The Indianapolis journal., 1890-01-11
THE BIG FOUR COMBINE,n

A largely attended meeting of stock
men has been held the present week i'm
Topeka, Kan. 1t was a representative
body, with very few of that class of
politicians who attach themselves to
movements of this sort. In the pream-
BILE of the resolutions adopted they as
sert that ''the entire cattle and hog mar
ket has been forced to Kansas City and
Chicago by a combination of dressed
beef buyers in collusion with the rail-
road compani es, so that these points
have become the only principal markets
for the sale of cattle and hogs" The
preamble further sets forth:
This combination of buyers are the only
parties in the country to buy, sell and dis
tribute these products. we being compelled
TO ship all of our cattle and hogs to these
two markets, because our local markets are
destroy ed by the combine having taken
possession of them.
This combination which is referred to
is known as the "big four" The testi-
mony taken by the Senate committee is
sufficient to convince one that there is
an understanding among these buyers,
though they deny any combination.
Their headquarters are in Chicago and
Kansas City. How far railroad corpora
tions favor those buyers and those two
points of collection and distribution has
not yet been made clear. Doubtless the
report of the Senate committee will
make and sustain the charge, if it is
true. If it is true, if any railroad cor
porations are directly or indirectly en-
gagged in a conspiracy to impoverish tens
of thousands of producers, they should
be dealt with in the most summary
manner. Charters are given to railroad
corporations by States upon the theory
that the people will be benefited thereby.
If these railroads, on the other hand,
are so managed that they constitute a
part Of conspiracy practically to de-
fraud the people of those States, their
charters should be revoked and their
property taken by the State. The first
thing for the Kansas stockmen to do
seems to be to ascertain whether their
charge is well grounded, and, if it is, to
proceed against the railroads which are
believed to be guilty of such bad faith.
If conspiracy is proved against the "big
four,' it is probable that some remedy
can be devised that will break up the
system which enables them to rob both
the producer and the consumer. A
remedy should not be a question of
doubt; it should be as certain as is con-
viction and punishment for the criminal
who is caught in the act of committing a
| theft.
The resolution relating to the break
ing up of the combine, if it exists, reads
as follows:
Resolved, that we appeal to Congress to
| enact such laws as shall nullify and forever
! destroy the power of this dressed-beef COM
| bination. or any combination made for the
purpose of destroying competition in this
| trade: that any such combination shall be de-
| clared To be "A criminal conspiracy. and shall
| be made subject to heavy penalties; that the
| same act shall provide for national in
| spection law which shall require the local
| inspection of all cattle slaughtered for pur-
| poses of American consumption.
The convention and the committee
must be aware that they are asking Con-
gress to enter a new field of legislation.
The legislation they demand would
I seem to be function of the State gov