The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1907-10-09
BOYCOTT BUTCHERS
INCREASE IN PRICE OF MEATS
CAUSES VIGOROUS PROTEST
BY HoUsEKEEPeRs.

Washington. oct s. Every now
and then the country hears Of gas
tronomic strike. not a functional d.
rangement but a protest against the
meat trust In New York and Phil
adelphia these strikes on the part
Of the poor Ycddish element has tax.
IN the form Of riots In which the
koscher butchers were restrained by
mobs from doing business and their
comes from Augusta, Maine, where
ZOO families have risen In revolt
against the latest ADVANCE In meat by
the trust and have pledged themselves
10 abstain from all meats in hope Of
forcing down the price. Since the in
auguration of the boycott IN Augusta,
the fight has been taken up by three
other cities in Maine and an effort
Is being made 10 extend the remon.
STRANGE over the entire state.
The situation In the north and east,
where the trust has driven out the
local butcher can hardly be appreciat.
ed in the south or west, where the To-
cal butcher and the local slaughter
pen still exists People in Texas who
can buy round steaks for 10 cents a
pound cannot realize what 1t means
to wage Garner to provide his fam
ily with meat when round steaks cost
10 cents per pound, sirloin steak %
cents and better cuts 2S to 80 cents
per pound.
Two months ago before the last
rise In price of an average of 2 cents
pound. the republican leaders be-
came alarmed at the complaint that
was raised throughout the larger cit.
les. and Secretary of Agriculture VII.
son sought to allay the public clamor
by generating the meat trust and
putting the blame on the cattlemen.
He said that the rise In the trusts
prices was perfectly natural; that the
cattle were growing scarcer and there
fore the cattlemen were demanding
and getting bigger price from the
packers for their cattle. This in
crease of money for their stock which
Secretary Wilson finds that the cattle
men succeeded In wringing from the
meat trust. was apparently not felt IN
| cities where the trust has not as YET
put the local slaughterers out OF bus
mess, for a schedule OF the retail
price of meats | nthe larger TeSn,
cities has just reached here. shows
that the price of meat In those citie,
between the summer OF 1906 and thai
of 1907 had not perceptibly increased
while In the north and east, where
the packers hold supreme sway. they
nave put up the price of meat between
| % and 35 cents during the past year
| The situation Is seen at its worst IN
New York Meat that sold In that city
for 25 cents last year now costs 81
cents while In the retail shops NJ
town meat that last year sold for II
cents now brings 20 and 20 cents. A
series of Investigations almost inyar
iably produced the following shifting
OF responsibility The retailer says
swift a Co. or some other member
In the combiue. cen tell YOU why the
| price OF meat has scared" The pack
ors refer you to the department OF ag
riculture to prove that the increased
cost of production Is due to the rigid
inspection law passed by congress
and going finally to Secretary Wilson
you find that II is not the inspection
law, but the increased price which the
cattleman demands for his bcef-bc
cause OF the shortage of cattle.
There Is no promise that the subject
will come mp in congress this session
but as no tangible propositions for re
lief have been advanced, the prospect =,
of anything more than a food of bun
cumbe are not particularly nattering