Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-01-27
Big Men in Pennsylvania
Promised to Prevent
Prosecutions
PRICE CURB ADMITTED
Armour Cross-Examination
Before Senators Reveals
Other Influences

pu,ation. This now figure in the con-
trorcrsy over tho charges by the Federal
Trade Commission against the packers
was introduced today into the hearing
on pending packer legislation before the
senate Agriculture Committee by
|rancis J. ITcney, Federal Trade Com
mission counsel
Mr., Honey read letter written by
Alfred r. lrion, general counsel for
Armour n Company, referring to "a big
man in Pennsylvania who. it was,l
stated, had agreed to sec there we're no
prosecutions in connection with the sale.
OF certain kinds Of ocomargarinc.
=. ogden Armour president Of Armour
N 70, who was on the witness stand
said h" had never heard OF that big,
man"
reference to the prominent Penn
SN'Nanihn did not rccur but il was
understood this aspect of Mr. Heneys
tN"'h'e against the packers would be
d'Neiop'd later and that the name of
ne Dig man in Pennsylvania" might
be divulgcd
Cross-cXamination OF Mr.. Armour bv
Mr.. Heney, counsel for tho t-edera,
rau" commission. continued today, WITH
hr' hehey seeking to establish and Mr.,
armour denying that the big packers
"rnltrariIy liked cattle prices.
'hcdgo prices largely determine quo
tallohS at other markets Mr. Armour
! testified, ana Armour g. Co.'S buvers
| III "ther cities are advised constantly ak
| 10 the situation.
Don the packers in that way cont
| liency. "'" Ni'f
They have a great deal TO do ui,h'
',' price the witness replied, but nor
! everything" wv 'o'
MI fiene% contended that the bip
p"tkefs Favored friendly commission
| i'eh and punished those who ala nct;
accept the price viewpoint of the meat
INDUSTRY In this way. he said. pro-t.
uuterS learned that friendly commissions
~" seI better prices and consequently
the others were drive out
cattle ORGANIZATIONS Influenced 70
raven the five big packers discussed
nav i"S erected friendly officers of stocE
"N'""hg"s and cattlcmcns associationsqg
he asked
mat is quite natural" Mr.. Armour
a''"'I'a We want good people at.
Ihe head or such organiza tions."
with Mr. Armour as a reluctant vii.
ness. Mr.. Hcney attcmptcd to ,ro..,
'ne he'Work by which he alleged the
packers have tried to tighten their hold
on IN" meat supply and to re-.nforc,,-
their financial interests
ne d"INed into alleged packer control
oi street car lines at Kansas city and
SIOUX ny, banks in all packing cities
C''nerlcs on the Pacific Coast stock
Yards III Fort Worth Tex: ST Paur'
MINI. and other places and vast tracts
Of irrigated lands in California .
MIR trmnur sb,,.
Mr.. Armour showed signs of irritatioo,
as Mr.. Heney developed the following "
Armour, Swift and Morris havnf
, joint interests in the Western Mica, p
, Company. San Francisco.
tudahy and Wilson are. the only birL.
! packers owning individual plants in p
| California. ~
Charged that Armour. Swift ana
Morris refused to compete in Cali
p fornia because Of their joint holdings.
Nhcn Mr. Armour started a plant,
p IN St Iaul. Mr.. Swift increased can
tai of st~ckyards there $500. O00 ana
handed the new stock over to Mr
. Armour "
Swift and Armour jointly own Sioux.
'lty street car lines.
. swirl ana Armour agreed TO estsh..
liSh stoCkyardS in north Kansas Cit,f
ana arranged to build now moderi,
plants
, Nrmour Swift and Morris went into,
! ','N'bSf'l On business tDEptb,r i,.I
. itNaS. tennessee and Oklahoma.
Poolcd funds 10 fight antaronistir
. ol"omargarinc legislation
N"rNed together to keep Omaha
stuckyard prices in line"
Nheh IN" Armour-Hency duel was i'm
progress J." u. y. Weld of Swift &.
Co., told the House Iuterstato Com
m"rce Commission that the Eade-s.j
; Trad" Commission made an improor-
US" Of the Swift f'es in using only
those letters favorable to its case
Ny. Weld said this placed a sinister
. motive on In" correspondence and. 20
his mind, tended to discredt The whole
report n
= Mr. Armour was succeeded as witness
: by Edward Morris. head Of the Morris
Packjng Company.
Emphasizes 1. :. Railroad Record
, Ny, Morris tod tho committee that
: enactment or the lsnd,ns legislation
! would put that industry in the situation
where the railroads arc nov
He said he would make the statement,
, deliberately and challenge successful
= contradiction that "'h" war would mo-,
nov lac over II 1t had not been for the
. Ave big Chicago packers" +"
Tile pa'Ncrs,' he said made "A
, smaller percentage Of profit during tho
wa ''' ''N II"H 'O' lo'u dunlnlStra ton
/, authorized and approved an the case OF
Morris 4 CO.. the war profits were
scarcely NOR" than half Of what the food
administration approved"
Mr., Morris charged that the mar
ket committee of the National Livestocl.
Association was behind the commits.
siOn's irvestigat on, and asserted that
the market committee sought hIghrr
prices for livestock, which necessarily
9 would mean higher prices TO the cyn-
3 sumner, -
Suggests Committee he Investigated
lie SAID he had been Informed that IT,
market committee rece we'd sl6U.0Ou a.
"A nually from the association, and sur-
; gested thai Il might be well for COngrc. \
or tho Federal Trade Commission "a
r. invest ga tc the uses to which that money
2 was put
j Taxing up tho Federal Trade Cur3-
missions charges in detail, MIR Morrf.
said the proof that there was no cou'-
h.natlon among the packers Ia cnntrsl
20 prices of livestock was given l.. tne
r. fact that prices Of livestock hn 'oAi
=, than doubled in four years ,n.,l
/, profits of his company in the II er4
}. ended November B. 1918. ON "a total
d capital invested, including borrow, .
. money were only 7,2i per cent i
, There has been no fair and intellige.
p, investigation OF either the production ~
q raw materials or the sale OF the finished
. product" said Mr. Morris. that could NJ
J, the basis for big. broad, cons,rucilvs
legislat ion, 4
.,la.