The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1892-03-16
TRUSTS MUST GO.
The Governments Crusade Against
Monopolies.
The Biscuit, Cordage and Dressed Beef
Trusts VIII be severely Dealt With
Damaging Evidence secured
Against These Unscrupulous F-Lla
Combinations.

CHICAGO, March 14-The fight begun
by the department of justice against
the trusts and combines is to rage all
along the line, and government agents
will to-day begin an investigation
against the 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 Saturday and at once went to Dis
trict Attorney Milchrist's office, where
aplan of campaign was arranged. The
first combine to be attacked is the beef
combine. At the present time Armour,
Swift and Morris not only control the
market for dressed beef, but their pur-
chasing agents have formed combina-
tion to stifle competitionin in the purchase
of cattle on the hoof and thereby the
farmers are at the mercy of the asso-
citation of purchasing agents, who pay
just what prices for cattle on the hoof
they see fit
Evidence has been obtained which
shows that wholesale butchers in Chi
cago who have refused to buy from the
combine have been summarily dealt
with. The wholesaler who declined to
purchase of the big three soon found
himself next door to what the govern
ment agents call a gorilla meat house,
where meats were sold at prices 30 low
that the stubborn butcher could not
touch them except at loss. This war
fare was kept up by the combine until
either the victim was forced out OF bus
mess or compelled to surrender and
transfer his trade to his oppressors
Mr.. Horton will investigate these
charges and, il the facts warrant it, the
power of the federal grand jury will be
invoked to bring the offenders to time.
The combination exists not only In
Chicago 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 vio-
lation of the Sherman antitrust law.
Mr.. Horton has just returned from
tigating the cordage trust. This COM
bination is one of the most powerful
and unscrupulous organizations have
yet come in contact with. said Mr..
Horton. "I went 10 Minnesota TO in
vestigate complaint that the state Of
ficials OF Minnesota were unable, by
reason of the cordage trusts manipula-
tions to procure machinery for making
binding twine in the penitentiary at
saltwater / found the complaint we'll
founded A committee OF the Minne-
sofa Legislature went to New York to
buy machinery for making binding
twine in the penitentiary. They went
to John Good, New York inventor
aud manufacturer Of the binding twine
machines Could they do it? Not much.
Mr. Good was in the power Of the cord
age trust. He had contract with the
trust to furnish his machines TO no COM
pAy or corporation outside Of the COM
bine.
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 5000, 900 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, rejected"
BosToN, March L. ALI the whisky
trust officials except Messrs Gibson and
Morris appeared in the United States
district court Saturday and pleaded not
guilty TO the Indictment found against
them. They were held in $40, 900 bail
each to appear when wanted