Evening star., 1902-04-25

PROH|B|TIEl!t|. I PRICES
TH
NJ II
Beef Trust Arfaigned by Mr..
Hotma4fp. 1f Il
Is II
AN OFFER OF EVIDENCE
BUTCHERS ASSOCIATION WILL
ASSIST INvEsT4eAr1oN.
Declaration Made That the Trust Is
Controlling Prices Of All Neces-
saries Of Life.

THE beef trust Is responsible for the
present almost prohibtive prices of meat.
The beef trust Is taking ADVANTAGE Of
the fact that there is a natural cause for
the rise in beef and is using 1t as a lever
to advance the price of meats beyond any
real necessity" :
Ihls statement was made unqualifadly
and unreservedly this afternoon by Mr.. J.
A. Hoffman, second vice president of the
Retail Butchers and Meat Dealers Pro-
tective Association Of America,
Mr.. Hoffman has been for years leader
in the national association. He is a mem-
Der of the Washington Retail Butchers and
Meat Dealers Association and Is chairman
or special committee, appointed at a
meeting Of the body held in the rooms Of
the jolly Fat Mems Club last evening. to
assist the ways and means committee of
the House of Representatives. or any other
congressional committee. in Investigating
the cause Of the increased price In meats
ut is a, pleasure to note that Attorney
General Knox has eyinced an interest in
suppressfng the outrage and that PROCEED
lngs are to be instituted by him against
the most iniquitous combination that exists
today In the United States" Mr., Hoffman
continued. 1.-The beef trust Is not con-
tent to run up the prices Of meat beyond
a
extent the vegetable market The price of
potatoes Is today regulated by this same
beef trust the members of which profess
TO De working in the interest of the public
Butter and eggs are not beyond the grasp
OF this same beef trust
Will Aid Attorney General.
If Attorney General Knox is honest in
MS desire to wage proceedings against the
beef trust,' and there is not a member Of
a oil p,,fo
sociation who for an instant believes him
70 De otnerwise. he can get all the evidence
that he wants-all the evidence that is
necessary-without going away from WASH
fngton." ~ " 0'
The other members of the committee an
Hnrneto,s RI,neeo at ia ,ast nights meeting are ].
Hornstein. Charles Daily. L. c. Rosenbusch
ana William Botch. John r. Kelly is presi-
Gent of the local association. and George
M: HUNT Is secretary. They were both
present pnnaa at the meeting, and they will also
appear before any committee of Congress
tnat tn may take up an Investigation of the
beef trust methods Of dealing with the
trade. Mr. Kelly was present when Mr
ston s,onman made his statement to an Evening
Star reporter. and he heartily acouiesced in
everything that was said.
Alleged Violation of Law.
THE beef trust Is pursuing method Of
dealing that is unlawful, that Is in direct
opposition to the antitrust law" Mr. Hoff-
| man continued sr-D
Half a dozen or more arnen,hers 90 .hs
local association who have stalls at the
Center Market, and who gathered about
WI. 1oIiman, as he was talking were en-
phatic in declaring that his words were
not strong enough. as...t
ihe beef trust is charging us f1rst
class prices for second. and third nuaIity
soods' and 1t Is arbitrarily demanding from
Us restrictions that it knows are unfair
Unjust n and unlawful; restrictions that we
are compelled to comply with in order to
get meat for our customers
"hat DO you think Of this? And n fs
oliiy sample II buy lot Of meat from
any any one OF the houses composing the trust
anu teaVe any part of it in storage. even
@ @ior day, can't buy from any of the other
am blacklisted. 49,
10 make 1t palmer. supposing I buy half
a dozen quarters of beef. / take out five of
them The remaining one I leave there for
d uay, because there has not been demand
1or i,, so much as 1 originally ordered. We
VIII say that the bill for the same Is due
Friday. The houses as a rule close at 2
o ociock-an hour before the banks do. If I
am there at 2:30 and wish to paw il must
go over until the next day, and in the mean
time until my money Is received am black
listed.
Effects of Blacklisting.
1t doesn't make any difference who it is
that Is dealing with the houses composing
the trust. He can't deal with any other house
In the trust until his name Is removed
from the blacklist. There isn't a dealer in
center Market or any other market of the
city VINO has business with the trust
houses who will not bear out my assertion.
In some cities dealers have procured
Judgments for damages against the trust,
but the damages are not commensurate
with the trouble Of going to the courts for
n frat q In info
tion he wants right here in Washington
Mr. HOFFMAN said the officers of the Ma
tional Association of Retail Butchers and
Meat Dealers can be called to Washington
to assist In any Investigation that the gov
ernment desires to make. The president of
the national body is William ]. Wagner of
New YORK: secretary Daniel j. Haly Of
Troy. N. T.: first vice president, Ira W.
Stillman OF Danbury, Conn.,, and treasurer,
Adam Stadit OF Providence. R. I.
Prices Unchanged.
There was no further advance in the
price OF meats today, and it is quite likely
that there will be no immediate change
Unless the trust is interfered with, the
butchers and retail dealers claim, the
prices will remain at the present abnormal
advance until the first grass-fed cattle
from the south reach the market, which
Will be the latter part Of June.
Dealers who have stalls in the markets
say there is vast amount of suffering
throughout the city among the poorer
families. The dealers are the first to
notice this. They have regular Gus
toners. and they are more or less IA
miliar with the financial condition Of EACH
Resolutions were passed at the meeting of
District Assembly No. 6&s Knights Of La
committee of the order 6aq act in conjunc-
tion, with the American Antitrust League
in the prosecution of the abeef trust" and
sions of the ANTITRUST law. 1t was demand
ed that the Sherman law he so amended as
to permit district attorneys and state law |
omcers to institute latW Proceedings for any
alleged infractions Of, the law. -
Twenty Thousand Dollars Each.
Daniel P. Wine aHd1 chm L. schindel.
through Attorneys Padgett and Forrest,
.ir,cf ,Eoed