The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-01-27
AT THE MERCY OF PACKERS.
-FOUR MEN CONTROL ABSOLUTELY
THE SUPPLY OF BEEF.

Can Regulate the Price of the Neces-
sity in Time of War-PrOdfgiOus
Power Even Beyond the Seas.
Complete Mastery of the Main
source of Sustenance and Busi-
ness Now Amounting to Nearly a
Billion Year.
From the New York Herald.
Chicago, H., Jan. 24.-It is a fact that
the United States of Amer,ca or the Brit
ish empire. nos to mention other nations,
cannot go 10 war without the consent of
the Chicago meat trust.
The reason for this is that all the cattle
on thousand hills and plains are CONTROL
ed by the great packers of this city, who
make prices both for purchade and sale.
They also control the sheep ard hog pro
ducts, which enter iargey into the food
of the soldier
Technically speaking, there is no suoa
thing az meat trust. There is no conbi-
nation Of packers here that would merit
such name in law But the packers do
60, work at odds with enc another. There
is nor that keen competition characteristic
of tne operations eff separate concerns,
each endeavorng to Guido the other. Ter
ritory controlled by one firm, is not dis
turbed by another Prices fixed by
one firm are not cut under by another.
There is business for all.
The packing kings of Chicago do bus
mess Of not less than 5000 10000 or $780,
C00,o00 per year. They dominate the trade
in cattle and hogs. They 60 all the canned
beef and dressed beef business there is
done. They control all the refrigerator
cars that run on the railroads, and force
the latter to pay them certain sum per
mile for the privilege of hauling their cars.
The cattle raiser is not king when it
comes TO selling his stock for the rulers
Of the Chicago stock yards make the prices
when The stock is put on the market, no
matter if the herd contains 1000 or 100000
head.
Dealers in meats all over the United
States, from the Atlantic 10 the Pacific
obey orders sent out from Chicago. If
they do not buy from the packers here
they hnd an opposition shop set up, and
they are undersold. Many a dealer has
been forced out of business because he
chose to assume an attitude of independ-
euce. Butchers in the East have found to
their cost although they are 1000 miles
from Chicago, that they are moi allowed to
trade in local cattle. If they try 10 do so
they find competition spr.nging up in their
Towns. They. must buy their beef of the
Chicago magnates.
For years the Big Four" as it is
known-P. ID, Armour G. f. Swift. Mel
af1.1t . i ~.
has had its own way and has been con-
stantly increasing in power and wealth
They not only control the houses here and
elsewhere conducted under their own
names. but other houses as well. They
have their packing houses in Chicago.
Kansas City. Lfncoln and Omaha, and
branches ffldumerable slsover the United
States and Europe. III.
When the figures OF tfe beef business for
Chicago are given they are practically the
figures al the business OF, che big Four
These gentlemen feed the soldiers Of the
United States in the field and in barracks.
and they also feed the sailors in our war
shljs. The Btitish soldier and his Egyp-
tan ally, who fight an the Soudan, also
depend in measure upon these packing
kings. French and German soldiers on
home and foreign duty draw supplies
bearing the Chicago label.
During the last year the shipments of
canned meats from Chicago aggregated
92S, 627, 722 pounds, or 1,031,4 s2 cases, the
dressed beef shipment was l,O6O, SIS. sos
pounds; beef, 14,77S tierces, or s., 461 bar
rels. AS to cattle, 2,4sO,OOO head were re-
ceived and S64,4O0 shipped, 800, 600 being
slaughtered. In round numbers, / SEQ, 600, :
600 pounds of provisions-not all beef pro-
visions. however-were shipped from here
during the year. They found their way
TO all quarters of the globe.
These are big figures, but the packing
kings are big men. They do nothing in
small way They are masterful and
can dictate to governments. Should they
refuse to feed Uncle Sans soldiers this
nation could not go to war with anybody
1t would be a hard task to feed the boys
in blue even in times of peace.
Business Constantly Growing.
A million head more of live stock of all
kinds was received at Chicago during 1898
than in any previous year In all 1900.
600 head were brought in. The valuation
reached $229,S00,O00. compared with s2l6,-
sos, 1886 in 1897, an increase of SO per cent
The receipts of hogs were about 100000
larger than ever before. Sheep we're
within a few thousand head of the ban
aer, but cattle shipments were the small