The Bellefontaine Republican. [volume] (Bellefontaine, Logan County, Ohio) 1855-1905, 1903-03-17
BEEF TRUST
Some Of Its Ways That
Are Dark
And Tricks That Are Not
Vain, In RObbing the
People.
How They Cut the Prices OF
Cattle RaiserS and Dealers.
Run Up Their Own Prices and
Get Rebates From the
Railroads.

When the newspapers announced
that the Government was looking af-
ter the Beef Trust, and the REPUBLI- |
CAN published an account of its action
one of our subscribers, an intelligent |
gentleman, who knows a good deal
about the cattle market, shipments,
prices, etc, laughed at the story, and
said there was no Beef Trust; that
prices were governed by supply and
demand, etc. Wewere not convinced
he was right, and said we would
wait and see. Well, the case against
the Beef Trust at Chicago, has been
heard, and the temporary injunction
made perpetual by the U. s. Court.
This establishes. BY the courts, on the
best testimony, the fact that there
| is Beef trust: that its existance Is
unlawful, and that its practices are
prejudicial to the public welfare.
But the court gives US some light
about the methods of the Trust, and
it is interesting to see how this good
Trust exists for the benefit of society
| Judge Grosscup, at Chicago, in
overruling the demurrer of the Trust
to action by his Court, granting a
Temporary injunction. and announced
these facts. which had been develop
ed by evidence brought before the
Court.
/. There is a Beef Trust.
2. 1t appeared before the Court by
tits attorneys
8. 1t handles so per cent of the
cattle of the whole country.
4. That their business comes un'
der the restrictions made by Congress
in the Sherman antitrust act.
5. That among their methods OF
; doing business are these: a, Their
lagents are forbidden to bid agains,
each other; b, that it is their custom
through their agents to bid up the
price of beef for a few days to.ge'
farmers and dealers to rush it int
market; then drop prices to get the
cattle at low prices, and then putting
; lup prices to consumers. C, Theil
agents who sell to the people are re
quired to add to the price they pa,
the Trust for meat and cattle, tn
money paid the railroads, for freigh
and the Trust gets a rebate on thi
from the railroad, which
pockets. Thus the farmer, the deal
er, the railroad company and tn
people are all robbed by these unfai
methods, and only the agents VIII
sell their meats escape unfair dealin
= at their hands.
Because of these facts Judge Gross
cup holds that the methods of TIL
Trust and it's agents are unlawful
and in restraint of Trade, and col
trary to the provisions of the She
man antitrust bill. He says:
It sSThus defined, there can be n
doubt that the agreement of the d.
PENDANTS to refrain from biddin
against each other in the purchas
oflcattle, is combination in restrain
of trade; so also their agreement
y bid up prices to stimulate shil
IT ments, intending to cease fro
n bidding when the shipmen
have arrived. The same result fo
De lows when we turn to the combin
t tion of defendants to fix prices upe
and restrict the quantities I
meat shipped to their agents or the
vs. customers. Such agreements can
nothing less than destructive of COZ
OF petition, and therefore, combinatit
in restraint of trade; and thus We've
the petition, as an entirety, max
out a case under the Sherman act" p"