Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1915-04-13
soME MORE POLITICAL BUNK.


Iowa, so he has introduced a bill
which resolves and resolutes and
whereases to the effect that there IL
belief that the packing houses are CIV
ing everybody the worst Of 1t, and that
no definite plan Of regulation or con-
Ntrol of the packing Industries OF the
Ynation has been perfected, ETC., etc.
HE advocates that commission be
Sappointed to formulate a plan for the
regulation and control of the great
packing industries of the United
States, and that such commission
originate here in Iowa and be compos-
ed OF the president of the Grain Belt
Meat Producers association, the dean
of the college of law of the state uni
versity, the head of the animal hus-
bandry department of the college OF
names, and three members from the
Lsenate and three members from the
house. This commission Is to make
plan for conducting and controlling
I the meat packing industries Of the ma
ton.
The men who have devoted their
life to the study Of this business, who
have every cent that they own and can
borrow invested In 1t, will have moth
Wing to do In the matter, except to fol-
4 low the orders of this committee.
4 There are three or four cities in
Iowa that have successful packing
houses In operation in them. There
are numerous other cities in Iowa that
have old buildings that are dilapidat-
ed and unoccupied and windowless,
that mark the spot where immense
sums of money have been lost after
being invested in the packing bust
ness. However, that kind Of evidence
counts for nothing when politician
gets infected with the desire to gain
notoriety by attacking some big bust
q ness interest that Is furnishing en-
ployment. In this connection the
Cedar Rapids Republican says:
That our friend big Joe Allen of
Pocahontas intends to run for gov
ernor can not be doubted. AS state
4 benator he has been more active in
regulating and investigating than any
two other senators. He has suddenly
{blOssomed forth as the reformer par
excellence. He was even going to
keep boys under fourteen from doing
l any useful work-except on the farms,
3fOr the senator is too astute polite
hian to run counter Of the farmers.
THE farmers are generally excepted
by the politicians for the farmers
vote IL rather numerous
One Of Friend Joe's latest theories
Is to have Iowa packing houses in
vestigated as to the cause of high
prices paid for meats. He can't go
outside of the state and, therefore,
J Zig commission is to sit on the poor
iowa packers most of whom have been
struggling along. It Is to, be hoped
that Senator Joe Aliens political
needs and ambitions do not 60 so far
rs to endanger meat packing in Iowa
more than 1t has been endangered in
the past. Iowa today does not pack
is per cent Of its own hogs and even
less Of CATTLE. In this great state
where few have worked so hard to
|, build up factories we should not regu-
y late those few factories out of exist
ence to make political capital for men
who want to get along inspolitics.
II Senator Allen. stopped to think
at all-that is, to think of other
things than offices to come, he would
know that the Iowa packers do not
fix the prices of either raw materials
nor finished products. They have to
buy In competition with outside pack
ers, the big packers who fix the prices
through their theories of supply and
demand. The little Iowa packers
i merely follow suit and they have to
follow suit II they want to get any
thing to pack. In retail prices they
! also follow suit for IL they did not the
retail butchers would not buy OF them.
They are as helpless as babes and
nine or nineteen pounds of every ten
or twenty sold In Iowa is butchered
for us in Chicago or Omaha or some
other city outside our own borders.
We raise the hogs and the cattle and
others take the profit Of preparing
them for sale. We are the drawers Of
water and the hewers Of wood
We have been trying to build up
packing houses as well as other fac
tories in this state and instead Of
\ hampering them in any way the legis-
Nature ought to go out Of its way to
+ help them-if this is the intent of the
formidable commission which SEN
! ator Allen proposes to create, includ-
ing college professors as we'll as poll
t.cians, then good and well and we
give him our blessing. But il it is
anything less he is aiming at then
i he lis nuisance. Instead of packing
one hog out of every ten we ought 70
be packing nine out of every ten. But
our politicians have for the most part
been SO blind that they have tried to
throw the business that belongs to
Iowa to Iowa's neighbors so that we
have helped to build up cities all
sAround us. but none of commanding
position within the state. We have
had too many senators and representa-.
y - -----
CASTORIA Forlntants and Children
The Kind You Have Alxays Bought