The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1912-04-18

this great u become such on I'M
'portant factor in the manufacture of
leather goods? The answer is very
simple. Machinery has displaced
hand labor. This same machinery is
patented, the United Shoe Machinery
Company CONTROLS the patent and the
Supreme Court of the United States
has recently said that the owner of
a patent has an unrestricted mo-
nopoly upon all articles used in its
operation, may fix it's price and pre-
scribe its use. Right here l wish to
pay my respects to patents. There is
some merit of course, i'll encouraging
genius but as 4 general rule the per-
son who furnished the genius does
not reap the profits. Almost every
conceivable article of any conse-
quence is patented, and under thi
late decision every article patented
can be the nucleus for the formation
of a trust
Where Stockmen Are Squeezed.
Referring to the bee trust as the
one affecting South Dakota people
most of all, MIR. Branson told a strlk-
ing incident as follows: Not long ago
II became acquainted with a weigh
er in one of the leading packing
concerns in Chicago who had held
his position for fourteen years and
who had recently resigned and was
on his way west to take a home
stead. He recited many amazing
things to me, one of which | have
never forgotten. He told me of a
shipment of cattle that was made by Il
Montana ranchman OF about 1000
head of steers. When the cattle ar
rived, of coutse, the market had
gone off fifty cents pei hundred and
although there are more than 3d.
600 900 people to feed in this IL
try in addition to the export trade,
one single buyer rode out and made
u single bid upon this large ship
nent OF cattle. The owner knew
the price offered was fifty cents per
hundred too low and at first re-
fused to sell, but what could he
do? The cattle were ready for
market and must be sold. There
was not a market anywhere in the
United States that was not controlled
by the same trust that had a grip
on him and there was nothing lett
for him to do but sell. The cattle
were weighed up, the owner was
paid his money and after he had
gone orders passed through the
~weigher's hands to deliver a certain
pen to Swift & Company, another to
Armour & Company, another to
Morris & Company and so on, each
getting it's share of the rake-off. If
those cattle weighed 1900 pounds
each and there were 1000 head OF
them and they were sold for fifty
cents per hundred less than they were
worth, the owner was robbed OF
$G0OO.0O. j wish you would tell me
what is the difference between the
taking of that money from that
cattle-owner in this way, and paying
him what was due him and after he
put the money in his pocket and had
gone uptown, holding him up and
robbing him in a dark alley some
where.
Coming to the method which he
believes should be adopted for con-
troll or destruction of trusts, Mr..
Branson said:
But what is the remedy? We ali
know the evil exists. but how shall
we destroy it? My idea is that. first
of all, the trust must be dissolved:
Nothing can be accomplished along
this line by way of fines, If the
courts fine the packer he lowers the
price OF cattle and hogs on the hoof,
raises the price of the dressed pro-
duct and we pay the fine. ! favor
a ~penitentiary sentcnce-ten years
for the first offense, twenty years for
the second, and a life term for the
third. This, in my Judgment, will
/, bring about dissolution. 1t would not
be %anyone's desire to r%estroy or con-
fiscate property so long as it is being
used in Il lawful way but ] believe
strict supervision should be main
tanned over all packing concerns now
doing business and competition
/ should be restored and when this is
n done the independent concerns will
spring up all over the country and a
shorter route, will be established fol
our meat products from the hand ;Gi
4 the producer TO the mouth or The
consumer a5 f9i.a ss
Would Abolish Express Companies
Concerning the abolition of" Elk.
press Companies, the tariff and
]; popular election of senators, Mr.
Branson said
II am in favor of a%bolishing eX-
,Ipress companies. This is a trust
! that has received little attention from
the general public but it has probably
earned greater dividends in proper.
ton to the amount of its capital in.
vested than any other trust in exist.
ance. Six Express companies control
so per cent OF all the express bust
ness in this country. They have
divided their territory, each operat.
ing along the line of some transpor.
alton company, rates are fixed and
we are absolutely without competi,
+ ton. These companies own no roll.
ing stock and very little equipment oil
any kind; they simply buy transport.
alton from the transportation com
panies and sell it to the consuming
public. In other words. the public
is paying not only the cost of trans
portation and the cost of handling