The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-04-14
SMASH The TRUST
President Roosevelt Wires Or
der to Major Warner.
q. s. District Attorney at K. C.
to Proceed.
GRAND JURY CALLED.
Plan is to Indict All of the Big
Packers.
High Price of Meat Has Aroused
President to Action.

Kansas City, No, April 14-71t is
known here that the attorney general
of the United States has telegraphed in
struetions to Major Warner, the federal
district attorney, to at once prepare ID
dissolve the beef trust and to indict the
members of It A federal grand jury
has been summoned to meet next week
Major Warner positively declined to
make any statement in the premises
When pressed, he abruptly terminated
the interview.
The legal representative of a packer
here said that he has been notified that
such action was contemplated from
Washington. we were told" said ne,
that every one of the Kansas City, Chi
cago and Omaha packers would be ia
ken before the grand jury and after
wards indicted.
THE trouble is over the rise in the
price of n eats. Reduced to the point
of view of a retailer, meats are costing
double what they did a year ago. 1t
has hurt the dinner pail, and the presi-
dent is interfering. There is no trust
A tariff is maintained by the packers,
under which none cuts. Just as rail-
roads make and stand by freight and
passenger tariffs, but there is no trust
in the sense of prOfit-sharing.
When private telegram from Wash
ington was shown to the United States
orders direct, he declared: I have not
a word to say.
But this dispatch says you have
your Instructions" was insisted.
IF I have, it will be highly improper
in me to make a statement"
The senior member of a law firm with
which Major Warner does much busi-
ness confirmed the private dispatch and
added:
THE United States commissioner has
been cautioned to select his grand jury
this time with the utmost care. The
intimation to Warner is that President
Roosevelt is making this his personal
fight for the full dinner pail Packers
are said to be making 100 per cent on
the money they turn over. The orders
are to stop at nothing short of the
federal prison itself in the effort to kill
the beef trust"
KNOX WILL PUSH IT
Washington, April Representative
Ray of New York, chairman of the
house committee on judiciary. to whom
was referred the Thayer resolution
calling upon the attorney general for
information relative to the prosecution
of the alleged beef trust, has written
a letter to Attorney General Knox con
corning the matter and has received a
reply which he win lay before the judi
ciary committee at its meeting tOmor-
row. The attorney generals letter will
not be made public until it is presented
to the committee. Mr.. Ray said today.
Il have no doubt that the attorney
general of the United States will imme-
diately probe the matter of the alleged
peer trust 10 the bottom ana prosecute
all offenders vigorously if there is sub
stantial evidence that the law has been
or is being violated"
Reliable informa ton is to the effect
that the department of justice in the al
legged beef trust matter has not gone
beyond the point of an investigation in
to the question of whether or not the
trust has violated the federal law No
prosecution has been ordered and no
grand jury has been summoned to de-
termine the question so far as the de-
partment knows