Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1906-09-09
ICE TRUST INVITES A WAR
Draws Attention of County and City Legal
Departments to Its Tactics
RESUMES HIS INVESTIGATION
Mayor Dahlman Suggests the Mild
Method of ThrOwing Driver In
Jail, Ice In Gutter and
Smashing Wagon.

County Attorney Slabaugh Is busy look
ing up the law in connection with the
refusal of the Omaha Ice and Storage
company to deliver ice to Mrs. c. l..
Ransom and to Mrs. c. W. Eckerman, who
testified in police court against that COM
pany and who held one of that companys
coupon books which had been duly paid
for. Mr.. Slabaugh is not yet prepared
to say just what he will be able to do
in the way of prosecution. He said he
wanted to be sure of his grounds before
proceeding AS to there being any ice
trust, he repeated his former statement
that UP to date he has not enough evil
dence to warrant a conviction on that
score and Just what can be done with
a company which refuses to sell It's
product to a former patron, is also an
open question. he declared
Mayor Dahlman Will cause condign pun
ishment to be visited upon the ice com
pany which repeats the offense of refusing
to sell ice to any one customer who has
been short-weighted and appears against
the company in police court. The mayors
remedy is to throw the driver in JAIL de-
stroy the ice and break up the wagon.
II the people are prompt in telephoning
him of the cases and the police real
shifty in getting to the place before the
drivers get away SUITE Itdl iSSNiAS HdS
be obtained and the ice question become
a back issue.
DRhIman's View of IL.
The mayors statement dictated Saturday
morning. follows:
Sometime ago l had an ordinance pre-
pared and introduced which was passed by
the council and became a law, making
1t a penalty for any one who refused to
give full weights of anything sold to the
consumer. A few days ago c. w. Ecker
man and c. L. Ransom, both citizens of
Omaha, filed complaints against a certain
fee company for failing TO give them the
number of pounds of ice they paid for.
They were prosecuted by the city prosecutor
and convicted and fined. They appealed the
case, which they had a right to do. But
after this trial they refused to deliver ice
to these people. They complained to me.
1 took the matter up with Assistant City
Attorney Dunn, and had him investigate
the laws to see whether there was any
way that we could compel these people to
furnish Ice to those that were willing to
pay for it. He did not find anything on the
statute books that covered cases of this
kind, but he was Of the opinion from
other Investigations made. that there might
be a case made against these people under
the antitrust law. This would mean long
and hard hg,.t, and by that time the ice
season would be over. So have concluded
to adopt this remedy: That hereafter when
people complain OF being short-weighted
on ice in the city Of Omaha and will file
a complaint the same will be prosecuted by
the city prosecutor without cost to them
and, IL convicted. and they then refuse to
furnish the people that make complaint
ice, II they have the money to pay for 1t,
and will telephone me, l will instruct the
chief of police to send a policeman out
there and take charge Of the driver, wagon
and ice, and 1 will further instruct him to
throw the driver in JAIL throw the ice
in the gutter and smash the wagon.
IT hope that the men engaged in the ice
business will not force me to take any
action of this kind, but will promise them
now that we will try 1t once and see how It
works"
slabaugh Wants Testimony.
County Attorney Slabaugh, In his investi-
cation of the case. is endeavoring to get
hold of Douglas Armour, the man who
struck out from the employ of the John
Doe concern with a wagon of his own and
began selling ice at 40 cents a hundred.
Armour made bold declarations about what
he would do and tell, but now he has
dropped from public view. The fact is he is
out of business. according to his partner
and according to the people in Dundee
and the West Farnam street whom he sup
piled with ice. He has not been around for
over a week and these people, most of
them, are patronizing the Ryan company,
which has not gone quite to the limit of the
trust prices. Armour bought his ice, as a
matter of fact, from the Peoples Ice COM
pany at IS a ton. At the same time others
were getting it from the same concern at
81 a ton. One Of the firm was asked one
day why Armour had to pay more and
this was the reply:
He is talking too much to The Bee. We
have to fine him just 81 a ton for breaking
into print. IL he would keep still he could
get It for 81 a ton. too"
Armour's friends say he could not stand
prosperity, though had he kept his head
he might have reaped a rich harvest. for
things were coming his way" Before he
quit. however. he raised from 10 to so cents
hundred, saying the people who were