The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1912-06-13
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.

w dSuluSLOu correspondence VI AA0
Reporter.)
Washington, June SIS the beef
trust bigger than the United States
government?
Made bold by it's victory, after a
nine years delay in the courts, in the
famous trust busting" suit started
against it by former president Roose-
welt this trust has boosted meat
prices to the highest figure ever
known in this country, not even ex-
cepting war times. The trust gives
a shortage in the live stock supply
as its reason for increasing prices.
That this excuse is only subter-
fuge is shown by the last report Oh
the government bureau OF statistics,
which shows that instead OF = 'rt-
age in the live stock supply, /! ere
has been a steady increase.
1.-THE supply of cattle at the seven
principal western markets in April
was greater than in any April in the
last decade" this report says. The
number of cattle shipped to these
markets last month was greater than
for the same month a year ago by IL
per cent, and greater than the same
period for 1910 by 40 per cent.
There was a proportionate increase
in the supply of hogs and sheep, also
and that the weight of these animals
was up to the standard of former
years is indicated by the fact that the
supply of dressed meat now on hand
in the packers warehouses is greatly
in excess of the amount held there
last year."
This report shows that the beef
trust has made up it's mind to force
the consumer to pay the cost of the
nine years suit it has just won. All
the big fees paid out to lawyers
for keeping the trust magnates out
of the penitentiary will be taken from
the purses of the consumers. Moth
ing must interfere with the trusts
dividends.
A Subcommittee of the judiciary
committee of the democratic house
of representatives has just started
an Investigation of the beef trust, and
it's report will be in answer to the
question as to whether the beef bar
ons are more powerful than the Unit
ed States government.
Why Coffee Costs More.
Within three of four years the
price of coffee has doubled, along
with everything else. Evidence has
just come to light showing why the
price of coffee has increased.
The remarkable feature of the sit
is not due to increased wages, which
is the stock excuse the multi-million-
aire owners of the industrial trusts
hand out every time they make up
their minds to increase their divi-
dends at the expense of the consum-
er.
Coffee has increased in price, al
though production has doubled, be-
cause the market supply has been
artificially restricted.
A Cost of Living Secret.
In cold storage at Detroit, Mich
,igan, are $4,000 quarts of fresh ber-
|ries. They are held out Of the mar
ket to keep the price high. Thus
capital uses refrigeration, invented
to benefit man, for the purpose of
exploiting man.
The Real Plunderers.
Mr.. Roosevelt has repeatedly de-
nounced "boss rule during his cam
paign. He has held up to scorn the
Penroses, the Lorimers, and the
Coxes and other bosses not for
Roosevelt as typifying the evils of
present day politics.
! Everyone admits that such men as
these should be ousted from power.
But are these men, after all, really
the greatest danger to the republic
John D. Rockefeller, who has
boarded up a fortune of $900,00O,-
600 through sharp practice and leg
islative favoritism is not a "boss."
Andrew Carnegie is not political
boss. j. Pierpont Morgan, who is SO
anxious to have Roosevelt nominal
ed, was never accused of being po-
litical "boss." George w. Perkins
who organized the illegal harvester
trust, and is financing Roosevelt
campaign, according to sworn state
ments of the Roosevelt campaign
committees, is not a "boss." The
millionaire owners of the wooden
trust and the sugar trust and the
steel trust are not "bosses."
The BOSS issue is largely false
issue. The men who are plundering
the people directly, and making the
common people dissatisfied with the
way things are going under this form
of government are chiefly the multi.
millionaire owners of the tariff
trusts, now engaged in financing the
Roosevelt campaign in order to re-
turn the Colonel to the White House
so that he can give instructions to his
attorney general not to start suits
against illegal trusts, like the har'
vester trust, until he "gives the
word."'
Rockefeller Gets Million a Week.
Administration of the government
by republicans is good thing fol-
John D. Rockefeller. Through the
collection of rebates from railroads
a practice that his competitors were
not allowed to indulge in, and aided
by tariff wall which enabled him tc
build up monopoly without fear Of
competition from abroad, he has
built up a $900,000,000 fortune
From the oil industry, and subsid'
larry industries. which the high tariff