The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-06-21

/ sands of others now engaged in rails
| ing cattle in the United States will
embark to Argentine and enter busl-
| ness there.
Sixth. The sentiment of back to the
cow and of back to the farm has
been urged, and even by those who
are now declaring for free meats the
| propositions are inconsistent Free
meat will annihilate the effectiveness
of these slogans. People will not move
back under these conditions; they Will
| move away. The American farmer ana
cattleman can raise, in the future as
well as in the past, not only all the
| beef this country will require, but
plenty for export, provided that he Is
encouraged. He is rapidly recovering
from the previous i'll effects of an over
supplied cattle market and the ruinous
prices Of a few years ago. The farm
ers not only of Kansas, but of MIS-
souri, and Tennessee, and the east
and the north and the south, are go
ing into the COW business again. Should
the packer now by this concession TO
him, and to him only be given free
meat this unfair advantage will again
dissipate the breeding herds; the Amer
lean shortage of cattle will continue
and increase.
Seventh Another very serious and
far-reaching problem and affecting
practically 60 per cent of our popu-
lation vitaly, is that when the num-
Der of cattle in the country continues
to decrease then the value of land and
farms and ranges is reduced proper
tiOnally. Millions of acres of grazing
lands and pastures are made valuable,
wholly by the number and the worth
of the cattle which they grow and Craze.
With no cattle on these millions OF
acres the lands would be ValueleSs and
would not bring the tax levy. Millions
of tons of frost-bitten grain or infer
ior forage crops are marketed each
year with profit by means of cattle. If
cattle are not bred and fed and fat
tened with the products of our pas
lures and soils, both grazing and agri-
cultural lands will be undesirable.
Eighth. No one gains by the nation
having free meat, except the packer.
The consumer does not. The packer
only lowers the price of meat when
forced. The packer only imports meat.
He alone makes the selling price,
price which is ''all the traffic will bear
and still move" The immediate and
practical method to make cheaper meat
for the millions of consumers is to
encourage and Iegislate so that all OF
our farms and ranges will fill with
beef breeding cattle. Free meat will
not stock our ranches; it will fill the
ranges of South America
Ninth. No one so far from the seat
of war can wage battle against this
discrimination and in favor of the |
packer. If fairness is sought the 10 |
per cent. should be on the meat and |
not the cattle. Live cattle are i'm |
ported by all classes-the cow breed |
er, the cattle feeder, and the ranch |
man, as well as the packer.
Tenth. The government in this meat |
schedule should strive to benefit all |
the people, which is itself. Should |
this course be impossible, it next |
should consider the consumer. Pro-
vided that the consumer is too re-
mote to be reached, then it certainly
follows that the 60 per cent. of our
population engaged in agricultural and |
livestock pursuits should be protected |
in this mill and not the inf1nitesimal
part of 1 per cent. engaged in the beef
packing industry. Only a short ways
back into the nineties the packers
were the lean kline. Today, through |
favorable legislation, splendid man
agement and clever manipulation and
concentration and court decisions
(righteous beyond criticism), the
packers have become the owners or
controllers of immense packing estab-
lishments. both foreign and American;
of great cattle herds and ranches; of
powerful banks; of valuable tracts Of
real estate. They are supposedly
strong in large belongings of railroad
stocks They dominate in the selling
and refrigeration of butter, eggs, poul-
try, and other necessities of life. They
own millions in public stockyards. Ev-
cry shipper pays them 1.-THE. Their
control in hides. wool, leather. harness