Omaha daily bee., 1902-04-15
BEEF PRICE SCALE BROKEN |
Packers at Kansas City Alarmed Over
Threatened Suit Against the Trust.
BREAK UNIFORM SCHEDULE AS RESULT
1.SrchinE Inquiry VIII he Opened In
". Nf.aso Under Special Instruc-
Lb =" of President and the
..w,.,rney General.

KANSAS C1l 4-(Special Tele-
gram. THE local .ers showed evil
dence of alarm today over the instructions
from the Department OF Justice TO United
States District Attorney Warner to begin
proceeding against the beef trust. For the
mist time in over a year they failed today
to issue a uniform schedule Of prices. The
Cudahy Packing company. Schwarzschild &
Sulzberger, the Armour Packing company
and Nelson, Morris e. Co.. all increased
the price Of beef in the carcass 4 cent.
while the Fowler Packing company and
Swift Packing company made no change.
The same concerns which raised beef u
cent also raised provisions, that is hams
bacon, lard, etc. q of a cent. while the
other two issued no new schedule of prices.
The butchers hardly know how to regard
this move. Most of them express the
opinion however. that IL is merely a ruse
for the purpose of making the public be-
lieve that there is no agreement regard
ing the prices and think that Fowler and
Swift will soon follow in the footsteps Of
their competitors.
To HegIn Searching Inquiry.
CHICAGO April 14.-United States At
torney S. II. Bethes. following instructions
given by President Roosevelt and Attor-
inquiry into the workings Of the so-called
beef trust in Chicago in relation to the
Sherman antitrust law.
The investigation will be secret and when
finished a full report will be furnished to
| Washington for the use of the attorney
| general in deciding what course his depart
ment will take against the packers charged
with being in the combination.
District Attorney Bethea refused to dis
cuss his plans or reveal the nature of his
instructions, but It was learned that he
not only received written instructions by
mail, but while in Washington last week
was advised personally to begin the in
! Cuiry.
Particular attention will be paid to the
| charge that the territory in the various
states has been parcelled out among the
members Of the so-called trust with the
result Of a sharp advance in all prices to
| the retailer. An effort also will be made
10 secure proof of the existence of an agree
ment between the local packers to maintain
schedule of prices.
Movements at Washington.
WASHINGTON. April 1L-Representative
| Ray of New York, chairman OF the house
| committee on Judiciary. to whom was re-
| ferred the Thsyer resolution calling upon
the attorney general for information
| relative to the prosecution of the
alleged beef trust, has written a
letter 20 Attorney General Knox con-
cerning the matter and has received a reply
which he will lay before the judiciary com
mittee at its meeting tomorrow.
| The attorney generals letter will not be
made public until 1t is presented to the
| committee. Mr.. Ray said today;
|
! eral of the United States will Immediately
| pi ODE the matter of the alleged beef trust
| to the bottom and prosecute all offenders
| vigorously If there is substantial evidence
! that the law has been OF is being violated.
Reliable information is to the effect that
the Department of Justice, in the alleged
beef trust matter, has not gone beyond this
point of an investigation into the question
of whether OF not the trust has violated
the federal law. No prosecution has beer
ordered and no grand jury has been sum
moned to determine the question, so far az
the department knows.