The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-12-19
TO STIR UP BEEF TRUST
Commissioner Garfield VIII Make a
Personal Investigation.

1
to find out whether the peef trust has
violated the injunction found against
it under the antitrust law, the bureau
of corporations seems to have run
up against a stone wall.
The agents sent out by Commits
Sioner Garfield have conducted inves-
legations in Chicago. Milwaukee, Kan
sas City, Omaha and other places.
They have found out a great deal
about the inner workings of the pack
ing house business, but have not de-
veloped any testimony yet of a char
acter going to show to what extent
the beef trust continues to control
the price of live cattle.
These special agents have COM
pleted their work and are ready to
present their report to the president.
Their researches, however, have not
been satisfactory because they neces-
sarily were confined to such channels
of information as were open to every
one. The private books and papers of
the beef trust, the agreements be-
tween the different packing houses,
the instructions to buyers as to the
prices to be paid for beef cattle, and
similar necessary information were
not obtainabIe by the open inveStiga-
ton Of the special agents, who had
no power to force the production of
books and papers.
Instead of this being considered in
any way a failure of the investigation,
Commissioner Garfield is determined
to make a demand upon the packers
for all the necessary information. He
probably will be compelled to go to
packing house and live stock inter
ests. He will start soon, although the
exact time has not been set yet.
Commissioner Garfield is determined
to make the beef trust show it's hand,
and to do this he will if necessary sub
poena the heads Of all the packing
houses and all their associates, and
compel them to give evidence. If the
packing house people volunteer to place
| in the hands of the commissioner of
corporations all the information he re-
quires to enable him to make salts
factory report, there will be no diff
Guilty, but if they do not he will appeal
to the courts for the necessary author
ity and institute proceedings, probably
in the federal courts at Chicago to COM
pei the packers to produce persons and
papers in open court.
Furthermore, if the commissioner of
corporations is not received in a friend
ly manner, and if the packers persist
in refusing to supply anything more
than ordinary information as to their
business, it will be necessary to make
| report to this effect at the present ses-
sion of congress. The result will be as
a matter of course that a resolution will
be passed by both houses instructing
the department of justice to take the
necessary steps to determine whether or
not the injunction is being violated.
Neither President Roosevelt nor Com
missioner Garfield has any intention OF
getting after the beef trust in any vim
dtctiVe or unWiSe fashion. The depart
ment of commerce does not even assume
that the packers violated the injunc-
ton, but it merely takes the ground
that their determination to withhold
important information, indicates that
they have reason to believe such infor-
nation would be used as a basis or
prosecution for contempt.
Commissioner Garfield said he had not
fully made up his mind whether or not
he would go to Chicago, nor had he any
definite time fixed for the journey if he
should decide to go. From other sources
it was learned that the commissioner
has made all his preparations to take
up the beef trust inquiry personally, and
he proposed to do it first through the
medium of friendly conference with the
packers, in which they would be plainly
told, however, if they would not volun-
teer the necessary information the bu-
reau of corporations would not hesitate
to appeal to the courts.
President Roosevelt and Commission
er Garfield are on the best possible
terms not only personally, but in con-
nection with all antitrust business, and
any action inaugurated by the commits
sioner can fairly be taken as the ac-
copied policy of the administration.
There was a good deal of criticism in
congress last winter over the large
amount of money spent by the depart
ment of Justice and comparatively in
adequate returns in the way of actual
stoppage of trust operations. The
Northern Securities case and prelim-
mary litigation in the beef trust cases
were understood to be about the best
things secured as result of the appro-
priation of $500, 900 for the express pur-
pose of prosecuting trusts.
1t was for this reason that a great
deal of reliance was placed upon the
bureau of corporations, and congress
directed it especially to make searching
investigation as to whether the beer
trust men were violating the injunc-
ton which prohibited them from inter-
fering to control the price of cattle.
Agents of the department under this
special authority have been busily at
work ever since last spring. They have
developed an immense amount of in
teresting information, but not enough,
it is said to say either that the injunc-
ton was being violated or that it was
not.
Officials of the department have been
specially anxious to make a good show
ing in this particular case, because they
feel that congress is likely to look upon
it test of the value to the country
of the bureau of corporations, of which
Commissioner Garfield is the head. If
that bureau fails to get good results
from it's first important investigation
there will be a disposition in congress
to withhold from it large appropriations
and increases in clerks and special
agents which have been constantly ask
ed for.
There is absolutely no political end
to the investigation. On the contrary,
early in the campaign that they sup
ported President Roosevelt. The inves-
tiaation to he conducted by Commits
sioner Garfield therefore will be made
on its merits, and If the packers meet
the government half way it will not be
necessary to ask for assistance from
the courts to take any unusual action
It is tina hope OF the commissioner