The Black Hills union and western stock review. [volume] (Rapid City, S.D.) 1904-19??, 1905-03-17
WESTERN CATTLE RAISERS
WANT GARFIELD OUsTED.
MARTIN HANDS IT TO GARFIELD
Congressman Martin of South
Dakota says Garfield is mis-.
leading public opinion.

Representative Martin, of South
Dakota, who instigated the invest
CATION of the beef trust by his reso-
luton in the house, arraigns Com
missioner Garfield and his report
on the estigation of the Chicago
packers.
Mr.. Martin characterizes the
summary" OF the report rs a spe-
cial pleading in defense of tho pack
ers, calculated to give false i'm
preston of the very facts contained
in the body of the report itself
"Whoever prepared this prelimi-
nary summary, says Mr.. Martin,
''has performed q service to the big
packing companies under investiga-
ton by misleading public opinion
for the moment as to the real quail
ity of the report"
AS the entire trust investigation
derives its life froE. the spur of
public opinion, Mr.. Martin considers
that grave mistake was made by
Commissioner Garfield, particularly
at this time, when the department
of justice is engaged in vigor-
Gus criminal prosecution, based at
least partly on the evidence devel-
Oped by the invcs tigatiOn.
The summary is understood to be
, the personal work of Mr.. Garfield,
and was done in a hurry, just before
the report was submitted and after
he had made flying trip to Chi
cago.
''The public, by hasty reading
of the summary has received the i'm
preston" says Mr.. Martin, that
"the commissioner concludes that
great packing houses are struggling
along at dying rate under signifi-
cant progress, and if they should
make any etfort at combining, it
would be unsuccessful, because their
volume of business is too small o
part Of the entire meat business OF
the country
The report is called cone sided"
in that it is based solely on tie evil
dence of the "big six" no effort
having been made, apparently, to
get any information from the inde-
pendent packers and butchers, who
do 55 per cent OF the meat business
of the country.
Mr.. Martin charges that the state
ment that the packers profit is
small is not correct; and the state
ment that they make only SO cents
on every steer slaughtered is not
the correct basis of estimate. Moth
ing is said in the report of Low often
he packers turn over their capital,
nor what the net profits of the bust
ness are. He calls attention to the
body Of the report, where it is
shown that the packers pay from
one to 20 per cent dividends on their
stock: In fact, such immense prof
it's have been piled up that individ-
ual families have been able to hold
all the stock in these concerns with
the exception OF Swift and Co.
In conclusion Mr.. Martin says:
While the report does not treat
OF the subject of competition or COM
bination in restrain: of trade, the
so-called summary makes use of
language which by inference con-
veys the impression that there is no
combination, and that competition
is complete, free and potential. The
packers themselves put this con.
struction upon the document and
consider themselves vindicated.
'"rhe impression has resulted nat
urally from the emphasis given in
the summary TO the fact that the
"big SIX do only about 45 per cent
OF the meat business of the country,
and that their control, even ii they
acted in harmony" would be confined