The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1902-05-09
BAR THE BEEF TRUST.
PACKERS MAY BE FORCED OUT
OF BUSINESS IN THE STATE
OF MISSOURI.
ATTORNEY GENERALS VIEW


Concessions Conclusive Evidence OF
the Supremacy of the Combine IN
the State-Many Butchers Have
Quit Business.
Jefferson City, Mo-, May S.-Quo
warranto proceedings or an appllca-
ton for writ of custer against the
meat packing companies will be the
next step in the fight of the state OF
Missouri on the beef trust. The result
of the proceedings, if successful, Will
be to debar the companies from car
rying on business in this state. At
torney General Grow considers the
testimony of the st. Joseph butchers
on rebates and concessions conclusive
evidence of the supremacy of the trust
in Missouri.
The existence in st. Louis of uni
form and fixed meat prices and the Sc
cret rebate in addition to the G. o. ID.
list was shown by testimony taken at
the days session of the beef trust in
curry Attorney General Grow said
that the objection raised by the pack
ers' attorneys at Tuesdays session OF
the inquiry does not pertain to the
validity of the antitrust law, but only
to the law authorizing the inquiry.
| The two statutes are separate.
"The antitrust law has been tested
twice in the supreme court and is I'M
! assailable," said he.
| Maurice Prendeville, st. Louis
| union market meat dealer, was the
| first witness examined. In answer to
questions by the attorney general
| Prendeville testified that Armour,
Swift, Nelson Morris and Cudahy had
a fixed agreement regarding prices.
/ 1.-THE packers buy cattle on success
| siye days." said he, $50 that each can
| buy at his own prices. There is very
| little Independent buying in the East
st. Louis stock yards. The big pack
ers keep others out by telling the cat
tlemen that if they sell any cattle to
the independent buyers they must sell
all to them.
Butchers Forced Out of Business.
"a better grade of cattle is sent east
than that sold in st. Louis. The ord1
nary retail butchers cannot get high
class beef. The best beef is sold tt
butchers at II cents on the carcass
William Tamme of st. Louis, for
merly city statesmen for Swift, testified
to a uniform price at which statesmen
of all companies were instructed tt
SELL Attorney Ernest G. Dodge ha!
charge of the G. o. d. list which il
made up every week, the witness de
clared.
Tamme said that the increased pric
of meat was out of proportion to tn
increase in the price of cattle. H
said 100 butchers in st. Louis ha'
gone out of business, and that tn
Mound City Packing company and tn
North st. Louis Packing compan
had also retired.
; At the afternoon session there wa
additional testimony as to the comb
nation of papers, the giving of rebate
and the fixing of uniform prices in 81
Louis. Several of the witnesses toll
| of the sale of condemned meats, som
of which was made into sausage.
T. u. Wertz, a Frisco railroad ma
t at Monnet, was the last witness. H
t grew up in the packing business unde
, his father at Quincy, ILLS, and up t
year ago was for several years maj
ager of a branch house OF the SWl1
3 people at Topeka, Kan. He told OF tn
. existence of a combine between tn
various packing companies to fix tn
price of meats, and related the Inc
dent in which he lost his position fc
l selling lard at half cent less pc
pound than the combine price.