The daily journal. (Salem, Or.) 1899-1903, 1903-10-06
TO FIGHT COMBINE.

A. n. sunderman Believes in More
Organization - Says Stockmen
Should stand Together and Demand
Relief From Unjust Combinations
That Now Force Down Prices.
| DAILY Pendleton East Oregonian)
A. H. Sunderman, is down from his
range on the head waters of the
Grand Ronde river. and reports his
stock in fine condition for winter.
He will remain on the summer range
for a couple of weeks yet. when he
will move down to the fall pastures
near Pilot Rock.
Mr.. Sunderman is an enthusiastic
advocate of organization among the
stockmen of the West for the pur-
pose Of combating the meat and
packing combines. The rangemen
raise the stock, feed it and Craze It.
prepare II for the market, load it on
the cars and furnish it to these grasp.
ing combines at sacrifice, and yet
no decisive steps are taken to fight
this method.
The trusts keep buyers in the coun-
try, living on the fat of the land,
drawing enormous salaries, living in
comparative ease. whose business is
to hammer down prices on the pro.
ducer, and secure the stun grown on
the farms and ranges at less than the
actual cost of production.
Mr.. Sunderman believes the stock
men of Oregon should thoroughly
organize. make II a secret organiza.
tion. as in Montana, IL necessary, and
stand to gether, under all circumstan-
ces. TO protect each other from the
grasping corporations that are con
stantly pulling down the prices OF
wool and livestock. In the wool pools
each man should be obliged TO abide
by and support the organization. and
thus prevent agents from using un-
fair means to get individual clips at
reduced prices, or use coercive meth
ods to beat down any one owner.
He favors the establishment Of the
Independent packing plants, under
the supervision OF stockmen, as now
organized He thinks that the actual
stockmen of the country. and not the
hotel lobby stockmen, should control
the institution, and reap the just prof.
its, to which they are entitled.
Speaking OF the coming meeting of
the National Livestock Association
In Portland next January, he thinks
the Oregan and Pacific Coast stock.
men should be prepared TO defend
themselves against the old ring which
has dominated the policy of the as
sociation for years. To do this, the
actual stock growers should get to-
gether understand each other, de.
mand some plain, ordinary business
action, which will release them from
the salt and transportation trusts,
and permit them to place their out.
put on the market at something near.
er it's actual value
Something should be done TO save
the grower the profits that now go to
keep in luxury about three useless
classes which are nOt engaged in
handling livestock-namely the buy
er the commission man and the
Wholesale dealers.
Between the steer or the mutton
on the range and the butchers block
are but two men actually needed in
the entire process-the owner of the
live stun and the railroad company,
BY forming the stockmen's packing
plants the owner, through the asso-
citation, can put the meat on the block
TO the consumer as easily as the com
mission men put il there. and all
the intermediate profits would re-
main in the hands Of the grower. TO
be converted back again into more
range stock.