Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1910-09-13
PENALTY PRISON TERM
Government Will Demand an
Early TriaI-Bond of Each
Is $4,000.

Chicago, Sept. 1s.-Two more meat
packers are expected TO be Indicted by
the federal grand Jury which last even.
ing charged 10 Chicago meat packers
with conspiracy and illegal monopoly,
and today the government announced
an intent to secure the early trial OF
all.
REQUIRE $4,000 BOND EACH.
Each must provide $4,000 personal
bond on each Of three indictments.
Special Assistant District Attorney
morning asked that warrants be Issued
forthwith for the detention Of the pack.
ers Indicted. Two Of them, however,
are in Europe.
Ten Packers Named.
Chicago, Sept. 13-The federal
grand jury, which has been investi-
eating the Chicago packers, yesterday
afternoon returned indictments against
10 high officials Of the packing con.
Germs. There are three indictments
against each, charging combination,
conspiracy, and Illegal monopoly.
The men indicted are: F. L. Swift,
president; Edward Swift. vice presi.
dent; Charles H. Swift, director; Fran.
els A. Fowler. director, of Swift G.
Co.; Edward Tilden, president of the
National Packing company; ]. Ogden
Armour, president; Arthur Meeker,
general manager; Thomas ]. Con-
nors, superintendent of Armour & Co.,
and Louis H. Heyman, manager of
Morris G. Co.
Three Counts I'm Indictment.
The first indictment charges all the
defendants with engaging in combina-
tion in restraint of interstate trade in
fresh meats. The second charges con-
spiracy; the third charges the defend.
ants with monopolizing the trade in
fresh meats by unlawful means.
The investigation just ended was
the second started by Federal Judge
Landis within a year. Jan. 20 he or.
dered grand jury inquiry which
on March 20 indicted the National
Packing company and 10 subsidiary com.
panies. The attorneys for the packers
filed demurrer indictments on June %.
Judge Landis sustained the demurrer,
killing the governments case.
F1rsN beEuu In lbOo.
The first federal Investigation be.
gan in March, 1905. Indictments were
returned against 16 individuals and
five corporations. In December, 1905,
the trial began. This dragged along
until July 1906, when Judge Hum
phreys gave his famous immunity
bath" He declared the defendants had
been compelled to furnish testimony
which resulted in their indictment and
dismissed the case.
In December, 1908. another grand
jury inquiry was begun. This dragged
along until April, 1909, when II was
dropped with no indictments and no
reasons given.
The indictment charges the packing
officials with eliminating competition
in buying live stock and the sale of
meat-that they agreed on a uniform
price and that they forced the branch
houses to obtain that price. It charges
that the National packing company
was used to obtain information as TO
what the branch offices were doing.
Armour In Statement.
J. Ogden Armour issued a statement
ldSl ulSll SdglnS- uttplA ItBItL the
bringing OF these indictments for the
charges are unfounded. Misunder.
standings and prejudices have been
the basis of these attacks. The
charges involve four packing concerns
out of the 900 that engage in the in.
terstate packing business in the United
States. The defendants do only about
one-third of the packing business of
the entire country. Their entire prof
its are not over two and one-half per
cent of their total business. This mar
gin of profit is less than is made by
any other kind of manufacturing bust
ness in the world. Yet we are attack
ed and assailed at all times and from
all quarters. Even this small margin
of profit can only be made by the
strictest economy in utilizing every
possible by-product. I feel ahat our