St. Paul daily globe., 1892-03-13
TRAvAILS OF TRUSTS.
The Department Of Justice
Will Push Them Hard All
Along the Line.
Combined Packers, Ruling the
Beef Market, First to Be
Attacked.
Special Agent Horton Now
Investigating Devious
Ways.
Interesting but Startling
Facts Concerning Cord
age Trust.

CHICAGO, March 12.-IHe ngDt De-
gun by the department of justice
against the trusts and combines is to
rage all along the line, and Monday
next government agents will begin an
Investigation against the alleged
dressed beef combine and the biscuit
trust. Charles NJ. Horton, representing
the department of justice, and who has
been detailed to gather evidence
against the trusts, reached the city to-
day. He at once went to District At
torney Milchrist's office. where a plan
of campaign was arranged.
The first com bine to be attacked is
the alleged beef combine. 1t is said
that at the present time Armour, Swift
and Morris not only control the market
for dressed beef, but their purchasing
agents have formed a combination to
stihe competition in the purchase of
cattle on the hoof, and that thereby the
farmers are at the mercy Of the pur-
chasing agents, who pay just what
prices for cattle on the hoof they see
fit Evidence, it is asserted, has been
obtained which shows that wholesale
to buy from the combine have been
SummariIy Dealt With.
The wholesaler, who declined to pur-
chase of the big three, it is alleged, soon
found himself next door to what the
government agents Gala "gorilla''meat
house, where the meats are sold at
prices so low that the stubborn butcher
could not touch them except at loss.
This warfare was kept up by the COM
bine till either the victim was forced
out of business or compelled to surren-
derand transfer his trade to his Op-
pressors.
Mr. Horton will leave Monday next
TO investigate these charges, and. if the
facts warrant it, the power of the fed
eral grand jury Will be invoked to
bring the offender to time. The COM
bnation is said TO exist not only in Chi
cagO, but in Eastern cities, where the
agents of the combine pursue the same
methods of crushing stubborn butchers
or forcing them to surrender. Thus
the beef trusts manipulations are
claimed to be interstate in character
and in violation Of the Sherman anti
sruSt law.
Mr. Horton has Just returned from
Minneapolis, via Kansas City and st.
Louis, where he has been investigating
the cordage trust. This combination
is one of the most powerful and I'M
GcrupulOus organizations | have yet
come in contact with" said Mr.. Horton.
81 went to Minneapolis to investigate a
complaint that the state officials of
Minnesota were unable, by reason of
COrdage Trust Manfpu1ations,
TO procure machinery for making bind
Ing twine in the state penitentiary at
Saltwater. found the complaint well
founded. A committee of the Minnesota
legislature went to New York TO buy
machinery for making binding twine in
the penitentiary. They went to John
Good, New York inventor and manu-
facturer of binding twine machines.and
endeavored to purchase one of the ma
chimes. Could they do 1t? Not much.
Mr.. Good was in the power Of the
National COrdage company, the cordage
trust. He had a contract with the trust
to furnish his machines to no company
or corporation outside Of the combine.
The cordage trust officials were con-
suited. and they made the astonishing
proposition that they would allow Good
TO sell his machines to the state of Min
nesota, provided the state gave bond
of 100000 to indemnify the cordage
trust from any loss which might result
by reason of the convicts competing
with the trust. The offer was, of course,
refused.
81 have not been able to find what
prices the trust charges for Its binding
twlne. Dealers whom | have consulted
said the policy OF the trust was to with
hold its prices, and therefore there are
no quotations. The trust holds its
product and prices back until the twine
is wanted badly, and then it sells as it
sees fit. 1t also controls, l am Informed,
the output of sisal and manila, having
contracts with the importers to take
what they bring to this country.
doubt if the facts we have in hand are
sufficient to warrant an indictment Of
the trusts's officials. but day of reck
Oning is coming"