The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-08-03
MEAT TRUST END.
Power of the Packing Combine
Has Been Broken.
So Says Secretary of the Inter-
national Butchers Union.
ICE SUPPLY CUT OFF.
Handlers Refuse to Supply the
Refrigerator Cars.
Packers Can't Ship Heat Except
for Short Hauls.

Chicago. Aug. 3.-Homer D. Call, in
ternational secretary of the butchers
organization, said today:
''The greatest feature of the strike is
that the meat trust mas been broken
Instead of the packers disrupting the
unions, the disintegrat tion of one of the
greatest combinations the world, has
ever seen has already set in. For ter
years, from 1890 to 1900, the consolida-
tion of the meat companies was carried
on and from 1741 packing plants in this
country the number was reduced to
760.
Now the tide will set in the other
way. The packers know that they have
already lost control of a large part of
their business and that the live stock
dealers will do all that is possible to
assist in the defeat Since the strike
the independent plants of Chicago,
Louisville, Cincinnati, Indianapolis,
Pittsburg, Springfield, Mass, have been
working night and day. This trade will
never be recovered by the trust.
The public is supporting the inde-
pendent plants because of the damag-
ing evidence secured by the government
against the meat monopoly. To aid the
drivers have refused to supply refrig
orator cars of the strike affected pack
ing plants Without ice the packers
are unable to ship meats except for
short hauls and can not export any.
Nonunion men are being pressed into
service. but their efforts are not suffi-
cient. Armour & Co are using fruit
cars for shipping meat"
The yards were Hooded with live
int riff
representatives of country shippers.
Before the days shipments arrived
there were $4,000 hogs in the pens
and between 1000 and 5000 cattle.
The sheep alone had been all sold.
The packers say a good portion of the
stock could not be handled by the
packing plants until tomorrow. The
packers announced today that they
skilled labor. This news was declared
by the strikers to be a bait to them
in hope of breaking the union ranks.
DonneIIy at Kansas City.
Kansas City, Mo, Aug. 3.--President
Michael Donnelly, who arrived in. the
city at midnight, addressed the strik-
ing packing house employees at Shaw
nee park in Kansas City, Kan, today.
Previous to the mass meeting, which
was attended by several thousand per-
sons, the strike leader was met at the
state line by over 1900 union men of
different crafts, who paraded to the
park. President Donnelly reiterated
the statement that the strike would
win in the end. He expressed salts
faction with the situation he had
found it in other cities and said that
it was a case of tie up everywhere.
And we propose to have it remain a
tie-up," he added.
The morning was spent in conferr-
ing with local labor leaders.
Government Inspector at Stock Yards.
Chicago, Aug. 3.-Inspector Carroll,
the special representative of the United
States department of commerce and
the government on which an injunction
was issued about two years ago by
Judge Peter S. GroSscup of the federal
district court, enjOining the large pack
ing companies from combining in max
ing the prices whether as buyers of live
stock or sellers of meat, is in the stock
yards here investigating conditions. The
inspectors presence is by direction OF
the department of commerce and labor,
actuated it is stated by direct orders
from President Roosevelt who is anxi-
Gus to obtain exact information
Another sympathetic Strike.
ST. Louis. Mo-, Aug. 3.-The allied
trades have gone out on a sympathetic
strike involving all the trades of the
packing house industry in ST. Louis.
In this last walk out all the drivers
and the boiler housemen to the num-
ber of 40 stopped work at the plant
of the st. Louis dressed beef company.
The meat cutters engaged in the var1-
Gus city markets laid down their cleav-
erS and the owners or their grocery
assistants were forced to wait on Gus
TONERS. The drivers of all the branch
houses of Chicago packers in the city
numbering several hundred are also
out.
Appeal to Strikers Wins.
Chicago, Aug. Notwithstanding
the claim of the packing house man.
ayers that they have no difficulty in
securing workmen. they are said to be
making very strong efforts to induce
their former employees to return to
work. The latest move made in that
line is the distribution of cards among
the wives of the strikers urging them
to induce their husbands to return
to the packing plants and offering in
creased pay. The firm of Schwarzs-
child & Sulzberger notified the coun-
ty officials that it could not make the
usual weekly delivery of meat accord
ing to contract, and the superintend-
ent of public service placed an order
for $4,000 worth of meat with an in
dependent firm.