People's voice. [volume] (Wellington, Sumner County, Kansas) 1890-1917, 1899-08-31
BEEF TRUST; How -Four
Men Control the Price of Beef
from the Pasture to the Table,

MO man, woman or child-or gov
II srnment-can escape the Beef
v Trust, or dispute its power. 1t
is absolute in its domination of the home;
in its ability to compel payment of trib-
ute to it. The home of the humblest cit
izen of the United States furnishes a per-
tinent example of its control of the meat
supply of the country. 1t has Just raised
the price of its product 80 per cent to
wholesale dealers. That means that the
family fare of the poor man. will contain
80 per cent less meat than it did week
ago, or meat of 80 per cent inferior quail
ity
Apparently it is trifing effort, scarce
ly worthy to be called task, for the
Beef Trust to materially curtail, if not
entirely cut off, the meat supply of the
rich and poor alike. The poor man will
naturally be better fitted to describe the
power of the trust than his more FORUM
ate neighbor, yet both will feel it, for the
trust plays no favoriteS. It treats all vic
tins alike. Its power has been cunnla-
tive, progressive: growing narrower in
membership, vaster in scope of its opera
tions and influence with each year of its
history.
Scarcely a score of years has this trust
existed, with a meagre combined capital
of $1,000, 900 at the start, and an income
of 100000 a year. Then there were
rival concerns, because none of them
were called trusts in those days.
-
But in ten years the rival concerns
were wiped out, or absorbed" d"-that is
the professional term for buying out RI
vals-and the Beef Trust became supreme.
1t is supreme today, composed Of four
firms whose membership does not exceed
N'"u1u 'ne
'.'N, A-~" - al 'ne "oiiu
whose power is brought so directly to the
homes of every citizen as the power of
these twenty, the real Barons of Beef,
d - l q
rirm'eS II, oi rofN ana ooVereiSnS Oh oheep'
,,,o,,hor. tro,.oo+ h,,,;,,o,, oe go.
o,o a wear divided IN about 4tis Dro-or
ton:
Armour g. Co s1,o ooooI
Swift & Co............... 9o,ooo,ooo
Cudahy. ............ 100000
NeiSon' MOTIFS x Co... 100000
Total s,,zoooo ooo
There is 9Th firm, wh;oh o,,;oro 80
1atiops with the real trust CLOSELY allied
enoroh IN brs;rass ,ro,. 20 ;,,..;f,. =,
classification with the others Tb;s &c
the firm Of Scbwarzscb;ld 9, cr,zhernor
which acts as GENERAL d;str;bnter IN New
York and besides maintains nackinq
houses OF ifs own in the West Rrt &C i
only has busiress Of tr;a;ro G.,
100000 wear # ;s NOT r.rted !, +ha
first class
~
IT, r1ooo.,,:,:,,
-. 49, .-.. l , - IN ~ NO NO-'
SHoOO
- - '-i~ eiOS''' wi Poia'ion Ill tne
-: :y "1--e 'ppa.enu iiiail-
- i'1' 'e'"een
' ' " "io"i ~
- ~ N'' u '-'' i "''' All ie
Y a.,5 u 80. ~ p,.ee ~ Oe pau '"''ie
-A''~' anu e1e' II ,ne Pii'e Vi meat
y eOio"liei' "ie ue'iueu uPon Oy Az
- -
Inv o'nei ili' III 'ie uu'' acceP' 'iie
9'0'''i0'' VI -a1ii0.' " w. ineie Is
never any cutting oi i''eS ~ Consumers
no increase IN the pr1ce to be paid to pro-
Ue en'o u 'n1 L ''s' III 'ne oa''ie
''''''e'' NNNP u0"H .'ie q"O'"'ioiis
~ Oeei "HeH u. 'i"'' Guy iHs, r0i
'en yeais SuooeSsi'eiy 'iiele HAS oeeil
eisuuai ueeiiiie IN rates which 'ne trust
- Miiiiiis u pay ioi od''ie'
O'nei agents Oh 'ne trust regulate the
supply Oh slaughtered cattle pork and