The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1904-04-08
Congressman hsr,in of South Dakota
Has Evidence in Abundance.
He Will Lay the Whole Matter Be-
fore Secretary CorteIyou.
The Stock Market Is Manipulated by
Seven Big Concerns.
Will Wage An investigation Into the
Alleged Neat Combine.
From Mondays Daily.

Niohi ~hOuudy Ddlly.
Chicago, April AZ Congressman Z. W.
Martin of South Dakota passed through
Chicago yesterday with a mass of evil
dence which he has collected against the
alleged beef trust in the west. He will
place the evidence before Secretary Cor
telyou Immediately on his arrival in
Washington and the officials of the gov
eminent viii use it in their prosecution
of the alleged combination.
There is a beef trust" said Congress-
man Martin at his hotel yesterday.
Zone of the largest cattle shippers in
South Dakota showed me accounts of
sales for 1902 and 1903 which showed
that in 1902 he found a competitive mar
ket, while during the spring season of
1903 he got but one bid on any load of
cattle.
Statements of other cattlemen and of
commission men in the west all corrob-
crate my opinion that the stock market
is manipulated by the seven big con-
Germs. 1t makes no difference whether a
stockman ships to Omaha, ST. Joe, Sioux
City, st. Louis or Chicago, he meets the
same conditions. The first bid is the only
one he gets. There is no open market.
''The big stockmen of the west are
organized and will put up Independent
plants of their own. They are obliged
to do something for their own relief.
met a number of cattlemen while l was
in Deadwood and some commission men,
and they are all convinced that there is
some kind of combination among the
packers. Either they fix the price of
beef each day, or there is an understand
ing among them that when one bids none
of the rest bids against him.
Seattle men and commission men
throughout the west are convinced of
this, and have records of sales and other
evidence to sustain their belief.
During the year 1908 the price of live
cattle was lower than it had been for
five years. The conditions in the coun-
tr ywere as prosperous as they were in
1901 and 1902. The same amount of
beef was bought and sold. The price
of dressed beef was very little less than
1902, and the export trade of the coun
try was greater than ever before. This
indicates some abnormal condition of af
fairs.
81 will confer with Secretary Cortel
you as soon as I get back to Washing
ton. l have been in South Dakota for
more than month and | don't know
but 1 understand the investigation is
we'll under way at Washington.
"This is the first investigation ordered
by congress under the new department
of commerce and labor, and aside from
the Importance of the matter, the bureau
will be anxious to show its efficiency.
The investigation is being conducted by
Commissioner of Corporations James r..
Garfield, and will be thorough. A report
will be made to the president, who will
give it to the public. The law covers
the subject fully, and it will not be diff
cult to reach the packers if it is proved
that they are manipulating the cattle
market.
''The investigation will probably begin
with the examination of witnesses out
side of the stock yards. Western stock
men and commission men will be called
to testify.
'The commission men know all about
the business of buying and selling cattle.
They have known it for years and it will
be more important to find out what has
been done than is being done now.
''The stock yards people viii be called
as witnesses and they may be compelled
to testify and to produce their books in
evidence"