Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1903-01-14
President Springer of Livestock
Association Denounces the
Packing House Combine
URGES cArTLEMEN TO DEFY 1T.
Men Outside the Beef Combine With
Money, Brains and Energy to Meet
the Trust Which Seeks to Dictate
tho Price at Which Stock Raisers
Shall Sell Their Cattle. .AuA..

Springer, president OF the National Live
Stock Association, caused sensation
by his vigorous and emphatic denun-
citation OF the proposed packing house
merger, which he characterized as the
most unholy combination ever at
tempted. He urged cattlemen, if the
$500, 100000 merger is consummated, to
let it operate without cattle, without
sheep and without hogs by refusing to
sell their live stock to any packing
house trust.
We're men outside of the charmed cir
cle' of the beef combine who have
money. brains and energy, and with
these also have hearts to defy the
packers, who, he says. seek to dictate
the prices at which stock raisers shall
sell their cattle.
Memorials urging congress to pass
laws for the betterment of live stock
conditions were also passed by the as
ISOLATION. One memorial which was
telegraphed to Senator Frye tonight
called the attention OF the senate to
house resolution 15,922-a bill which
provides the secretary of agriculture
with authority to prevent the spread
of contagious disease in the United
States. and to establish rules and reg
ulations for the inspection of live
stock to be transported thru the United
States, and declares there is an imned-
late and imperative necessity for the
passage Of this law.
Another memorial was addressed to
Chairman Payne of the ways and
means committee of the house, and
urged that the Grosvenor anti-shoddy
bill. now being held up in committee.
be reported at once.
AS to the proposed merger of inter-
ests by the packers at Chicago. Kansas
city, st. Joseph, Sioux City, Omaha
and Fort Worth, President Springer
said:
Never before was such an unholy
attempted. Not con-
tent with amassing7 colossal fortunes
in the past two decades from the stock
raisers of the west, these same pack
ers" blossom as would be dictators.
The stockmen of the United States
have over four billions of working cap
ital. If forced to do SO, you can build
packing plants of your own, kill your
own stock, market the product and un-
dersell any packing house trust. We
have men outside this charmed circle
who have money. brains and energy,
and with these three they also have
hearts left in their physica. anatomy
Let us pronounce sentence that II
this merger is consunmated 1t can OPP
crate its $500.O0O,000 merger without
cattle, without sheep and without hogs!
for we own the raw material and we
will refuse. to sell to any packing house
combine.
"Our interests firmly and fully believe
in reciprocity which reciprocates. We
advocate give-and- take policy such as
the great Mckinley outlined. Not only
this. but we advocate that the congress
of the United States pass bill direct
ing the president, whenever in his judg-
ment 1t may be necessary, to retaliate
against any foreign government arbi-
trarily and unjustly discriminating
against American goods or products
when the same is as wholly unjustifia-
BILE as the proposed German tariff bill
now under consideration in Germany,
which, If passed, will exclude from that
country % per cent of all our meat ex-
ports.
I'VE are also strenuously In favor of
the proposed bill to amend the inter-
state commerce law. in order that this
commission may have authority of its
own orders and DEGREES. What we want
is an effective tribunal. where we can
lay our complaints against overcharges
at stock yards, or terminal charges. or
excessive railway shipping rates, or UNI
just discrimination for or against a live
stock market, and when we prove the
charges to have an interstate commerce
commission which can enter up a decree
and execute an order to discontinue the
offense or send the perpetrators to the
federal prison, and fine them heavily
besides.
I'VE are now urging upon congress
that a census of all livestock animals
on ranch and farm be taken every five
years and promptly published, in order
that the breeder and feeder may know
what animals are ready for the market.
Il desire to congratulate our member
ship on the passage of the irrigation
bill, which this organization urged upon
President Roosevelt. and which he SO
strenuously aided in making law.
A MARRIAGE CEREMONY.