Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1919-01-29
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER

the supposed purpose of securing GOV
eminent control of stockyards, stock
cars, refrigerator cars and cold stor
age warehouses Ito stimulate the pro
duction, sale and distribution of live
stock and livestock products" Thu
Kendrick bill was hopeless thing. be
cause it proposed "licensing." Hene3
knew 1t. He did not want to say sc
at the start, so he talked about the
big packers and why the government
must smash their monopoly Of the
food business in this country.
Senator Norris, Senator Kenyon and
Senator Gronna, by turns, drew from
Heney the story of the fight he made
as counsel for the federal trade com
mission, to get into the private office
vaults of Henry Veeder, counsel fol
Swift & Co., to secure papers which
he believed would prove that the five
big packers were operating a pool in
handling" public officials. Veeder de.
MED their authority to search. Hugh
McIsaac, an examiner for the commits
sion, persuaded Veeder to go through
the papers in the vault and let Nc
Isaac read such ones as Veeder chose
to give him. Veeder draws a salary
of sS71 900 a year for his cleverness
in seeing that the packers secrets are
guarded.
Mann's Beefsteak.
"McIsaac reported to me-" said Hen
ey, that he saw one letter which
Veeder wrote to Louis Swift, during
the time the Borland resolution de-
handing an investigation of the pack
ers, was pending In committee in the
house. In that letter Veeder told
Swift that he had had good many
talks with James R. Mann, who now
is the Republican leader In the house,
and that as he was going away the
last time Mann remarked to him that
he had not had a good beefsteak in a
long time. Veeder sent him a $3.50
steak, and he asked Louis Swift
whether it should be charged to the
Chicago house or the washington
house of the firm. Swift wrote back
it appeared, that the steak could be
charged to the Chicago office, but that
Mann ought not to be given more
than six or seven steaks in year."
There was laughter at this revela-
ton of the methods and the littleness
of packer and politician. Senator
Norris remarked that Swift had not
understood congressional appetites
very we'll, to limit the steaks to seven
in a year! Senator Kendrick, Demo
crat, all the time smiled cheerfully,
But so did his Republican friends.
Norris, Kenyon and Gronna. They
had blown to bits the political future
of the leading old guard candidate for
the speakership of the next congress.
The only member of the committee
who looked sad was Jimmie" Wads
worth of New York, who is Penrose
henchman and stockholder In Swift
& Co. Ed Ward, organizer Of parcels
post truck routes, whispered to an
other grinning spectator that Mann
had sold his speakership for beef
steak, which was one more argument
for reducing the high cost Of living.
Mann's 1o-Year Service.
Heney told of another letter re-
garding Jim Mann, which was discov-
cred by one of his assistants, Doctor
A. P. Adams. 1t was dated 1907 or
190S-the period when the horrible
filth and cruelty to employees in the
packing plants was told to the country
by Upton Sinclair's book, 1.-THE
Jungle" and congress was passing a
law establishing federal inspection OF
meat packing. The packers were
fighting against the government in
spection Of their products.
In this letter 1t was shown that
Veeder had presented horse to Con-
gresham Mann, and the delighted
congressman had written him a pro-
fuse letter of thanks, saying that the
horse was splendid one and just
what he wanted.
So Mann enlisted in the packers
secret company of well-wishers more
than 10 years ago, when the con-
science of the nation had revolted at
their barbarity and corruption. For
10 years they have counted upon him.
They were about to see him lifted to
the speakership of the house when
Heney tore aside the camouflage
The senators wanted to know how
Mann earned his beefsteak.
Heney read, in reply, the letter sent
at about that time to the big packers
by their three lawyer representatives
in Observation-Disclosures, Chaplin
and reviewing the fight over
the Borland resolution, in which they
concluded, "As it stands today (Feb-
ruary, 1850, nothing can prevent
criminal prosecution" They recon-
mended several plans for sidetrack
ing the Borland measure, and is was
one of these that Mann succeeded in
getting attached to the agricultural
appropriation bill for 1917. 1t was 8
lott ho 11,~n
of markets, which was to publish Ger
tain information on sales Of cattle
which would be furnished by the pack
ers and would help the game Of the
packers. The bureau was not un
friendly to the packers, and it hat
absolutely no power to conduct rea
investigation.
"A Congressman told me-" sait
Heney, that when this rider wa
voted into that appropriation bill
Mann and Congressman Carlin hugge'
each other as they stood In front o
the speakers desk"
False Profit Reports.
How the packers have lied abou
their dividends and profits was al
other point that Interested the con
mittee. Heney showed that Swift
Co. recently declared they had mad
a profit Of $21,000,000 in 1918, but a
matter Of fact they had also mad
} 81, 100000 additional which was 81
; aside for profits taxes, plus a stoc
dividend of $25, ZOO, 900, and had SCI
} arated from them during the year til
!, American business Of Swift Intern
tlonal and the Switt-owned business I
Libby, McNill & Libby They mao
SIS. 900 900 profit on a capitalizatic
Of $116,000,000! f. =,
But that was not all the Swi
stockholders prof1ted. Their stot