicago market, he said two
men came to hun at the same time and made
biis exactly alike Hewds told they were
agents of the "3ig F'our.n He could find no
other bidders, and had to sell to these men at
their prices or ship his cattle home. Several
other witnesses testified to practically the
same effect some of them asserting tnat the
railroads favored the packers, and that the
pcices of beef to the consumer are just as
high as ever.
A. j. Morris, of the packing firm of Morris,
Butts & Co., asserted that the dressed beef
business was going to the dogs quite as fast
as the cattle business. There was too much
competition in it. None Of the packers were
making money.
MIR. Plumb asked if hepackers are not at.
tempting to drive slaughtering butchers out
of the business, and the witness reluctantly
admitted that his customers had received
threatening letters from one of the packers
in the combine. The witness firm was not
in the combination. He had personal
knowledge of a combination between Ar.
mour. Swift aud Hammond. by which the
territory east of the Mississippi was divided
among them in such manner that nett hel
would encroach on the territory Of the
others.