Bluefield evening leader. [volume] (Bluefield, W. Va.) 1906-1911, 1910-02-07
ENTERINGS !DGE
OF TRO :. WAR
THE EVIDENCE AGAINST MEAT
COMBINE is SAID TO
cLlNcH THE GOVERN
MsNT's CASE.
(By JONATHAN WINFIELD

Washington, Feb. e.-The entering
wedge OF the war on the trusts is
the sharp flank attack on Tie beef
monopoly, already under way N
Chicago. President Taft has sought
to restrain the sensat onalists from
trumpeting his every move TO the
world and ihus producing u shaky
and fevcrish condition among bust
ness Interests, which really 3dve no
cause for sit ing awake n ghts. His
iugrained conservatism and his sense
of just ce have led him to protect
the innocent bystander," or the cor
oithe good corporation. from an
ounce of worry But tn 5 does not
blunt the salient facts about the com
ing onslaught. plans of which are al
ready perfected.
The fact is, President Taft has al
ready created a mighty trust all by
himself without saying a word 10 the
country about it-the Law Trust His
cabinet OF rare legal talent is almcst
unparalleled in the history OF the ma
ton II S about to clear the decks
and get into action. When that -
done the bad, greedy. cormorant Oc-
topus had better draw in its tenta-
cles and beg for mercy. Otherwise
things are not likely TO go we'll W tn
Il.
We have, for instance, the keen,
hard-brained Philander Chas. Knox,
premier OF the cabinet board, who
dangling at his belt and who was
one of the best prosecuting attorney
generals the nation ever had. Also
the equal keen, hard-brained George
Woodward Wickersham. Attorney
General, whose find is as swift as a
panther's. and. WHO came into the
cabinet because he was ambitious 20
leave a record of honorable public
service He sees his opportunity n
subjugating all the unruly, defiant,
lawless. predatory corporations. and
is absolutely confident in his own
ab bl;ty to accomplish the said subju-
CATION.
In the board OF strategy thore are
also Jacob McGavock Dickinson, Sec
retary Of War; Charles Nagel, Secre-
tary OF Commerce and Labor; Wade
Ellis. Assistant to the Attorney Gen
eral and Frank B. Kelog, all OF whom
stand in the front rank OF the bar.
In selecting the Beef Trust as Their
first victim, the board OF strategy
has played a shrewd and leyel-head-
ed game In the first place, the evil
dence against the giant monopoly is
said to clinch the governments case
beyond reasonable doubt. In the
second place. President Taft is con
fident the Supreme Court. in the
Standard Oil and Tobacco Trust
cases. will uphold the decisions Of
the lower courts. In the third place.
no more popular object OF public re
proach than the National Packing
company. under which name the Ar
mour-Swift combination does busi-
ness. could have been chosen
The suit 20 dissolve the Beef Trust
will be- sign fcant in many ways. II
will be the criterion by which the
value OF the future prosecution under
the Sherman Antitrust law VIII DE
Judged II has a direct bearing on
the question which is now agltating
the country-the high cost OF living,
a question which threatens TO become
a political Issue and 10 make or
break the Taft administration. r.
VII expose the processes by which
artifcially high prices are maintain
cd and the restraint OF trade accom-
pl.5hed II VIII either do that or OK
emDt the corporation from all blame
for the present meat prices. No one
really believes that the Beef Trust Is
as guiltless Of such sinister manipu-
lat.on as 81 pretends to b.
The present retail prices OF beef is
50 high that the meat boycott threat
ems TO become a national movement
u has already proved it's power 10
knock down prices But ,t is obvi-
Gus that the boycott will hit a pos
slbly innocent party the retailer
hardest and practically leave the
real offender-the Packers trust
uuscathed II has been suggested
that % is the farmer who creates the
high prices and who derives the
beneH from them An illustration
from The Baltimore market however.
proves exactly the contrary.
The price Of first quality beef
fCopttpued a. psc. aiv