The age-herald., 1902-05-11
M HTCAGO, May 10-With the
 full approval of Attorney v General Knox. renresenting

the national government, District At torney s. c. Bethea this afternoon filed with the clerk of the Federal Circuit Court here bill for an in junction sweeping in its character, designed to destroy the alleged giant conspiracy to illegally control the meat trade of the United States. Dis trict Attorney Bethea also served mo- tice that at 2 p. m. May 20 he will appear before Federal Judge Grosscup and ask for a temporary injunction against the packers and their repre- sentatives under the Sherman national antitrust law.
 The defendants, one of their repre- sentatives declares, will not make a fight on May 20
 They will submit to the entry of an order enjoining them from the acts complained of in the bill an.- " promise to refrain from further al- legged violations of the law until the time of the next hearing. That prob ably will be about June 20. Before the latter date they will have filed a demurrer, which, it Is said, will raise an important point under the inter- state commerce regulations, probably to the effect that the shipping of meats to ones own agent in another State under a certain agreement is not in terstate commerce. In the event that fbA cho11 hn nunfr1Ilo6 fba packers will still have the privilege of filing an answer which will necessi- tate a further hearing on the merits of the government charges. If, on the other hand, the demurrer shall be sus- tained, the federal attorney can file an amended bill.
 Defendants Are Named.
 The bill of complaint is against Swift & Co.,. the Cudahy Packing Company, the Hammond Packing Company, Armour & Co.,, the Armour Packing Company. G. H. Hammond Company, Schwarzchild & Sulzberger, Nelson Morris x Co.,, and the individuals composing these corporations and firms.
 It declares that they have been and are now engaged in the business of buy ing live stock at stock yards thr0u2.rs cut the United States and slaughtering such live stock at plants maintained for that purpose; that they are also engaged in the business of selling fresh meats to dealers and consumers and shipping these meats over the lines of railroad com panies as common carriers; the defend- ants, it is alleged control about 60 per cent of the total volume of the trade, having during 1901, purchased. slaugh- tered sold and shipped four million cat tle five million sheep and six million hogs
 In violation of the provisions of an "aet to protect trade and commerce against unlawful restraints and monopolies" and in order to restrain competition among themselves, they have directed and re- quired their agents at the various stock yards to refrain from bidding against each other except perfunctorily and with out good faith, when making purchases of live stock, and by this meaHs inducing and compelling the owners to part with 1t at less prices than they would receive than if the bidding was really competi- tive.
 Unlawful Conspiracy.
 In further violation of the act they have engaged in and intend to continue an un- lawful combination and conspiracy among themselves for holding up through their agents the DTlCGS Ol 1iNt StOCh lOi ti lcW days at a time so that the market re- ports will show prices much higher than the state of trade will warrant. thereby inducing owners to simultaneously make large shipments and by reason of the re- sulting large offerings, the defendants obtain live stock at prices much less than it would bring in the regular way of trade.
 It is also alleged they have engaged In and Intend to continue an unlawful com- bination and conspiracy to arbitrarily from time to time, raise, lower and fix prices and to maintain uniform prices at which they will sell directly or through their agents fresh meats to dealers and consumers: hold secret periodical meet ings and agreeing upon the prices to be adopted and enforced until at a suhse- quent meeting the same may be chang ed. restricting and curtailing the quan- titles of goods shipped whenever necessa- ry to maintaining of the prices fixed by imposing against each other penalties, establishing a rule for the giving of cred it's to dealers and the conduct of their business with penalties for violations; keeping "black list" of delinquents and refusing to sell to them.
 Impose Uniform Charges.
 The bill charges further that in viola tion of the act of Congress, the defend- ants have made and imposed arbitrarily uniform charges for carriage for delivery when no such charges have been cus- tomary in the trade or would be made but for the combination and conspiracy there by increasing the charges for meats to dealers and consumers; that they have made arrangements and agreements with officers and agents as common carriers to receive by means of rebates and other de- vices unlawful rates for transportation and have thus monopolized, and unre- strained will continue to monopolize the commerce in live stocks and fresh meats.
 An injunction, therefore. is prayed en- joining the defendants and their agents and attorneys from continuing in any of these unlawful proceedings and from at- tempting to monopolize the commerce. A discovery of the books, papers etc., is asked, as well as a subpoena for the de- fendants to appear and answer under oath.
 The Governments Programme.
 Washington May 1o.-Tho government 8 programme for the immediate future of the beef trust suit is as follows:
 "The district attorney at Chicago has been instructed to give notice at once of a motion for an injunction to be heard about May 20. This motion will be sup ported by such affidavits as the govern ment thinks sufficient to establish its right to the injunction. Owing to the numerous communications from all over the country volunteering evidence of the illegal practices of the alleged trust. and because of the limited force of the de- partment here and in Chicago. the district