New Britain herald., 1918-01-26
PACKERS ACCUSED
 OF CROOKED WORK
Inspired Message to Wilson
 Against Probe, Heney Claims PLANNED TELEGRAM FLOOD
Counsel for Federal Trade Commis- sion Describes How Large Meat Interests Control Street Railways, Tin Industry and Banks.


 Tin Industry and Banks.
 Washington, Jan. 26.-The big packing interests were charged today by Francis J. Heney, special counsel in the Federal Trade commissions investigation into the meat packing industry, with having attempted to bring influence to bear on President Wilson to have the present inVestiga- tion stopped
 MT. Heney told the commission ho would show later that a joint teIe- gram, recently sent to the president by a number of Detroit bankers pro- testing that the Investigation was dis turbinr economic conditions, had been inspired by the packers
 MT. Hency's statement was made in connection with the reading of fur ther confidential documents taken from the files of the Chicago packers which showed that the packers planned an elaborate campaign in 1916 to influence congressman against or dering an investigation into the live stock and meat packing industries proposed in the Borland resolution
 Deluge of Telegrams.
 was made DY counsel for the packers that they should undertake to have the judiciary committee flooded with telegrams from all over the country, especially, the congressional districts where the members came from, protesting against prosecution of the Borland resolution on the ground that live stock was selling at very satisfactory prices and any investigation would dis turb such satisfactory conditions.
 'It is important to reach Gard of Hamilton, o. the memorandum of counsel read. Perhaps Proctor of Cincinnati knows him.
 Questioned by Commissioner Mur- dock, MT. Heney said the Proctor referred to was the soap man ufacturer. MT. Murdock found con- siderable interest in a sentence of the memorandum which recommended that all the messages should be diff ferent. He said it was the psychology of congressman that when they re- ceived a large number of telegrams identical in form they suspected some body was trying to put something | over, which undoubtedly was recog- | nized by the packers also.
 | Indication that the packers had ad- vance information of what was being done in regard to the Borland reSOlu- ] tion was contained in a memorandum taken from the files of Wilson & Co., l but which carried notation showing l that it was sent all of the five pack l ing companies The memorandum 1 said: "Mr. Faulkner (counsel for l Armour) has received word from l Washington that the Borland hearings have been definitely set for June 2S. | DO not mention the fact that we have ! this advance information as the official word will be out within a day or two. It is not believed that MT. Fisher 1 knows it as yet'
 | MT. Fisher referred to was Walter Fisher counsel for the livestock men. who were urging the investigation.
 Control Kansas City Trolley Lines.
 Statements by J. Heney that Ar mour & Co. had been found to con- trol the street railways of Kansas City was the first indication that the financial ramifications of the packers touched many street railway systems,
 "The influence of the packers in Kansas City is more widespread than l in any other city of the country eX"
 cepting Chicago MT. Heney said. Evidence of the packers influence l in the tin industry also has been dis | covered MT. Honey told Commission . 1 CT Murdock, who asked about tha t
 phase of the inquiry.
 Control by the packers over finan-
 cial institutions has reached such an
 extent, MT. Heney said, that recently
 when an independent packer asked
 for a loan from one of the big New 1 York banks the bank wrote to Thomas E. Wilson of Wilson &c Co.,,
 asking if the credit should be extend |.
 ed.
 Evidence of Trust Plot. Division of livestock buying through. out the country by the five big packers which would have the effect of limiting competition between them was charg-
 ed by MT. Henry on the basis of T mem orandum taken from the cOnfi-
 dential files of Edward r. Swift Details of a visit to Washington dur (Continued on Third Paee)