Orange County observer., 1905-05-18
Investigates a tn. P.eR.r..

Very general interest has been m1uf.
tested In the Government investigates
now in progress into the mode Of eau-s
Quoting business by the large packers
located in Chicago and elsewhere:
Much has been written upon the AZ
legged illegal and improper modes ca
business procedure connected with th9t
packing industry; but it seems that sa
far no definite charge Of any kind h&1s
been sustained and no proof Of iliegAE
or fneQuitable methods has been dis
closed to the public.. While wave Ct
severe criticism Of this great indusfriak
interest is now passing over the colln
try it might be we'll to remember tfk2E~
the packers have had as yet no opp0E~
tundty to make specific denial. the.
many indefinite charges OF wrongda--
fng having never been formulated 81.
that q categoricall answer could hEE
made
The recent report Of Commissioners.
Garfield, which embodied the resuItM
of an official investigation undertakes.
by the Department Of Commerce and:
Labor of the United States, was q vfn-ss
dication of the Western packers, hut
this result having been unexpected at.
tempts in many quarters to discredit IL
were made.
I'm view Of the situation as it ncw..
stands, however, attention may proper
ly be called to few. facts that owing
to popular ciamor are now being APP
parently overlooked. Fair treatment
I'm this country has heretofore been zc-e
corded to all citizens whose affairs as.
sume prominence in, the public eye and
some of the facts that bear upon thas
relation Of the packers to the COM
merce of the country may at this time:
! be briefly alluded to. 1t would be.
difficult to estimate, the benefits gained.
| by the farmers of the country result
| ing from the energetic enterprise 0fss
| the packers, for whatever is OF benefit
to the farmer iss q, gain to the entira-
I commerce of the country. And CON-
nected with their continuous aggres
| siye work no feature perhaps has been:
/ more important than their efforts I'm
seeking outlets all. over the world for:
the surplus products Of the farmer
Our total exports OF agricultural prod
ucts have gained but little in the past
twenty years. and leaving out corn. the:
total of all other farm products was.
far less in 1903. than in 1891. But I'm:
packing house products there was CON.
siderable gain during this period. be-
| cause an organized and powerful force.
has been behind them seeking neveands
| broader markets..
Besides the benefits reaped by. farm
ers on account Of the enterprise and.
energy exercised by the packers in att.
tanning commercial results by foreign.
trade, the great development in theb
manufacture of packing house by-proti-:
ucts has added enormously to the
value of ALI live stock raised in the
United States. The waste material OF,
twenty years ago, then an expense to-
the packer. is now converted into an
ticles of great value and, as an. eeo-
nomic fact. this must cOrfespOndingfy
increase the. value to the farmer of
. every head Of cattle marketed at the
numerous. stock yards of the country,
Let these. facts be Remembered while
now it is SO popular to regard the
great packing industry as deserving OF
condemnation. At least it must, be adj
mitted, that, SO far. there 1s- NO ade-
| quate. reason for the almost unanE-
nous howl that may be heard every
where, In the face a. the Gar0eid re-
; port above alluded to which. practical.
ly exonerates the packers. from the oh
scure, and indefinitnr charges. that have
been fer some tinne past maRe the sub
TACT Of NODular comment.