Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1904-08-04
THE LAWLESS BEEF TRUST
Protected by the Administration DO.
cause It Contributes to Republican
Campaign Fund.

In the press Of current events let us
not overlook the fact that the beef
trust, against which the recent stock
yards strike was directed, is a wholly
laWless and criminal concern, the mem
bers of which, if the laws of this coun-
try were impartially enforced, would
now be in prison.
Almost 18 months ago, says the Chi
cage Examiner, a judge of a United
States court handed down a decision
explicitly defining this organization as
utterly illegal and improper and en-
joining it from doing business. He
found it illegal under the Sherman anti
trust law, and he found it intolerable I'M
der the common law, and in the plain
est possible words he declared that it's
operation was inimical to public
policy and ordered that operation to
cease.
Every day since then the trust has
continued to ignore and defy that in
junction. 1t has defled' it openly, it has
made no secret of its contempt. 1t has
continued, day after day, to do the
identical things the court forbade it to
do, and for this violation of the injunc-
ton not a hand has ever been raised
against 1t.
Let us suppose that this same beef
trust should obtain from a federal court
an injunction restraining strikers from
coming within a certain distance of it's
works, and let us suppose that some
of the strikers should get over the dead
line. Judging by past experience in
such matters is it conceivable that the
injunction would be a dead-letter
| against such law-breakers? Or that
they would be allowed to trample upon
and defy the solemn authority of the
courts?
Why, then, is the beef trust immune?
How does it happen to be outside of the
operation of the laws? Why should
there be justice for one class of Offend
ers and not for another? What are in
functions worth if they are to be en-
forced upon one class in the commune
ty and not upon others?
Here is the plain truth of the case.
IJo mi can deny it. For Is months this
Injunction has been a dead letter; for
IS months these men have trampled
upon it while they have continued to vio-
late the laws that the injunction vas
issued to sustain.
In the course of this violation they
have robbed the consumer on the nj
hand and the producer on the other.
They have forced every household in
the United States to pay more for
meat; they have forced every cattle
raiser to accept less for his cattle.
Holding absolute control Of both mar
kets, they have plundered both impair
TALLY in tho cause of "frenzied
finance"
The whole western country has suf-
fered from the blight of this lawless
concern. In Iowa the loss of the cat
tle-raisers in the last year has been
estimated at SIS for each head Of cat
tie. In other western states the
operations of the trust have caused
Is bank failures and the suicide CT
sever bank officials.
All through the cattle-raising west
the trust. has brought back the farm
mortgage. More mortgages on west.
ern farms have been filed In the last
nine months than in the four years
preceding.
While in three years the trust has
reduced the price of cattle SO q hun
bred pounds it has raised the price of
meat to the consumer about IS per
cent.
And for is months all of the oper-
ations of this Ubiquitous concern have
been under the specific ban Of a fed
eral court, just as its existence has
always been in violation Of the ma
TONS law.
And nothing IL done to bring it to
an accounting for its Iawlessness, moth
ing to curb its monstrous and GRIM
inal rapacity. It lays its tribute upon
every family, rich or poor. 1t is in all
truthfulness just as much of a GRIM
inal and thief as any highwayman or
burglar. 1t has not one shadow Of
right to exist. 1t Is absolutely revo-
lutionary and a standing menace to
the fundamental idea Of free govern
ment.
But nothing is done to suppress 1t
or vindicate the law upon 1t.
Why not? Other men are not al.
lowed to violate with impunity the
mandates Of the courts. Why should
these be Independent Of and superior
to the laws of the land?
We know that in 1896 n of the
firms composing this piratical band
contributed 100000 to the republican
campaign fund. Shall the country
understand that there ia any connec.