The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1903-03-26
BEER TRUST IS GUILTY
Missouri Supreme Court Orders
Fine OF $4,000 and Costs.

| JEFFERSON City, Mo-, March 2O.-The
Missouri supreme court today found five
large beef-packing companies guilty of
maintaining an unlawful combination
to control prices of meat in the state of
Missouri and issued an order of custer
prohibiting them from doing business in
this state and to pay a fine of $4,000
each and bear the costs of the proceed.
ings. The companies are given thirty
days in which to pay the fine imposed
and if during that time they accept the
Judgment and pay the fine the custer
will be held in allegiance and the COM
panies permitted to continue doing busi.
ness in Missouri.
The opinion in the so-called beef trust
cases was written by Judge w. G. Mar.
shall and concurred in by each of the
six other judges of the court en- banc.
The companies affected by the decision
are the Armour Packing Company, the
Cudahy Packing Company, the Ham
mond Packing Company and Swifi &
Co., of Chicago, and the Schwarzchild &
Sulzberger Company of New York. All
the above companies maintain branch
offices in different cities of the United
States, and in Missouri at st. Louis,
Kansas City and st. Joseph. The evil
dence adduced which incriminated the
packers was obtained in these three
cities.
The decision in the supreme court
today against the packers is the ending
OF a proceeding which was instituted last
May. On May 6, 1902, the different
packing companies doing business III
the state were ordered by the supreme
court to appear here before Judge Bur.
CESS of the court and show cause why
they should not be cited to appear and
answer the charge of violating the anti
trust laws of the state in combining to
maintain prices in Missouri. The result
| of the hearing led Attorney General
Grow to file suit against the packers,
which was prosecuted vigorously by him
on the part Of the state. Hearings were
had atSt. Louis, Kansas City, st. Joseph
and Jefferson City before 1. HI. kinley,
who had been appointed commissioner
to hear testimony.
The report Of the commissioners was
filed in the court last October. The
packers excepted to the report of the
commissioner, but the exceptions were
oyerruled by the court and the case SUBJ
mitted. Attorneys Frank Hagerman
and Alexander New of Kansas City act.
| ed as counsel for the packers.
| The opinion today holds that the evi.
dence obtained at the hearings shows
|eonclusively that there was a combin-
alton of the packers to maintain trust
prices on beef in Missouri; that the rep.
resentatives of tie packers met on Ger.
tain days to fix the prices for that week,
that rebating was done; that the same
prices prevailed at all of the coolers at
the same time and that no competitor
could enter the field against the pack.
ers because the combine would under.
sell the newcomer out of business.
The opinion does not take up the
charge made in the proceedings by the
attorney general that the companies
were also guilty of selling diseased meat.
Much of the evidence was to the effect
that the companies did sell diseased
meat, but the opinion of the court was
based on the violation of the antitrust
law of the state. The opinion concludes
as follows:
| In short, the character of the iudg-
ment rests in the discretion of the court
and under all circumstances judgment
of absolute custer is not necessary in
the cases, but the end of justice will be
satisfied. by the imposition of fine and
the payment of all of the costs in the
case. 1t is accordingly ordered that
the respondents each pay to the clerk
OF this court within thirty days from
this date the sum of SIS 1000 as fine and
that they also pay all of the costs in the
cases. And it is furthered ordered that
If the respondents or any of them fail to
pay said fine and costs within the time
named that those so failing be oasted
OF all rights, privileges and franchises of
every nature and kind conferred upon
them by the laws of this state and be
forever prohibited from doing business
in this state.
The judgment does not effect the
Henry Krug Packing Company, which
was originally a party to the suit,
the action against that company hav-
ing been withdrawn.
/. Levi Ream died Wednesday evening
at Osceola after brief illness, aged s6
years, three months. lie had lived
there since 1868, coming from Pennsyl-
vania at that time. Six children sur.
vlve. One Of these is the multi-million-
alre, Norman B. Ream, now of New
York, but until recently prominent
financier of Chicago. Two other sons,