The St. Louis Republic., 1902-05-10
Alleges They Have Not Only Com
bined TO Fix Prices, but Have
Sold Neat of Inferior Quality.
ASKS FORFEITURE OF RIGHTS.
Latter Feature Comes as Surprise
to Packers-Attorney General
Knox Wants Copy of Evi-
dence Produced.


| REPUBLIC SPECIAL.
jefferson City. Mo, May s.-Attorney
General Crow OF Missouri tonight fled a
| petition before the Supreme Court of Mis-
souri, asking that the Armour Packing
| Company. Hammond Packing Company,
! Cudahy Packing Company, Armour & Co.,
! Swift * Co. and Henry krug Packing Com
| pany be ousted from their franchises to do
business in Missouri for violation of the
Missouri antitrust laws and State statutes.
The petition for an custer is filed on the
strength of the evidence accumulated here
last Tuesday and Wednesday, when an in
quiry prior to prosecution was brought
under the law TO compel the packers TO at
tend and give such testimony as might tend
TO show whether or not combine among
the packers TO fix the price of meat existed
in Missouri The packers saw fit to ignore
the mandate Of the court In not being pres
ent in person and only being represented by
attorney.
The evidence adduced at the preliminary
hearing was sufficient TO determine the At
torney General to ask the court to bar the
Offending packers from doing further busi-
A Surprise for the Packers.
The information for an alternative writ
OF custer as a quo-warranto proceeding Is
made returnable on the 10Th of May. The
packers must show cause on that date why
they should not be deprived of their rights
and privileges delegated TO them by char
tSI Luz stll dDIOSdllOu VI lue law.
Attorney General Crow alleges that the
defendants supply at least 90 per cent of the
dressed meat OF Missouri, and that c.n-
binauon exists contrary to the law to nx
the price Of the articles dealt in by them
and, since the 21st August 1893. nave
met from time 10 time to consider the price
TO be fixed by the combine.
The Attorney General alleges that the de-
PENDANTS have not only combined to main
tain a high rate for beef. but that they have
sold meat of inferior quality to the pub
lie, and have thus endangered the public
health by offering unwholesome meat for
sale.
In regard to this latter feature. which will
come as a surprise to the packers who
We're of the opinion that they would only
pc prosecuted for violating the Missouri
antIrLs law. Ger eral Crw says:
The State of Missouri does not issue a
charter to any corporation or individual en-
Power.ng them to vlo.ate Il State statute
The selling Of diseased meat is made fel-
ony In Missouri, and when the party pos
sessing State charter commits a felony
placed In jeopardy. The State of Missouri
does not legalize the breaking of its own
laws law - | am making fight for. the people,
maintained by the combine, but for the
raising of the grade of meat as WELL
Asks rU.aeiture OF i,iGnss.
Following Is the section of the petition
directed against the selling Of impure meat
by the defendants:
And the informant states. by reason of
the monopoly and control and exclusion of
competition in the sale of the said com
modities aforesaid to the retail butchers
and the meat dealers and the consuming
souri,, acquired and now held by the re-
spondents, in the manner and by means
aforesaid, the said respondents have been
retail butchers and dealers in meat and
the consuming public in Missouri GER
tain grades. classes and kinds of
and cured meats and iard ard which % are a unl
wholesome and of an inferior quality, to
the great detriment Of the public; and
classes and grades of dressed meat and
cured meats Of all kinds would not be sup
piled TO the consuming public in Missouri if |
dealt in by the respondents was |
Tree. fair and open by and between and |
among resi- o ldents and all others who might |
wish to engage therein" |
The Attorney General therefore prays |
that said defendant corporations, each and |
all of them severally. be excluded from all |
under the laws of the State of Missouri, and |
that their rights. authority, license and GER |
tifcates q to do business under the laws of |
in law may be instituted |
against respondent corporations, and that |
tbs zach sa,d aad syey Of them
'A iSA'' 1aS aEDWARB6 RflsiFs6ee; e. CROW.
Attorney General"
Attorney General Crow will file suits
against the firms of Schwarzchild & Sulz-
berger and Nelson Morris & Co. as soon as /
he papers can be prepared. The fact that
he latter two firms are partnerships in
'tead of corporations made 1t impossible to |
DIN them with the respondent corporations l.
mentioned In the petition tonight.
Attorney General Crow tonight received |
! request from United States Attorney Cen
raj Knox through Major Warner of Kan |
as City, asking that the evidence ac- |
luired at the late inquiry be preserved for
he use of the United States authorities In |
ne action which they expect to bring.