The Topeka state journal., 1902-05-15
DEAN TAKES HOLD
Beef Trust to Be Prosecuted in
Kansas.
District Attorneys Office IS
Collecting Evidence.
ROYCOTT is FELT.
Local Butchers Report a Falling
Off in Trade.
One Topeka Shop Forced to
Close It's Doors.

The prosecution of the beef trust as
now reached the department of justice
Of the Jurisdiction of Kansas. and Uni
ted States Attorney J. s. Dean ana his
assistant, Ed McKeever, have been busy
this week working up evidence 10 be
used against the big packing houses that
are made the defendants in the case
that is to be heard next week before
Judge Grosscup of the United states
circuit court of Illinois.
The case in the courts at Chicago Is
entitled the United States versus the
Swift Packing company, the CudahN
Packing company the Armour Packing
polnDamy SWartzschild & SHlzbelSer.
Nelson Morris & CO., and the Hammond
Packing company.
Three specific charges have been made
against these packing com panies. Inc
FIRST is that a conspiracy exists between
the buyers of the various houses to smut
OF competitive bidding on cattle ne
charge is made that an arrangement
exists whereby the buyer for each house
has his particular time in which TO Duy
cattle at the yards The man who IS
destined to get the cattle goes to the
yards early and makes his bid on the
cattle. He seems to have no opposition
and shortly after the other buyers
straggle in with offers ranging a small
percent lower than the bid of the first
man The man who has stock to dis
pose Of is Therefore completely at the
mercy OF bidders. He must take what
is offered him and look pleased.
The next charge is that the represen-
tatives of the various packing houses
then meet and fix the prices which the
dressed product must bring Butchers
who attempt to do business other than
on lines laid down for them by the big
packers viii suffer
The next charge is that the packers
receive rebates on the shipments from
their plants from the railroads
J. S. Dean is now in Kansas City,
Kansas, collecting evidence which must
be submitted at the trial Of the case at
Chicago next Tuesday. E. D. Nc
Keever Will visit most of the larger
cities Of Kansas during the remainder
of the week to collect what evidence j
may be found against the trust and in
substantiation Of the allegation made in
the petition filed in the United States
circuit court.
The instructions reached the office Of
the United States attorney here last
Monday. 1t is not unlikely that AttOr-
ney General Knox viii be assisted at
Chicago by the representatives Of the
department OF justice of Kansas.
At Kansas City, Kansas. the packers 4
fix the prices to be eXacted from the
butchers every Thursday The schedule
made out each Thursday goes into effect
each following Monday. Every butcher
who is-nOt paid ~ on Wednesday even
ing is blackhsted at the meeting Thurs
cay and he is unable to buy meats of
either house except for cash.
This combination to fix prices extends
to other cities Each of the representa-
tiVes of the Kansas City packing houses
in Topeka receive a schedule each week
that is made out in Kansas City. and
every agent i'm Topeka sells at the same
price during the week. Each agent takes
turn about in making special prices on
certain brands of goods mostly n anu
featured goods. during each week, to
help in carrying out the deception.
The beef trust has been successful in
closing one meat shoD in Topeka. The
shop of Frank H Stitt in North Topeka
is closed and sign hung before the
entrance explains that on account of
the prices exacted by the beef trust he
has been forced to close up his shop
and quit business.
The boycott Of the laboring people
against the meat shops is beginning to
tell upon the shops in the districts of
the city where the bOycOtters live Re
ports from the shops patronized by shop
men and laborers report the decrease in
of from 10 to % per cent though the
night.
The buyers Of the packing houses are
using the argument that the boycott of
the Workngmen is responsible for the low
prices offered for cattle within the past
few days, but notwithstanding the fact
Tor live stock down to the narroWest
point. the price Of the dressed product
still remains the same.