The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1906-02-14
WEDNESDAY,, FEB. IL, 1906.
ARE THE PACKERS AFRAID?

AXE me FAAhENo
Press dispatches relating to the
trial of Chicago beef packers, who
were indicted by a United States
grand jury, reveal a most peculiar
condition OF affairs. The defendants
declare they are not guilty of con-
~spiracy, the crime charged against
them, but are resorting to every pos
sible scheme to prevent the cast from
coming to trial. These methods do
not harmonic with their vociferous
declarations of innocence.
For the past two weeks or more, the
attorneys for the accused packers
have been using their greatest efforts
to convince the jury that their clients
are immune from prosecution, because
the evidence in the hands of govern
ment officials was procured in an un-
fair name They allege that certain
facts which the prosecution proposes
to present in court were obtained by
Commissioner Garfield, of the federal
bureau of corporations, who secured
this information from the packers
themselves, or their agents and en-
ployes. These lawyers contend that
evidence obtained from a defend ant
in this manne cannot be used against
him in court, and that the packers,
having told a government official Ger.
tain facts about their business meth
DDS, cannot be convicted by evidence
thus secured. In other words, the
plea of the indicted beef combine
amounts to this: We are innocent OF
the crime of conspiracy, but object to
the Introduction of evidence which
might prove hat we are guilty.
In the meantime, q representative Of
the packing interests, j. Ogden Arm.
our, is contributing &c the Saturday
Evening Post a series of articles
whose purpose is to convince public
that the packers are good and law.
abiding citizens shrewd business men
who make a very small margin of
profit, and who do not manipulate the
market in the manne of which they
have been accused. Listen to this
part Of MIR. Armour's story in a re.
cent issue of the publication named:
"There may be an impression that
the buying capacity of all except rep.
r~esentatives of the large packers Is
too limited to have much effect on the
market. The best answer to that lies
in the official figures. In 1904, the re-
ceipts of cattle at the Chicago Union
Stock Yards were $3.50, 1856 head: of
these, 1926. 1892 head were reshipped-
to feeders, the seaboard packers. to
Buffalo, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Pitts
burg, Indianapolis. other cities and
to Europe. During the past year,
1905, receipts we're 3,4ll, 026 and the
shipments were l,4O5, 7O8. Thus more
than forty per cent. of the cattle re.
ceived we're bought for shipment.
"Sober.minded men never would cry
monopoly in relation to the bust.
ness of the packers il they understood
that business. While the meat indus.
try is probably the largest in the
country, it Is less known than many OF
far less consequence. Its character
and magnitude have never been com
p~rehensively presented to the public.
A comprehensive and authoritative
pnnnon1in" nc thfS irl,N, l., ~ H.
found nowhere outside of %governmen,
reports. Unfortunately for a clear
understanding Of many questions Of
public moment, these reports are not
popular and widely read literature
compared with the 'best sellers of the
book stores.
This alleged ''beef trust canno,
be seriously regarded as monoplizine
the dressed beef and packing industry
in the face of official government fig
ures. backed by the investigation re
Gently made under Mr.. Garfield, chic
OF the bureau Of corporations of the dc
partment of ommerce. 1t is admitted
now, even by most of its critics. tina
the so.called "bcef trust" handles les
than fifty per cent. of the beef an,
packing industry of the county"
Mr.. Armour makes a very cleve
defense Of the packing interests in hi
magazine articles, but if the ''bee
combine uses only legitimate meth
DDS in its business, why does it =,
into court with the plea that evidenc
to the contrary should not be pre-
sented to the jury?