Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1902-05-08
BEEF TRUST INQUIRY
Proceedings Started BY the Attef.
ney General Of Missouri.
10 TEST STATE ANTITRUST Law.
Ihs Psckers' Attorneys Declare the L.
vsstigatlon Unfair In Not Allowing
Packers to Summon Witnesses
timony Of st. Joseph Retailers.

Jefferson City, NO., May CAT the
opening of the beef trust inquiry in
the state supreme court yesterday
Mr.. Hagerman, Of Kansas City, rep
resenting the Armour, Cudahy, Swift,
Norris and Hammond interests, filed
an objection to the progress Of the
inquiry. Mr.. Hagerman, who was ac-
companied by Alexander New, said
that he proposed to bring in question
the validity Of the state antitrust
law. 1--WE represent" said Mr..
Hagerman, "the concerns which At
torney General Grow charges with
unlawful combination. Our clients
on our advice are not present. The
proposed proceeding is an unfair one
to them, as they have not been al
lowed to summon witnesses. We
wish to proceed by an application for
q writ Of prohibition or q certiorari.
We wish to bring the law before the
supreme court, to be passed upon as
70 its constitutionality. This pro-
ceedihg Is merely . fishing expedi-
uon on the part Of the attorney gen
eral."
Attorney General Grow replied,
stating that the inquiry had been
called for the purpose Of learning
whether proceedings should be com
menced to prevent them from do
Ing business in this state. 1.-THE at
torneys, in the absence Of the pack.
ers, have no right here, but I will
extend them the courtesies Of the
court and allow them to cross-ex-
anime my witnesses" Most Of the
men on whom service was obtained
are retail dealers Of St. Jospeh, Mo.
Judge Burgess ruled that the In
quiry should proceed and Frank
etaubenraush, st. Joseph retailer,
was called Is the first witness. He
was questioned by Attorney General
Crow concerning the coolers main
tanned in st. Joseph by Morris,
Cudahy, Armour and Hammond.
~The coolers are near together" said
the witness. "They do not do re-
tail business, but they sell to large
customers on the quiet" The wit
ness said that the st. Joseph Butch
srs' union, Of which he il president,
was organized for the purpose Of
protecting retailers from the compe-
Mtton Of wholesalers by sales on the
quiet.
Stauhenraush said the packers had
&C. O. b. list. II a man Is few days
behind in his bill he goes on the c.
o. D. list, and can get no meat ex-
cept by paying when it is delivered.
II q man has trouble with one packer
he must go on the c. 0. d. list of all
Of them. Woolf, Of Topeka, tried to
sell meat in st. Joseph, but the pack
ers put prices of meat down and
drove him out. Then they put prices
back where they were before he
came and later became higher. Price
lists by the city statesmen were, he
said, the same for the same grades
of beef. Slaughter houses run by
independent butchers have practical
ly gone out of existence in st. Jo-
seph. The packers sell meat cheap
enough to keep them out.
In response to numerous questions
the witness testified that 1t was GUS
tomary for the packing companies
to notify their best customers in adj
vance of a raise in the price of
dressed meats, to give them the bene-
it of buying before the advance;
that rebates were paid by packers
and that he had received such re-
bates from both Armour 4 Co. and
Cudahy 4 Co,
John Wood, a st. Joseph retailer,
testified that four packing compa-
MES controlled the beef in st. Joseph
and said that the price of meat had
Increased four or five times since
January |.