West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1903-07-23
THE PACKERS COMBINE.
How It Has Eieeced the Farmer.
Most Cnmerctfuuy.

noNA
There has been n sly feeling In the
minds of many farmers that the trusts
are not hurting them very much. as the
prices OF farm produce were high and
they could therefore afford TO pay the
Increased prices which the trusts were
charging for about all the farmers had
20 buy.
When the beef trust was putting on
the screws to the beef buyers a year or
more ago and the market for cattle was
good. these same farmers thought the
beef trust was a blessing IA disguise
and majority OF them voted the trust
ticket In 1892 with great good will. Ex-
pericnce Is hard teacher and the
farmers have learned by II that the
beef trust skins the granger quite as
easily as II does the beef eatcrs In the
cities.
When the outcry against the beef
! trust was at it's height the admlnsstra-
! ton found itself forced to do some
/ thing TO allay the Indignation of the
people. though prior 10 this the lnw dc.
/ partment OF the government; had re-
I fused to apply the law To those bold
/ pirates who were daily restraining
trade and making enormous profits.
The public demanded that some steps
be taken to restrain the trusts, and as
/ the beef combine was one OF the worst
/ lawbrcakers Attorney General Knox
commenced last May through the Unit
cd States attorney of Illinois an action
4 against tile packers The court was
~
\ 20 restrain Armour. Swift and the 9th
! er members OF the combine from re-
stricting competition by combining to-
( gether Ito bid M prices 10 stimulate
| shipments. intending 10 cease from bid
/ ding when the shipments had ar
/ rived" These quoted words are those
I of Judge Grosscup. who has just grant
/ cd a preliminary Injunction and over
ruled the demurrer that the beef barons
had set up.
The lesson to the farmers of the coun-
try OF the tricks that the beef combine
has used TO obtain their cattle at less
than the true market value is plainly
shown i'm the records and decisions I'm
this case. When shipments OF cattle or
hogs TO the Chicago or Kansas City
markets We're light the packers com
posing the beef combine bid up tho
prices, with the result that the farmers
hurried their stock 20 market 10 take
advantage OF the good prices quoted.
] That was just what the combine want
ed them to do, for when the market
was glutted by these large arrivals
IL bid much lower price. and as
the combine practically controlled the
market the members could. by not bid
ding against each other. buy the stock
at their own price.
The beef combine thus restrained
trade ana made Itself liable TO pun
ishment under the provisions OF the
Interstate commerce law. Not con-
tent with robbing the stock growers by
thus rigging the market. the packers
during the season OF 1901 i-02 advanced
the price OF dressed beef TO such an
unheard Of extent That the poor could
not buy, and many well to do people
refused TO eat IT, The result has been
that the price OF cattle has been great
ly reduced, and the stock growers and
farmers have suffered In pocket This
is but one instance OF how the trusts
are robbing the farmers. \ similar tale
1 'oAtN bt Nptu VI Llitll9 Quiet trusts.
1t must not be understood that the
decision against the beef trust Is final,
for ii VIII without doubt appeal TO a
higher court. and the Gnal decision
may be long way or. If Mt last the
supreme court Of the United States de-
cides that this combination I'm restraint
OF trade must stop. the beef combine
has only to organize as a gigantic cor
poration, as the Standard oil trust
and the Addyston Pipe company did
when knocked out by the courts, and
thus need only one buyer and one bid
for all the cattle and stock that come
10 market. There Is no law and can be
none that Will compel such a corpora
ton 20 pay more for stock than II
wishes 10 pay. All this Republican way
OF fighting trusts is purely for political
effect and VIII never prevent any com.
binc or gigantic corporation from hcec-
ing the people.