The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1904-04-01
SECRETS OF MEAT
TRUST REVEALED
At "a O'Clock Every Morninl.
Prices for the Day Are
Fixed by Conference.
MEN WHO DO THE WORK
edward ViIden, Well Known in sious
City, is One of the Most Prom
inent of Thcm-His Ser
vice'Nto the Combine.

Chicago. March 28.-A local morn
Ing newspaper devotes a page today
to a conspicuously displayed article
alleging convincing proofs of the ex-
!stence of a beef trust. e.
The article mentions the names,
states that the packers assemble every
day in a down town Office and ti3 the
price Of meat for the next twenty
four hours. This is done, it is de-
clared, while Washington secret serv-
Ice men are already in the city en-
gagged in the beef trust investigation.
authorized by congress. The article
In part states:
Daily at IL o'clock what is known as
the Packers Special leaves the stock
yards station of the Lake Shore road,
carrying the leading lights of Packing
town.
Conspicuous among its passengers as
3 rule are L. F.. Swift, e. f. Swift, A.
-: Veeder, attorney for the Swift &
practical head of Nelson Morris & Co.'s
affairs; President Lyman of the Ma
donal Packing company; j. r. McRob-
erts of Armour & Co., and Edward Til.
den, ostensibly president of the Libby.
Mcneil & Libby company, but In
reality one of the in the syn.
dicate machine.
Tilden a Big Man.
Tilden has always eyaded prominence
out In Packingtown circles his word is
Jaw, and his reputation as a financier
is second to none. 1t was Tilden who
gathered together the threads which
the late G. F. Swift afterward tied into
The knot known as the International
Packing company. Tilden acquired the
sort Worth, st. Joseph, ST. Paul and
Sioux City stock yards for the combine
and his influence in Packingtown, while
not displayed. is all powerful.
Reaching the Van Buren, street depot,
III Packingtown delegation seatters
Ind reaches the rendezvous by various
routes. This is palpably for the pur-
pose of throwing inquisitive newspaper
men off the track.
But-Sundays inc holidays excepted
not a single day passes without a
conference being held. and it Is at
these gatherings that the policy of the
syndtcate for the succeeding twenty
.ou hours is determined on. The in
itvidual known in trade parlance as
prices later in the day.
There Are No Bargains.
Market men have long since con-
d that touring the big wholesale
markets in Packingtown looking for
bargains is a waste of time and energy.
The different houses compete for bust
ness. but not in price making. The
'evener" attends to the latter detail.
Should a retailer, after viewing the
.tocka decide to visit another liousg.
notice ON his coming pre-
.edes him..
City statesmen make +, pretense of
shading prices. and since the combine
effective retailers allege that
where formerly half a dozen statesmen. |
as man different houses.
called on them daily, now they see but
one or two. and n of them shows up
merely for the looks of the thing.
Wholesale prices fluctuate perplex-
ngly. Various retailers assert that a
slut of cattle at the stock yards and a
Of rs to 40 cents in the cost of
:attle on h hoof is Invariably followed
oy a half to a cent advance in the price
IF carcass dressed beef.