The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1905-05-27
investigation Of the Packers.

| Investigation q ahS : 80 - 49,.
verv general interest has ees9''
manifested in the government 1nVessz
eatinn now ia progress into the nloas
| 81 conducting business by the laTge
| hackers located in Chicago ana siss-
where. Much has been written Up sa..
| the alleged illegal and improper hosa =
Of business procedure connected VIZ
The packing industry; but t seeas
| that so far no definite charge OF any |.
kind has been sustained and no pioo-
| ST Illegal or inequitable metnoas ns's
been disclosed to the public. Wniis 2 :
| wave Of severe criticism OF TINS ssIsss.
Industrial interest is now passlns ossA
I the country, it might be Wen ~ =
| roanaher that the packers have nad -
| vet NO opportunity to make speclhc 90 &c.
NAL the many indefinite charges u
wrong-doing having never been ioIl1isa-
lated "a that categorical answer
could be made.
| The recent report Of Commissioner
Gar6eld. which embodied the resu1ts
81 an Official investigation undertaken
nv the department Of commerce ana
labor of the United States, was W.
dication of the western packers, OUT
this result having been unexpected, a.
tempts in many quarters to dlsefeesis -
were made.
In view of the situation as It row
stands however, attention may proper
~ he called to a few facts that oWllls
r. nonnlar clamor are now being ap-
parently overlooked. Fair treatment
In this country has heretofore neen. ae-
corded to all citizens whose atIalrs as
gnne= prominence in the public eye ana
some of the facts that bear upon the
relation of the packers TO the conl-
meree of the country may at this tlI1as
he briefly alluded to. It would os
difienlt to estimate the dement's ga1nea
bv the farmers of the country result
ing from the energetic enterprise OF
the packers. for whatever is OF benehl
to the farmer is a gain TO the ens1fe
commerce of the country. And con-
neeted with their continuous aggres-
sive work no feature perhaps has been
more important than their efforts u
seeking outlets all over the world Ior
the surplus products OF the farmer
Our total exports Of agricultural PROD
acts have gained but little in the past
twenty years, and leaving cut corr, Inc
total of all other farm products was
far less in 1903 than in 1891. But ii
packing house products there was con-
siderable gain during this period, be-
cause an organized and powerful force
has been behind them seeking new
md broader markets.
Besides the benefits reaped by farm
srs on account of the enterprise and
energy exercised by the packers II at
tanning commercial results by foreign
trade the great development in the
manufacture of packing house by-pro6i-
ucts has added enormously to the
value of all live stock raised in the
United States. The waste material OF
twenty years ago, then an expense to
The packer, is now converted into ar
ticles Of great value, and, as an eco
nomic fact, this must correspondingly
Increase the value to the farmer OF
svery head Of cattle marketed at the
numerous stock yards Of the country.
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 is no ade-
quate reason for the almost unani-
nous howl that may be heard every
where in the fare of fI1a' carGn1G re-