The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1906-01-17
THE BENEVOLENT BEEF TRUST.

THE BENEVOLENT BEEF TRUST.
Refreshing news it will be to the
cattle raisers, the sheepmen and the
consumers of dressed meats in Mon
tana to know that Swift & Co., own
ers and operators Of q great system
of packing plants. are 10 the business
solely for the promotion Of their
health and for apparently no other
purpose. If any n should be In
clined to doubt the philanthropic mo-
tives recently acquired by Swift &
Co., he has only to read the following
paragraph from q quarter.page ad:
vertisement of the company in the
Chicago Tribune:
"The industry is operated on a
margin of less than two cents to each
dollar of sales. Swift & Co. do not
sell at retail. Their entire output IL
sold at wholesale to many thousands
Of dealers In various parts OF the
world. There are hundreds OF local
slaughterers throughout the United
States, who buy their livestock in
competition with the packer doing an
interstate and International business.
Likewise the packer must sell In com.
petition with the local sl~aughterers.
There are nc secret processes in the
industry, no complicated and expen.
sive factories, and as livestock a he
purchased 10 almost every hamlet aud
city, and the preparation OF meats is
simple ia the extreme, local slaugh-
tering will long remain q factor in
the production OF fresh meats and
provisions"
Certainly, it's as plain as the
mountains before your eyes. Swift
4 Co. ia the meat packing business
for profit: The idea is perfectly ridi.
culous. No, indeed: Swift 4 Co. are
in that line OF industry merely be-
cause Swift Il Co. know that a large
number Of men need work. Swift &
Co. out Of the goodness of its heart,
supply them with the means of liveli-
hood. Isn't it kind Of them.
Swift i Co. sell only to the whole
sale trade. Now, that is something
TO ponder over. Swift x Co., over.
whelmed With the spirit Of Christmas
JOY, actually refrain from selling to
the retail meat markets. Surely, the
heart of Swift Il Co. must be over.
flowing.
o":* & Co. likewise are Sin com.
petition" with the ,vva, ~s.~uehterers.
Consequently Swift & Co. can buy a
steer in Montana, ship 1t to Chicago.
slaughter it, dress II and put the pro
duet OF the Montana market-but this
is done simply out of sympathy fol
the local butcher. The nan who ever
thought there was any other motive In
1t is an idiot and ought to be confined
in an asylum for the feeble minded.
Swift & Co. have nc secret process,
no complicated plants, no great sys'
TENS Of refrigerator cars, no rebate
giving and taking, nj collision with
other packers when 1t comes to buyins
cattle on the open market. OF course
not. Who could have thought of sucl
things 10 connection with Swift & Co.
Again Swift & Co. say the loca
slaughtering will long remain q facto
in the production of fresh meats an,
provisions. There never was an.
doubt about that. The reason Their
are so many packing houses operating
in Montana today is because loca
slaughtering is such q powerful factor
The owners of Montana packinI
plants ought to be ashamed to com
plain.
Montana people today, too, ar
using immense quantities Of soaI
made at home, her miners are usinI
millions OF candles made at home, he
tanneries are turning out leathe
faster than the hides are bein|
brought in, thousands Of pounds q
glue are being manufactured her
every month-and all because Swift
Co., poor souls, are In competition
with local slaughterers and canno
overcome that rivalry on a margin O
two per cent.
Swift & Co. are entitled to = priz
for philanthropy. If Mr.. Carnegi
has any rewards for real benefactor
OF the people left, let him send one t
Swift n Co. by all means, none
more neutrality-suspicious. Record.