The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1902-05-02

Ienemies OF The American people. Evil
days are ahead it is to be hoped for all
Oppressive and illegal combinations.
The attorney general Knox has begun
Operations against the sugar rust The
Iconspirators nav been assured In the
most unequivocal terms that it is the
purpose Of the Administration to en-
force the laws. Good for Roosevelt. a
dispatch from Washington states that
he a held a consultation with Sen
ator Burrows, the leading opponent of
the sugar trust in the Cuban reci-
procity fight in the senate, about the
possibility of getting after the sugar
trust. Senator Burrows told the pres
ident hat proof could be procured
showing that the sugar trust acts in ex-
actly the same way as the beef trust,
arbitrarily raising and lowering prices
and in transgressing the law in regard
to distribution and. sale of it's product.
The original Big Four" combine in
the beef expressions and robberies have
been increased in number, and now it
is the Big Six" two noted firms nav
ing been added. And yet this wicked
combine coolly assert that there is no
such thing as a beef trust" In deny
ing the existence of a trust it is assert
ed that these six great slaughtering
firms have merely united for mutual
protection against a customers among
the retail dealers who do not pay their
accounts. and that this union cannot
be made a reproach or assigned as q
cause Of the extraordinary rise in the
prices of meat. They are fertile in
deniaIs and suggestions. They are now
playing the role of injured innocents,"
and these butchers of beef and people
are trying to persuade empty stomachs
that they are wholly free from the
trust. of tain of beef or higher beef.
But Attorney General INC is assured
that there is foul combination among
the beef butchers of the slaughter
houses. He has instructed the United
States attorneys to begin work and 20
institute proceedings in equity to put
restraints pon this injurious, illegal
of butchers. The Phila-
.delphia Record says:
ITO bring the spikes of the law to
bear more keenly against the mbin
ton he has also Instructed the United
States district attorney at Chicago to
file al injunction against the persons
belonging to it in the federal court of
Illinois. This affords sufficient
evidence of the purpose of the admins
tration to enforce the law against the
conspiracy to raise the prices of meat"
But the big Six has seen the clouds
gathering and at the first play of light
ming they give notice that relief shall
come. and beef shall take a drop. But
II they do not cause the rise as they
aver how can they cause decline? The
New York Press. republican, on Monday
said:
THE promise for relief was mad last
.(Sunday) night by Ferdinand Sulzberg-
,er. one of the Big Six, when he was
comforting with the members of the
committee of investigation appointed by
the republican club of this city. While
conference was only preliminary 20
the Importance one to be held in Wash
ington with all of the meat 'baronS.'
Mr.. Sulzberger felt called on to make
some definite promise to the insistent
committeeman. L can say with assur-
promise Of relief, that a month from
now prices will have sought their former
level, or close to it, and hat the level
will be found soon thereafter"
The Chicago Record-Herald has a
timely cartoon. A bull rampant, mark
ed meat trust, is in the ring tossing and
trampling upon men who are retail
meat dealers. Arrows lave been o
into him and are marked Press" To
the right stands the president, with
sword in hand which is marked-"Leg-
islation." In front of the enraged bull
is the attorney general Knox. with a
sweeping cloth he is about TO throw
the animals head, marked-"In-
junction against Packers" The people
are sitting outside and the cry goes
to Kill It." And it will be
killed or the American people will have
something to say and to know the rea-
son univ