The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1905-02-10
The Beef Trust.


Eyerybody's Magazine, in which Thos.
w. Lawson's articles, which have caused
SO much CONSERVATION i'll the Standard
Oil Systems camp, have been appearing,
has engaged Charles Edward Russell to
expose the methods of the beef trust,
which after months of searching iuvesti-
CATION has finally been pronounced an
illegal combination by the United States
Supreme Court. This has ever been the
opinion of every one who has had deal
ings with or been forced to buy the pro-
ducts of this trust, and it needed not the
tardy decision of the Court to confirm.
What is demanded now is the prosecution
to the fullest extent of the law of the pro-
moters of the concern. In discussing the
Beef Trust the publisher of Everybody's
says:
The meat, fruit and dairy products on
which the American people live grow
more costly every year. At the same
time the farmer and the cattle raiser com-
plain they are raising less for their pro-
ducts than ever before. He (Mr. RusselD
reveals. monster monopoly greater and
greedier even than Standard OIL" with
its tentacles fixed in the natural supply
of the American people, racking producer
and racking consumer and standing reso
lutely between, gathering toll from each.
1t is the beef trust, renorseless, tireless,
Unsuitable, defyisg the law of the land,
and even Wall street itself; terrorizing
great railways, exacting tribute from
more commodities than all other trusts
and monopolies together and planning
to control the price of every eatable
thing grown in our country, and to con-
troll it for its own profit. Today ithxes
the price of all meats, fruits, fertilizers
and dairy products; within certain limits
it can make the price of wheat, corn and
oats what it pleases. Tomorrow it may
be able to control the price of every loaf
of bread. The growth and development
of this terrible monopoly which threatens
to reduce to semi-serfdom the farmers OF
the west and to make its owners the rich
est men in the world is story of extra
ordinary interest, the details of which
may we'll astonish the American people.
In the free republic of the United States
of America is power greater than the
courts and judges, greater than legisla-
lures, superior to and independent of all
authority of state or nation. In coun-
try of law it exists and proceeds in def
ance of law. Three times day this
power comes to the table of every house
hold in America, rich or poor, great or
small, known or unknown; it COMES there
and extorts its tribute. 1t controls prices
and regulates traffic in thousand mar
kets. It changes conditions and builds
up and pulls down industries; it makes
men poor or rich as it will; it controls or
establishes or obliterates vast enterprises
across the civilized circuit. 1t owns fac
tories. shops. stock yards mills, land and
land companies, plants, warehouses,
steam and electric railroads. politicians,
Legislators and congressman. 1t dehes
Wall Street, terrorizes railroad corpora
lions. 1t is remorseless, greedy, tireless,
Unsuitable. Today it compels a railroad
to dismiss general manager; tomorrow
it is blacklisting and running some little
commission merchant. 1t fixes the price
of cattle and hogs, the price of California
fruit. It can make within certain limit:
the price of wheat, of corn, of oats, wha
it pleases; it will shortly be able to con
Arol the price of every loaf of bread. IT.
operations have impoverished or ruined
farmers and stockmen, destroyed millions
of investments. caused banks TO breaE
aud men to commit suicide, precipitateC
strikes and annihilated industries.