The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1918-02-28
WOULD
EXPOSE SECRETS
OF BIC PACKERS
SPECIAL AND SPEEDY LEG
ISLATION is ASKED OF
THE CONGRESS.
COURT BLOCKS COURT
After Government LAWYER Had
Seized Papers Under Order of
One Judge, Another Enjoins
Their Use and Examination.

Washington, Feb. 28.-Special
and speedy legislation to lay bare
the confidential files Of the great
meat packers and disclose what gov
ernmental Investigators believe viii
show plans to take complete CON
troll of the meat industry was asked
OF congress today by the federal
trade commission.
On recommendation of Francis !.
Heney, special counsel conducting
the commissions investigation. who
has been restrained by court orders
from taking further papers, and also
from using those already seized by
his agents, the commission laid the
facts before congress and asked for
action.
Charging that Henry Veeder,
counsel for the packers still is Gus
todian of many papers which have
been used as instrumentalities in the
commission of felonies,' Mr.. Heney
asked for a supplement to the espi-
onage law to facilitate the govern
mentS inquiry into the industry.
Another Court Stops Probe.
After Federal Judge Lands of
Chicago had issued a search war
rant authorizing the seizure of i'm
portant documents in the possession
of Needer, the federal circuit court
of appeals restrained a marshal
from removing or examining any
OF the papers in Needer's vault, and
further from examining, or in any
way, using papers seized by the gov
ernment.
| Specifically, Mr.. Heney asked
that congress amend or supplement
the espionage act so that the ~deci-
sion OF a Judge who issues a search
warrant shall be conclusive upon
the question of the existence Of
probable cause, and that a summary
proceeding already provided by the
statute for the determination of the
question OF whether the property
seized under the writ was used for
the commission of a felony shall
likewise be conclusive for the pur-
pose only of enabling the court to
retain such property in the custody
! OF the law until the purpose for
its seizure shall have been served. ="
Can't Even Examine t'apers.
The action of the appellate court
in issuing the stay, Mr.. Heney said.
prevented the government from even
examining papers already in its pos
session, and which federal district
court had found had been used "as
the means Of committing felonies by
Swift & Co. and other corporations. -
In its letter to Vice President Mar
shall, as president the the senate.
the federal trade commission de
Scribed this question TO be of such
vital importance to its work and pos
Sibly to work of other departments
of the government as to require its
calling the matter to the attention of
congress
Counsel Heney in his letter de-
clared that Mr.. Veeder, at the beef
, trust trial III 1912, after the statute
of limitations had expired, had testi-
fed that for many years his Office
was the clearing house for the five
big packers in a criminal conspiracy
which they maintained for the fixing
of prices and the eoatrui OF the
meat industry.
Still Accuses Veeder.
"The evidence which we have
gathered in the present inweStiga--
ton" continued Mr.. Henery.
Strongly tends to prove that this
conspiracy with some slight modi-
hcation to its scope and purpose has
continued M existence ever since,
. and still is active, and that Veeder
still is the custodian of many pa
: perS which have been used in the
: pursuance thereof as instrumental
S ties IN the commission of feionies. u
The Swift, Armour, Morris, Vii
son and Cudahy packing companies
are specifically mentioned in the al
legged commission of felonies."