Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1902-05-16
PRES. AFTER BEEF TRUST.
Roosevelt Means to Protect and
Encourage Cattle Raising.

Encourage Cattle Raising.
Chicago, May H. Unjust and indie
fensible discrimination by the biz
packers and railroads Of the wes1
against the shippers of live cattle will
be charged by the government in the
court proceedings that will be com
menced at once.
United States District Attorney
Bethea has returned to Chicago, Spec
ial Counsel Day will arrive here the
last Of the week and the government
bill is in the hands Of the printer al
Washington. Attorney General Knox
and Messrs. Day and Bethea have
agreed, it is semi.officially reported,
that the governments evidence is in.
vincible on these points:
That between the packers the Union
Stock Yards of Omaha, Kansas City,
st. Louis and Chicago and the rail.
roads it has been made impossible for
the Independent live stock raisers or
shippers to exist, and that this state of
affairs constitutes not only the restraint
of trade, but willful violation of the
Sherman law.
That the big packers of Chicago,
Omaha, St. Louis and Kansas City,
through railroads charges. yardage-
charges, feed expense and commissions,
have arranged system Of expense by
which the cattle raising industry can
be, and is, confined only to such fact.
ors as will cooperate with the accused.
That the system Of the rebates which
has been in existence, conceded by the
railways to the big packers, has annu.
ally given to the packers, not $3, ,000, 600
but sum nearer approximating 81, 900.
900, per annum.
That this system of discrimination
practised in the ten cattle raising states
has been operated in harmony with the
system of New York and other eastern
cities, by which The selling, territory
and the selling prices have been, and
are, controlled.
That the big western cattle ranges,
such as existed ten, twelve and fifteen
years ago, are rapidly disappearing, and
that the country must now look largely
for it's cattle supply to the farm
raiser of native cattle, but that said
farm producer is restrained from stock
production and kept out of the market
as independent factor by the unlawful
acts now practised at the packing
centers, and that the beef raising in.
dustry of the native cattle states is
imperilled by the same.
/: This summary indicates the breadth
of the bill on which Attorney General
Knox and Messrs. Day and Bethea, &C.
cording to the latter, absolutely agree.
It is more than rumor at the govern
ment headquarters in this city that the
big packers are to have such a legal
battle as no alleged trust in the country
ever was given before. President
Roosevelt is quoted as having said to
the attorney general in the last two
days: .5a,>.
If the packers are innocent, you
cannot too clearly or vigorously vindi'
cate them before the public; if they are
guilty. prove it beyond peradventure
and let the law punish every person OF
firm found guilty. am particularly
anxious to know If 1t is true that the
independent cattle raisers no longe,
has free and open market"
The harmony of thought between
the government officials conducting the
investigation of the charged mutual
agreement" system IL marked. The
attorney general having finished bis re-
vision of the bill, and the Chicago
counsel having now merely to wait fol
the finished form to reach Chicago it Ii
quite definitely settled at District Al
torney Bethea's Office that:
The bill of complaint will ask for tht
immediate enjoining of the various big
packing houses from further combining
for the lowering of buyers prices al
the stock yards,
From the raising of prices at thu
butchers block the consumers price.
From the blacklisting Of dealers ani
employees. -
From the making of any manner o.
form of secret agreement with common
carriers for freight rebates. s-
The asking for an immediate injunc
tion means that simultaneous with th'
filing of the bill of complaint and tn
issuance of an order by the United
States judge in charge, the beef pack
ers will be as completely barred from
continuing alleged illegal acts as if tn
courts directed United States marshall
to take possession of the plants ant
stopped the complained of the acts.
The government has chosen thif