The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1919-12-19
ARE READY
TO Obey US.
SAY PACKERS
Great Food Concerns Ordered
! to Dissolve, Prepare to
Obey-''What Will be Price
Effect?" Speculation.
Two YEARS GIVEN
(By Associated Press)


WASHINGTON, Dec. 19.-Reorgani.
zation Of gigantic industry, involving
capital Of moro than one billion dol.
lars and affecting 81 corporations. will
result from tho compromise reached
by the government and the five big
packing companies.
Under tho agreement reached last
night and which will be made binding
by an Injunction decree. the business
OF Swift q Co., Morris & Co., Wilson
be restricted 70 meats and provisions.
Two years are given to comply with
the decree.
/ The packers forever disassociatc
themselves with all lines unrelated to
the meat packing industry, which
means they will exercise no further
control ovcr tho marketing of live
stock, or the retailing of meat pro.
ducts, end will quit the field Of meat
substitutes, except eggs. butter, cheese
and poultry.
Furthermore tho packers agree to
submit to the jurisdiction of the Fed
eral courts and under the decree they
will be prohibited from maintaining
any combination or attempting to mo-
nopolizc any food products in the
United States.
U. 8. Food. Table Free.
The decree, Attorney General Pal
mer said in a statement thereon, "es'
tablishes the principle that no group
of men, no matter how powerful. can
ever attempt to control tho food table
Of the American people"
The compromise followed the gov
ernment's antitrust action against the
packers, started last summer at the
direction Of President Wilson as q
high cost Of living. Tho fight against
the packers, however, had been q
long drawn-out affair, extending ovel
q period Of years. involving thousands
of dollars in investigations, and caus
ing bitter feeling in politics and bus
incss. ~ !, sf.ss.-a,-
Despito the. decree the. bills prppos
ing government regulation OF the pack
ing industry, now before the senate
agriculture committee, wiA not DC
abandoned, according to their authors
Senators Kenyon and Kendrick.s SenA
tor Kendrick said the decree Wal
'.merely q step, though q very lonl
enc. toward the goal we, have beer
seeking to attain"
CHICAGO, Dec. ,19.-Probable trent
of prices of food products formeri!
handled by the packers, during tn
two year period in which the Swift
Armour. Morris, Wilson and Cudah!
companies must disassociate them
selves from all other than the mea
and provision. business was the sun
3ect Of general speculation.
Following announcement of the com
promise agreement resulting from IN
stitution of antitrust actions agains
the 81 corporations and ~ Individual
making up the "big five" packers
VARYING opinions as to the probable
effect on the cost of living were ex
pressed.
"The price of meat Is within th'
control OF the people themselves" sal
A. Mitchell Palmer, United States al
torney-general, in announcing tn
agreement between the packers an
the departmet Of Justic.
Statements by J. Ogden Armour TO
Armour and company, and Louis F
Swift for Swift and company, insiste
that the packers position was "ecor
omically sound and unassailable fror
a legal standpoint" and that the ste
was taken "at the suggestion OF tn
department of Justice and in spite 9
the fact that there is no law requil
ing 1t.
Action begun in Chicago against tn
packers is at an end, according t
District Attorney Clyde. THE Chicag
district is no longer concerned in tn
packer prosecutions" he said. 9Th
books are closed here"