Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1910-02-09
RAILROAD COMMISSIONER NOW
DEFENDS WHOLE BOARD IN
HOG RATE CASE.
REFUSED TO INJURE
INDEPENDENT PACKERS
He Says That Issue Was Between
Packing Interests Of Iowa and Farm
ers Rather Than Between Farmers
and Railroads, and That Meat Pro-
ducers' Officers Knew Of Commits.
sion's Attitude.
Special to Times-Republican.

missioner Ketchum has prepared a
statement regarding the much discuss
ed hog rate case in which he defends
the position Of the entire board and
replies to the criticisms of Thorne,
wallace and others. He states in eff
feet that the commission was confront
ed with an issue as between the farm
ers and the independent packing in
terests of Iowa rather than between the
FARMERS and the railroads and that
what the board did was TO refuse to
take sides against the packing houses
OF the state. He also shows from the
records that there was no secrecy in
what the board did and that the meat
producers association knew what had
been done.
His statement is as follows:
ketehum's Statement.
Now that the Des Moines Capital
has acknowledged that it was labor
ing under a misapprehension of the
facts when it demanded my resignation
as railroad commissioner, I wish to say
a word regarding some misundertand-
ings of the attitude of the entire board
which are sure to follow recent state
ments of II. G. Wallace and Clifford
Thorne of the Corn Belt Meat Pro-
ducers' Association. The people Of
Iowa should not be permitted to get
away from the fact that the case be-
fore the interstate commerce commits
sion was not single controversy, as
between the Meat Producers Associa-
ton and the railways, but, so far as the
freight rate on hogs was concerned,
was controversy between the Iowa
packers on the one hand and the Iowa
hog producers on the other Between
these two great interests, the board Of
railroad commissioners, if it performed
it's official duty, should act impartially.
Col. Charles A. Clark, attorney for
the packers, has stated the case, from
their standpoint, in the Cedar Rapids
Republican as follows:
The Iowa commissioners have sim
ply done their duty by Iowa Industries
and Iowa interests. They are assailed
in editorials and lampooned in car
toons without cause. They are called
upon to resign because they have not
allowed themselves to be made tools of
for the slaughter Of Iowa packing
house industries. The whole episode
is shameful. Let the peop.e of Iowa
have the facts and let them judge for
themselves.
"The annual hog crop OF Iowa -
about 100000 animals on the aver
age. The evidence in the above con-
troversy showed that the Iowa packers
slaughtered something more than L.
100000 annually or about 16 per cent
of our entire hog crop. The other "a
Ill Nc% a C1oS
Every hog raised in Iowa ought to. be
here. It is a home indus
try in which we produce the raw ma
terial, the hog. The packers showed
trouble in securing fraction Of the
hogs for slaughter at home. The rates
give difference against Iowa and in
products as follows: Against Ottumwa
packers, Sal cents per cwt; against
Waterloo, 8 cents; against Mason City,
cents against Marshalltown, SIT cents.
1.-THE Iowa commissioners refused to
become parties to making these condi-
They have done their. duty and deserve
soning blame"
AS lAAAS IA1c ulSdI VI oouSCAS
sought most was change in cattle
rates, but as soon as it was learned
that the railroad commission had in
in their demand for changes
in both cattle and hog rates, the pack
ers from Cedar Rapids, Sioux City, OF
tumwa, Des Moines, Marshalltown, and
Waterloo protested to the commission
that their business would be injured.
Eaton Conferred With Wallace.
In this condition Of affairs, Mr.. w.
L. Eaton, the attorney member Of the
board, and its legal adviser, had sun
dry conferences with. Mr. H. c. Wall |
lace and Clifford Thorne, representing |
The Meat PRODUCERS Association, and |
General Byers. AT. hearing
before the Interstate, commerce COM
mission, held in Chicago on Nov. l,
1909. Mr.. Eaton, of the board Of rail-
road commissioners, was. present. One
reason for his presence was to urge
that the attorney general of Iowa
should not insist upon change in thet
present hog rates. That Mr.. Eaton was
n Chicago, and presented this matter
% Messrs. Wallace, Thorne and Byers
IS not disputed, Tor Nir. Waiiaoe adj
nitted it in his farm paper of Jan.
70, 1910, and Mr.. Eaton also refers to it
!|ll;