New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1918-09-11
WHY ONLY THE PACKERS?.

s.
It is interesting to consider why the
Government thru the Federal Trade
! Commission has done such thoro job
of exposing the meat packing monopoly
and of formulating adequate remedies.
Profits of the packers have been high
but no higher than those of many other
corporations engaged in mining and
fabricating metals. Meat is an essential
but no more essential than steel, tex
tiles or other necessaries of life, in all
of which there have been high prices
land large profits. There is really very
much less monopolization Of natural
resources involved in the meat packing
industry than in steel or copper. In
directly high-priced land may have
some bearing upon the price paid by
the packers for their raw materials, but
this is certainly not fault that can be
laid at the door of the packers.
It is we'll to realize that the Govern
ment has dealt adequately with the
meat packing industry for the one reason
only that large and aggressive and
organized group of producers - the
National Live Stock Growers Asso-
citation - kept everlastingly at the
job of agitating for adequate Govern
ment action It took them two years
to get it. They tried Congress, the
Federal Trade Commission which under
it's then Chairman, Mr.. Hurley, rather
aided the packers by doing what he
could to discourage the sort of an in
vestigation that finally was made. They
finally tried President Wilson, acting
thru Mr.. Kent, and others, and they
got it.
There is no good reason why the steel
industry and the textile industry and
the copper industry and other like
industries should not undergo similar
treatment. Adequate organization and
leadership of the farmers and also
aggressive leadership of organized labor
could bring it about. 1t is hardly to
be expected that an able and courageous
body such as the Federal Trade Com
mission as now constituted, is, would
act in these matters unless they were
assured that there was an organized,
articulated and popular demand back
ing them up in their efforts. Even with
such support it would be no child's play
to challenge the tremendous power OF
any great monopoly with the influence
and control it asserts over the press
and it's capacity for thwarting and dis
crediting those who threaten its priv
ileges
Such investigations, if properly and
thoroly conducted, would disclose GER
tain factors that are common to all
monopolies. In the case OF the steel
corporations power it would show that
this rests on the control of the natural
resources and transportation facilities
just as the packers power rests on their
ownership or control of stock yards,
terminals, warehouses and rolling stock.
The findings would necessarily point
the way very directly to the first neces-
sary steps in eliminating unfair adj
vantages. If these steps were taken
we would soon see whether they are
effective or not and whether further
action is necessary With stock, yards,
refrigerator cars, warehouses, terminal
markets and cold storage plants under
Government ownership we would soon
find out whether the packing plants
themselves should be left to private
operation or taken over also.
What all these investigations and
reform proposals are cropping toward
is the determination Of mearned in
comes. After disposing Of the big
monopolists by cutting off their priv
ilege, our crusade will lead us to the
little monopolies - to the specializing
land owners and the rent takers whose
toll lays a heavy tax on every pound Of
beef or bacon. By going after the big
packers only and leaving all other
monopolistic interests untouched we
should have stopped far short of the
root of the evil.
ARMY HEALTH RATE