Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1904-12-14
HE'SAFTER
THEBEEFTRUST
Attorney General Donovan Commences
Actions to Drive Beef Packers
Out of the State.
PROBABLY POLITICAL eUNcoMBE
Soon to Retire From office, Populist
Official Starts Suits Of Doubtful
Validity.

Helena, Dec. 12.-AttOrney General
James Donovan went cunning after
The beef trust today, filing applica.
lions in the supreme cour for orders
10 show ause in five cases, the dc
iendants being concerns commonly
referred TO as the packing house com.
blne. The allegation of the attorney
general is practically the same as was
made In the cas- against the Interna-
tlonal Harvester company of America,
winch was argued before the supreme
court today. He contends that the
companies have formed a trust for
The control of prices to the consumer
OF the packing house products and to
the growers of cattle, sheep and
swine that go TO the manufacture of
these products. The combine is,
therefore, in the opinion of the relat.
or, in restraint of trade. a monopoly
or trust, and violatiye of the laws of
the state of Montana.
The suits are brought against tire
Armour Packing company, the Ham
mond Packing company, the Cudahy
Packing company and Swift a. Co,
OF Chicago, and the Hammond Pack
ing company, of Pueblo. After al
leging that the companies have on
blned TO control The prices of tue
products Of their Establishments, the
petition continues:
That the people of the state CT
Montana produce annually large nuin-
hers of cattle and sheep and that the
said city of Chicago, IN the state of
Illinois, is the principal market at
which such cattle and sheep are sold;
that SAID defendant and other corpor.
atoms constituting the said beef trust
are the principal purchasers in the
market and have formed the said
trust for the purpose of fixing the
purchase price paid TO the SAID Mon.
lana producers of cattle and sheep
and OF preventing competition by OH.
or intending buyers at the said mar.
ket.
That in pursuance of the said pur,
pose II is understood and agreed be,
tween said defendant and other cor
porations that there shall be no com
petition among the members of the
said beef trust, ana that all purchases
made by any member of said trusI
shall be held for The benefit of all the
members Of the trust; that the pur
cllases dre so made irrespe. ,ive %
supply and demand, and regardless o.
competition: that SAID cattle ant
sheep so purchased from the Mon
tana producers, together with cattiC
and sheep purchased lion producers
in other states, are then butchered b.
the said defendant and said otheI
companies and sold to the people o
the state OF Montana and elsewher,
iu the form Of meat and other mea
products"
The attorney general asks the 81
preme court to enjoin the companies
through their state agents from doin'
business in the state; that their prop
erty IN Montana be forfeited and thei
franchises declared void, and that
fine be imposed upon them for viola
tion of the law. The following stat
agents of the companies are named IL
the petition: w. IT Meloy, of Butte
for the Hammond company: Harry S
Cuneo, of Butte. for Swift & Co.; H
f. Johnson. of Butte. for the Cudah,
CO., and C. X. Woodman, of Butte, 10
Armour & Co.
The court took the applications ur
der advisement.