New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-06-18
BEEF. TRUST PROMISES
TO DISSOLVE AUGUST |
National Packing Company Sur
renders in Face of Threat
ened Civil Suit.
GOVERNMENT ACTION HAlTS
Wickersham Insists Dissolution
Be Directed by Government
Prosecutors-"Trust Must
Be Busted" He Says.
LFrom The Tribune Bureau. ]

Washington, June 17.-Vindicating the
attitude Of the Attorney General and rather
taking the gusto out of the proposed IN
vestigation by the House judiciary Com
mittee. the Armour. Swift and Morris IN
terests. owning the National Packing COM
pany. the so-called beef trust" to-day in
formed the Department of Justice that al
effort would he made to dissolve the cor
poraton by August I.
Acting on this promise, Attorney Gen
eral Wckersham agreed 10 hold in aneE-
ance until that date the threatened civil
suit which, II had been announced wonid
he Instituted in the near future
Even before Representative Edwards. OF
Georgia, introduced his resolution In the
House asking for an investigation OF the
National Packing Company the Attorney
General had decided on civil prosecution
Of the corporation. and United states NJ
torney James II. Wilkerson, OF chicago
who had conducted the criminal action
against the so-called beef barons,' had
the petition near completion. In fact the
original petition In the action against the
corporation was virtually being helo IN
allowance pending the accumulation OF addi-
tional evidence by department agents WHO
were at work.
May Wind Up Affairs by August l.
The proposition submitted by the repre-
sentatives Of the National Packing com
rany to-day contemplates winding up inc
affairs Of the corporation by August ! so
as 10 terminate the joint ownership How
ever. II is agreed that If the dissolution
plans do not materialize by that date an
extension of time may he asked.
The Attorney General made II plain to-
day that the dissolution would he under
the supervision OF the government prose
cutors and that the purposes Of the In
tended civil suit must he achieved by the
voluntary steps His attitude is that tho
alleged trust must he busted" or the gov
eminent will attempt to complete the UNI
dertaking.
About a month ago Mr.. Wickersham was
Informed that the packers purposed taking
voluntary steps in the nature Of disintegra-
ton. To give the meat interests time 10
meet the issue in a friendly way the At
,orney General arrested the filing Of 'he
contemplated petition In equity.
The Department OF Justice informed the
packing company a week ago. however
that II was time definitely 10 display its
intentions. The result was to-day's an
nouncement
The National Packing Company IS 'l5,-
600. 900 corporation, owning some OF tho
largest packing companies In the world
As II Is owned by the big Armour swift
and Morris interests. according to the gov
ernr1ent's contentious the company rs the
Chicago. June AT the ONCE NJ the
National Packing Company, Ralph Crews
the counsel. announced that the company
would have nothing TO say At present re-
gardIng word from Washington that the
company would voluntarily dissolve.
The attack on the meat trust began In
1909, when Judge Grosscup issued an In
junction restraining the packers from en-
tering INTO a combination In February,
1870. sixteen packers and four corporations
were indicted, the case came 10 trial IN
December and the following March Judge
Humphreys rendered the immunity bath
There matters rested til December 1905,
when another investigation was taken up
by a federal grand Jury. but no indictments
were found This investigation was re-
sumed. however, in December, 1879, and on
March q, 1910. indictments were returned
against the National Packing Company and
ten subsidiary concerns and bill ~
equity was filed asking that the National
company be dissolved. But In June oi
that year these indictments were quashed
nv Judge Lands and a special grand jury
was called 10 renew the investigation.
lin the course Of that inquiry Thomas
c. Lee, manager OF the dressed beef sales
department Of Armour g. Co, was in
dicted for perjury and Alfred r. orion.
chief counsel for the company. and three
employees were charged with destroying I'm
portant notebooks. orion was discharged
with reprimand and the others were
held for further hearing.
on September H. 1910. indictments were
found charging ten packers with conspir-
acy. The trial was begun on December s,
1911, and ended with acquittsl on March
26 1912