The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1905-07-13
PACKERS ARE INDICTED
Seventeen Men Indicted at Chicago
for NioIationNof the Sherman
Antitrust Law.

After an investigation which lasted
over three months, and during which
more than 100 witnesses were examined,
the federal grand jury at Chicago has
handed in report. Seventeen men
prominent in packing Industries of the
country were indicted for violation of
the Sherman antitrust law, and four
officials of the Schwartzchild & Sulz-
berger Co. were indicted for alleged
illegal rebating to railroads. Besides
these individual indictments, bills were
voted against five corporations, Armour
q Co., Swift & Co., Nelson Morris &
Co., Cudahy Packing Co., Fairbanks
Packing Co. The men indicted for al
legged conspiracy to restrain trade,
which constitutes a violation of the
Sherman act, are:
LONG INDICTMENT LIST
j. Ogden Armour, president of Armour
& Co.
Charles Armour, Armour & Co.
Arthur Meeker, general manager of
Armour & Co.
7. J. Corners, director of Armour &
Co.
p. A. Valentine, treasurer of Armour
& Co.
Samuel McRoberts, assistant treas
urer of Armour & Co.
Louis FlSwift, president of Swift &
Co.
Charles Swift, of Swift & Co.
Lawrence A. Carton, treasurer If
Swift &Co.
Arthur F. Evans, attorney for Swift
& Co.
R. G. McManus, attorney for Swift &
Co. NJ
A. H. veeder, general counsel for
Swift & Co.
Edward Cudahy, of Cudahy & Co.
d. E. Hartwell, secretary for Swift &
Co.
Edward F. Swift, vice president of
Swift & Co.
Edward Morris, secretary of Nelson
Morris & Co.
The four employees of Schwartzchild
& Sulzberger, indicted for alleged re-
batting, all connected with the traffic
department of the corporation, are
Samuel We'll, B. 81 Cusey, G. E. Todd
and v. D. Skipworth.
BILLS IDENTICAL
| The indictments voted for the alleged
violation Of an antitrust law are iden-
tical in each instance. The indictments
'ntained each eight counts, spread
over 63 typewriter pages.
The first and second counts of the in
dictments pertained only to the beef
sold in the foreign trade. The third
count charges conspiracy in restraint
OF trade and commerce among the states
and with foreign nations in fresh, dried
smoked, canned and picked meats and
certain by-products of the packing
lndustry-sausage castings, sausage con-
tainers, oleo stock, stearine and oils
and also butter, eggs and poultry. This
count charges the trade which the de-
PENDANTS are carrying on in the above
named commodities to be restrained in
S 'veral ways.
| TRADE RESTRAINED.
FIJI ST.. Competition in buying cattle
at the stock yards in different cities is
prevented and destroyed by the de.
PENDANTS, who require purchasing
agents to refrain from bidding against
each other.
Second: Competition in the sale OF
the above comm odities in foreign and
domestic markets is prevented and dc
stroyed by the defendants fixing non
competitive and unre asonable prie es for
such commodities, and requiring repre-
sentatives of different markets to fix
prices by agreement from day to day
according to what the market will
stand.
Third: The supply of the above com.
modities is curtailed and restricted
I whenever necessary to maintain the
! prices fixed.
| Fourth: The United States is diyid.
ed into territories between the defen-
dants, and each is to keep it's own ter.
ritory without interference by the
others.
Fifth: There is division as to the
volume of trade allowed each defen.
dant in a given market; if one packer
sold more than his percentage during
given week, he is obliged to pay sc
much per hundred weight, divided
among the packers who fell short il
sales.
DESTROYED OVER PRODUCTION
| Sixth: Certain corporations, namel,
the Aetna trading company and tn.
Oppenheimer Mfg. Co., were to be APP
pointed exclusive agents of the defen
dants to handle sausage casing and con
taincrs, and those companies were t.
mako arranpamants with &ho ca1ono,