The Ogden standard. [volume] (Ogden City, Utah) 1902-1910, 1910-02-26
MEAT PACKERS
ALL INDICATED

New York. Feb. 25.-The beef
trust" OF the United States. embrac-
ing six great packing companies and
twenty-one packers. several OF them
multl-millionaires. was indicted by a
grand Jury in Hudron county. New
Jersey today. charged with conspir'
acy In controlling the supply OF meat
and poultry. The indictment is drawn
under the law OF New Jersey which
provides, upon conviction. maximum
penalty OF three years in the peni-
tenuary. a 81 900 fine OF both. The
offensc Is extraditable. which means
practically that the meat barons must
successfully resist eXtraditlon or
come to Jersey City for trial.
Percy Garyen. public prosecutor OF
Hudson county. said tonight that he
would forthwith Gotlfy the defend
ants OF their indictment and would be
ready to force extradition In each
case where the individual concerned
Is not willing 10 face trial The de-
PENDANTS as named Follows: Corpora
tlons: The National Packing company.
Armour & Co.. Swift & Co, Morris
&c Co. Hammond Packing Co.. G. II.
Hammond & Co.
Individuals. Ogden Armour. A.
Watson Armour. Louis F Swift, Ed
ward F. Swift, Charles Il Swift. Ed
ward Morris. Ira n Morris. Arthur
Meeker. Edward Tilden, l. A. Car
ton, Thomas F. Wilson. Thomas j.
Corners, F. A. Fowler. l.. II. Heyman.
James f. Rathgate. Jr, George j.
Edwards. Frederick B. Cooper, d. E.
Hartwcll. Henry b Darlington. A A
Fuller, Lemuel c. Patterson.
Climax Effected.
The Indictment. which bristles In
its arraignment of the men named.
also refers to divers others as be-
Ing responsible. The latter, however,
are not specified.
The list OF names, It will be seen.
represents the backbone of the great
packing industry of the country. con-
tanning as It does two Armours, three
Swifts and two Morrlses, most of
them residents of Chicago.
Their indictment brings TO climax
the frat concerted effort in the east
to fix responsibility for the prevailing
high price OF food.
Charge Conspiracy.
The proceedings were formal In the
extreme and there was nothing dra-
matte in the presentation of the doc
ument that will mean the trial by
jury Of some of the most prominent
men In the UnlteI States. charged.
In effect. with cheating the public by
manipulating the food supply through
tho medium OF cold storage.
OF this alleged manipulation. the
indictment charges that the defend
ants conspired within the juTisdic-
tion Of this court. wllltully. unlawful
ly and feloniously deylsing, contriv-
ing and intending for their own use.
unjust. excessive. immoral and unlaw-
full profit and gain. TO inlure, defraud,
prejudice, damage. cheat, impoverish
and oppress the public and the people
by cornering and limiting the neces-
sary ana reasonable supply OF meats
and poultry for consumption by the
public and the people OF said city and
said county. so as to produce an artl-
fetal scarcity In the supply of said
meats and poultry, and to greatly. ex-
cessively and extortlonately enhance
and increase the cost and price there
Of"
Warehouses to Blame,
According TO the indictment, an II.
legal agreement to control prices was
entered into by the defendants as far
back as March l. 1898. when, 1t Is
charged. a meeting was held In Jer.
sey City at which the defendants
"wilfully. unlewfully. traudulently and
extortionately" bound themselves TO
maintain and exercise control over
monopoly of the meat and poultry
supply and to arbitrarily and unlaw-