Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-01-26
PACKERS SOUGHT
TO |NFLUENCE.!E
PRESIDENT WILSON
Sought. .Vainly Through The White
House 70 Head OFF Present
Investigation.
SECRECY WAS WATCHWoRD
BY Asso;-lated Press 70 Every Evening


WAsHTWGToN, JAs. 15.
The big packing interests we're charged
today Ey Francis j. Iieney special c,IIn-
sel IN ahe Federal Trade Commission
investigation into the meat packing IN
dustryi with having attempfd n hring
influence ~ bear on Prcsitent Wilson
70 have the present investigation stopped
Mr.: Heney told the commission bc
would show later that q Joint Telegram
recently sent to the President by . num-
Der oe Detroit bankers, protesting that
the Investigation was dist lrbrng eco
nomic conditions had been 'nspirod b.
the packers.
Mr.. Heney's statement was made IN
connection with the reading of further
confidential documents taken from the
files Of the Chicago packers, which howed
that the packers planned an eiab0rate
campaign in 1916 70 influence Congess-
men: against ordering an investigation
into the livestock and meat packing in-
dusty, as vas proposed in TIE lSorland
resolution
Recommendations was nade BY counsel
for :he packers that they should under
take N have the Judiciary comrnitfee
flooded With telegrarns frou al over the
cOUEtry, especially the Congressional
/ districts where the member rarne from
protesting against passage 2 ( rhe Borland
resolution on the grounds hat livsstOcs
var selling az very satIsi 3ctory pricrs
anR any investigation world only Dis
tur5 such satisfactory confitions
H. It.i,g. = quite GEp important / reach Gard
Of counsel read Pcrhass proctor of
Cincinnati knows him
SOUGHT To HoODwrSE cc~GREsswES
Questioned nv Commissioner Nur9ock.
MI. Heney sald the Proctor referred -
w',s the soap manufacturer Mr. Nur-
deck found considerable interest in
sentence in the memorandum which
recommended that all the rnessa yes should
bf. varied. He said il waf the psychology
OF Congressmen that whf:n they received
large number Of teiegrams identical
ID form, they suspected somebody Wss
irving to put something over" which
undoubtedly was recognized bv the
packers.
Indication that the hackers had ad-
vance information Of What vas being
| done n connection with the Boriand
T, resolution was contained in a memor-
andun. taken from the files Of Wilson 4
i. Co, but which carried I. Notation snow-
ing hat il was sent II all Of the re
! five packing companIes. The memnT-
andum said.
| Mr.. Faulkner counsel for Armour
| has received word fr1m Washington
! that the Boriand hearings have been
! definitely set for June 23. Do not men
Heipn the Tact that we have this advance
/ information, as the official word PROB
/ ably viii be out within = day OF two. lt
IS not believed that Mr. Fisher knows r.
! as vet.
Mr.. Fisher referred 10 was Walter
/ Fisher. counsel ior the livestock men.
who were urging the. investigation.
CONTROL RAILwAY5 AND BANKs.
/ Statement BY Francis J. Heney that
/ Armour 4 Co. mad bern founG 10 con
! troll the street railways. oi Kansas Cltv
( was the first indication .that the financial
ranitications Of the packers touched
uany street railway s; STEMS
The influence OF the. packers IN Kan
sas CITY Is more wgCsespread than n
any other city Of the nited States ex-
cepting Chicago MIR Henev said
Evidence Of the packers infuenct,
in the tin industry also has heen discoy-
cred, Mr.. Heney told Commissioner Mur.
dock, who asked about that phase of rha
inquiry after remarLing thSt the packer
were broadening their activities IN 'hc
production OF canned food.
Control BY rhe packers over inancisi
institutions has reached such an extent
/ Mr. Henev said, that. recently when an
/ independent packer asked for 3 loan FROM
one of the big New \ iork banks, the Sanh
wrote 20 Thomas +. Wilson Of " llson a.
Co. asking if the credit should BE- extended
Details Of a visit 70 Washington durine
which he consulted numerous otficial l-
were gwen By Henry Eecder, counsel i0r
the packers. in letter tc Louis + swift
dated July l., 1916. He wrote "a bad
been informed that # the Federal Trade
Commission were instructed 10 make an
investigation 1t be without publicity ami
under m circuLnst anccs pulhc hearings %
which attorneys might participate.
DIVIDED LIVESTOCK PUECHAsEs
l.. G. BOYLE, OF Kansas City, former
attorne. general OF Kansas, appears %
have been IN constant communicatiol
with the packers reg6 riding the Borlanl
investigation resolution.
Division OF livestock buy iug thrOughvu.
tbe United States BY she FIVE big packer.
which woald have tEe effect 81 lmiting
competition between Them, was charged
bv MIR. Heuey on the l'asis on a meInorsn-
dunn taken from the confidential files %.
Edward f. Swift.
On July "A, 1916, :Soyle wrote Needer
"One of the last things ! impressed
upon him (Borlandl, vas thai althouhg
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