Kingsbury County independent. (DeSmet, Kingsbury County, S.D.) 1894-1929, 1905-02-10

Shmax OF Favoritisru.
Inen the ak fell. In 1890. if recollection
10 correct. the railroads were ordered oy
the interstate commission To
equallze the rates on live stock and pack
ing mouse product. The Chicago packers
gompiained OF the old rates They urged
mat 1--we Stock and packing house products
were competing commodities, and should
DE gwen the same rate. TIL commission
agreed and ordered the two rates equal
lzeu. 80 the rate on packing house pro-
duct from Iowa east was raised. the rate
on live stock was lowered, the two were
ap~proximately brought together, and the
packing industry of the little Iowa cities
was Killed. The hogs could he shipped to
chicago, under the new and lower rate.
ana there killed and sent east or abroad
more profitably than they could be killed
IN iowa. The railroads did well because
they hauled back from Chicago the meat
for Iowa consumpt.on-after Chicago had
Killed 1t. ~ railroads get the haul both
ways-and Iowa pay the freight. Trace
up the history of the good. juicy beefsteak
that you eat almost anywhere. in Iowa
nowadays, and what will you find? You
VIII discover that 1t originally pertained
to a big and buxom steer who browsed in
an Iowa pasture lot, later was fattened
IN an Iowa feed lot. rode off one day on
the long trip to Chicago, had an interview
with Mr.. Armour or MIR. Swift. and in a
few days returned to Iowa IN the commod-
ious and palatial private line of refriger-
ator cars operated by those gentlemen,
whereby the nominal rate is doubled in or
- ~ WAS III punt ain ~ - dllli[t~
ment of a down-trodden and prosecuted
beef trust that we are solemnly assured
doesn't exist anyhow! And that's some
thing else the matter with Iowa.
How Men Saved It.
I might take the time, but / will not. to
explain how Ottumwa, Cedar Rapids and
Sioux City survived as packing points.
| Sioux City was able to live because the
syndicate OF Sioux City men who owned
the packing and stock yards business also
owned a railroad, and through 1t were
able TO take a hand IN the rate-making
business. They hauled their own product.
and IL they lost as packers, why, they did
well as railroad magnates. AS TO Cedar
Rapids 1t has always been understood
that the Burlington, Cedar Rapids and
Northern road, with headquarters and
management here. took a friendly, al
most personal, interest in the splendid
packing establishment of the Sinclair
company, and helped see it through the
troublous early days.
Not only have the railroad rates driven
| the packing business out OF Iowa; but they
even discriminate against the feeding in
dustry. For example, a feeder living in
the Nebraska corn country may go to
Colorado, buy feeding cattle, bill them to
Chicago at a through rate. stop them off
at his Nebraska farm under the feeding
in transit" privilege, fatten them on his
Nebraska corn, and then send them on to
Chicago under the original billing, at the
original through rate. Can an Iowa farm
er do that? No: he must ship from Col
4 vi u L Ipnd VII q AA WI =
and when his cattle are fattened in Iowa
pay a local rate to Chicago. The sum Of
the two rates he pays is from 8 to u cents
larger than the single through rate the
that's fine matter with Iowa.
Take Starch Out of Iowa.
Now let's drop this live stock business
| it's apt to make an Iowa man mad to
think Of It too ong re- at a timg-and taka
to he a legitimate article OF manufacture,
where the best corn, the best water, and
one of the best markets are all 10 be
mad. A few years ago there were three
famous starch factories in Iowa, at Or
tumwa, Des Moines and Sioux City. The
two last named were among the largest
plants in existence. Both were highly
proftable. and the trust. looking for good
things, swallowed them. That vas the
National Starch company. Later the Ma
tional Starch company was in turn swal-
lowed by the Corn Product company.
This company's capitalization was the
largest body of water on earth, except the
Pacific ocean and United States Steel
| common, and as soon as Ii got possession
Ii began closing up plants in order to
| force III. the price. Sioux City was
promptly closed. 1t has been closed ever
since the machinery of the plant was
hauled away or destroyed: the establish
ment will never be reopered. It had been
a good plant, but The trust found it, on
the whole, more desirable to concentrate
its business farther east; freight rates
We're more favorable there" il was ex-
planned.
Not long afterward the great Des
announced the company would rebuild
But II didn't, Why not? Same reason It
seemed more desirable Ito concentrate the
business farther east: the railroad rate
| situation was rather more favorable
Ottumwa's starch factory went the way
of Sioux City's. 1t was closed, but it's
famous brand, Ottumwa gloss starch. is
still sold-but made outside of Iowa. The
4 rui 1rlaHE hJn1 the nnrn nIlf Of InrsJ and
the starch back-and Iowa pays the
freight. Rather stiff. but that's TO be ex-
pected In the starch business.
Trusts Denude Rawkeye State.
The trusts have done noble work aid
ing the rate makers In denuding Iowa of
factories. The oatmeal mills OF Ottumwa,
Des Moines. Iowa City and Sioux City
come readily 10 mind, but they are only
business. most Of them ~dismantled. not be-
cause there weren't oats nough in Iowa,
but because the trust didn't see fit TO
operate them. Cedar Rapids has. it is
world; but to other iowa cities that have
seen their cereal plants closed by the
trust and disrnantled. that knowledge, like
a suck of Joe's orange, "ain't very film"
Glucose is an article that ought 10 be
right at home I'm Iowa. Iowa City had a
$3.50 0 factory. all owned at home, strict
ly legitimate. no water In the stock. The
trust got busy, and the concern was driven
TO the wall. Everything invested in the
mpa was lost. have already re-
ferred TO the fate of the Iowa City oat-
meal mill. The c.. ID. Close company Of
Iowa City made linseed oil and oil cake.
Close was a large shareholder in the Rock
Island road. and Iowa City always under
stood that he receised rebates; anyhow,
after he sold to the trust the business was
shut down, never to be reopened. The
Iowa City Alcohol works made alcohol.
whisky and big dividends for years, Then
Moses Bloom, its owner, went into a pool
that preceded the trust, and shut down.
| getting SIS ,C09 a year to- do nothing except
watch the trust raise the price. After
a while the pool was changed into the
trust proper. it took over the Bloom plant,
dismantled 1t. hauled the machinery off
TO Peoria-and Iowa City had lost another
factory. Anybody in Iowa who has the
bad taste to want n genuine old Ken
lucky bourbon can ship a car of corn to
Peoria, pay the freight on 1t, have the
whisky shipped back to him. pay the
| freight on The whisky, and be satisfied
with what he gets. This is another case
where the foreigner pays the tax--and the
Iowa man is the foreigner.
Some Things the Matter.
Look up the Ottumwa Cutlery COM
| pany. the Johnson iRuffier company. also
of Ottumwa, the Mackeown Packing
compaiiy OF Fort Dodge, the Sioux CITY
stove works, the Vincent stock yards en-
terprise at Dies Moines, the barbed wire
factories at Grinnell and Manchester and
Cedar Falls and Marshalltown and other
| places-not one OF them now in existence,
but once prosperous and employing hun
dfeds OF peopie-and you will find some
other things tina. are the matter with
Iowa. Get or a Rock Island or a North
western or a Burlington train at Omaha
and ride east across Iowa. Get the pas
sengcrs who board the train. station. by
station, 10 tell you a brief Industrial his
tory Of their respective communities. IL
you find any county seat. or any other
sown OF 2.WO people. that will not be
credited with from one to a dozen in-
n At1Sfrfaf tr1u olfn< similar I'm rGrcf4f feg-