The Liberal democrat. [volume] (Liberal, Kan.) 1911-1924, 1919-08-07

independence of speech and action,
and a right to sell and buy on neutral
soil. Packer-owned stockyards, be-
sides being exceedingly profitable,
give the packer owner unjustifiable
advantage over other buyers and over
all sellers. The packer, with this
ownership, can yard and can weigh
as he chooses, and obtain such s-irirks
as his purse desires. He can control
the alleys and scales and the deliver
les to other buyers. He has the stock
yards deposits to influence-bankers.
His ownership gives him political and
voting strength. He has the pens
and the offices with which to cor
rect and coerce insubordinate mer-
chants and to reward submissive
dealers. Re has the inside informa-
ton on all cattle enroute or re-routed.
The stock yards books give him much
information regarding the business of
his competitors, and lets him know of
the coming and going and business of
patrons. The packer owns both ends
and the middle.
This Association realizes regretful-
". that few cattlemen, out of many
hundred interviewed, have testified
favorably to the packer Ninety per
cent of all interv ews are not publish
ed, and are in favor of the Kenyon or
Kendrick bills. Those interviews IA
vorable to legislation are withheld in
this hostile propaganda being waged
to stampede Congress. These person
al and pryed interviews favorable to
the packers often say, "Let well
enough alone" That's the difficulty
it isn't we'll enough-or hey say,
"Don't kill the goose that laid the
golden egg" The goose hasn't laid.
1t isn't the packers who lay golden
eggs. When they do lay-it's lemons
Men and communities who are los
ing $40 to $40 per head on cows and
$40 to $40 on steers, or who are ship
ping them home from market, can
not pay debts and continue business
on adages, or chimerical golden eggs.
The Banks and Bankers who are wiz
ing Washington to destroy all legis-
lation, and who are dragging inter-
views from intimidated borrowers, are
the same bankers who put the skids
under the Borland resolution. This
Association feels that the Kenyon and
Kendrick legislation works no injury
to the great packing industry. Gov
eminent supervision of National banks
has kept many families from ruin and
prevented many bankers fleeing to
Canada. Banks enjoy the same con-
fidence and respect, under strict SUI
pervision that the packing industry
would inherit if similarly guarded.
The Comptroller of Currency is po-
litical appointee. He has more pow
er to ruin the banks than the Secre-'
tary of Agriculture will have even to
embarrass the packers, under the
proposed legislation. There is no rea-
son to believe that one system and
one appointee can work so advan-
tageously and the other so disastrous
ly. This objection to the Secretary
of Agriculture is propaganda-the
kind that we learned from Germany.
If It Is necessary land It is) to have
the deposits of the public under gov
eminent supervision, it certainly is
doubly needful to supervise the bill
lions of pounds of food these deposits
purchase. Food is more important
than money and much easier manipu-
lated, especially when the hunger Of
the nation is at the mercy of five
highly organized institutions acting as
one body.
The anger of the packer toward this
legislation is not well-founded, provid-
ed his business will survive inspec-
ton. The great insurance companies
were obliged to submit to state super
vision and law. Insurance now is a
safe, sound and nationally respected
business. Kansas compelled, almost
by strong armed methods, the rail-
roads to stay out of politics, to estab-
lish a two-cent rate, to abandon the
pass system, to equalize freight rates,
and to otherwise observe the right Of
everyone, to life, liberty and prosper
ity. The railroads of Kansas pros
pered under this populistic legislation