The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-05-19
Ss.v York sun soso.a, se-vsos.

00W York Sun 910oxaS 8Orvko0.
New York, May 1S.-The Herald says
that convincing evidence of an illegal
combination among the big packers will
be produced by District Attorney Bethea
the beef trust come up in court to-mor-
row in Chicago. Private letters of dam
aging nature, issued from Armour & Co.'s
general offices, are to be used against the
packers to show that there has been an
agreement between them to maintain
prices.
The correspondence referred to is over
the signature Of Armour & Co., per Jones,
or E. J. Madden, officials in the Chicago
offices. s
Instructions to the agents of Armour &
Co. are contained in the letters, showing
that the packers ordered prices raised
in combination with other trusts houses.
Informatio is asked relative to viola
| lions of agreements made by the other
packers In the big six" who are sup
posed to be competitors. Notices of new
agreements on prices are also quoted.
Pinculous and Others.
The other firms in the beef trust are
! referred to in the letters by code words,
said to refer to the firms in the trust as
follows:
"Philomath,' G. H. Hammond & Co.;
''Phosphatic,'' Schwartzchild & sulzber-
ger; "Piaculous,'' Swift & Co.; "Phidtia, .
Cudahy Packing Co.. "Phosphoric," Mel
son, Morris & Co.; "Piacular," Libby Nc
Neill & Libby. The key to the code is to
be furnished to District Attorney Bethea,
so that he will have no difficulty in prov
ing to whom the terms used in the letters
refer Most of the correspondence took
place during the months of January and
February, and all of it transpired&since
the first of this year.
In letter signed by Jones for Armour
& Co., dated Feb. H., 1902, to their agent
at Albany. n. Y, admission of a combi-
nation is evidenced in the following ex-
/ tract from the letter:
AZ Note YOU say you think 1t would have beer
better II "piaculous" (swift & Coz peop1
had shipped those 600 pounds of skinned ham
which were out of condition at Troy, to SOM
such market as New York, where their sal
| would not conflict with our present agreement
! This, no doubt, would be the better plan
but the trouble would. be to find place t.
i ship them where they could be disposed of t
! advantage. In New York, for example, WI
are working on arranged prices with ''piacu
lous" (swift & Coz and all the others.
A score of letters of similar tenor are
to be produced in court, and an effort viii
be made to have Armour & Co. produce
the originals. Being. written to agent:
I they are frank in expression, and it is be-
! lieved will leave but few loopholes fo1
/ legal bubbles. Dressed beef is not re-
4 ferred to in the correspondence. 1t deal:
mainly with smoked and toured" meats
This fact may cause the government au
thorities to amend their plea for injunc
tion by including these meats in theil
bill ,sssss
Agreement as to Territory.
Evidence that there is an agreemen
among the "big six as to territory is OBJ
| tanned in letter of instructions from Ar
mour & Co. to their agent at St. Paul
| Reference is made to arrangements will
Piaculous (Swift) to hold mess, Morgan
and bean pork at specified prices in. Ger
tain definite territory.
The agent, M. B. H. Baker, is cautione,
at the conclusion Of the epistle not to lie
their salesman, S. D. Pitcher, workin
in the territory in question, know tina
the company is working in any way witt
the other people. The territory referre
Paul, from La Crosse to Star Lake.
A .sTfght Agreement
Evidence that an arbitrator figured il
arranging agreements between the pack
ers is contained in several Of the letters
One written in February says that "pia
culous" has informed Armour & Co. tina
they are in a position, through their AL
bany, Troy and Cohoes houses, to make
tight agreement down there. The agen
is advised to look the situation over care
fully and reply as soon az possible, sug
costing some good man to act as arbi
J. traitor in case deal Is made.