Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1920-04-03
PACKERS ARE NO
LONGER MENACE
To FOOD TABLES
DNorCement Decree Meets
All lust Complaints Made
By Consumers, Producers
or Competitors.

iSS MORNING JOURNAL SPECIAL LEASED wiesl
Washington, April Court
proceedings against the "big five"
Chicago packers were instituted
because 'it had come to the time
for a showdown in the industry"
Attorney General Palmer today
told the house agriculture commit
tee. The attorney general. appear
ing in connection with pending
regulatory legislation reviewed
what he called the long campaign
against the industry in court and
before public opinion.
1T seemed to me that the thing
had come to a point where the
packers We're either entitled to a
clean bill of health" said Mr.. Pal
mer, "or the public was entitled to
a judgment Of some sort against
them"
The consent decree, finally
agreed upon after the government
had instituted suit, he said. was the
result.
Committee members asked Mr..
Palmer whether the recent su-
preme court decision in the steel
corporation case would affect the
decree.
"Tm thankful | got this decree
signed up before that decision
came down from the supreme
court" Mr.. Palmer said.
He told the committee he had
,,, ,.n,o ~, tip,aS tn
the Strengthening of the sherman
antitrust law but added:
at does seem that we are not
able to bring cases under 1t within
the Judgment of the supreme court
and | haven't the faith in the
measure ! once had"
This implied no criticism of the
court, he explained.
The enforcement decree. Mr.,
Palmer said, met every just COM
plant that had been made by con-
sumers, producers or competitors,
against the packers"
ut met them by a judgment,
with means for enforcing it, the
attorney general continued, The
managers and influential stock
holders in the packing corporations
can be convicted of contempt o'
court and imprisoned for any vio-
lation of its terms. This makes
these five great packers butchers
and nothing else. They are no
longer a menace to the food tables
of America with control of meat
and all other foods.
II got more for people by the
eiyit acton than eTer could NJ
proceeding against them as Grim
inals. No business man ever has
been sent to Jail for violation of
the sherman act in all its history
'I wanted to accomplish five
things: First to take the packers
out of the stock yard business, out
of the terminal railroads which
entered the stock yards, and out
of the livestock market publica-
tions, and keep them out. /
an detail. the plan Is worked
out so that the defendants them
selves may present a plan to dis
pose of their interests and If thft
plan is not approved by the court,
then method is made by which
the court may fix the plan That
is designed for the purpose OF per-
the producers themselves,
If they desired, to be substitutel IN
the ownership of the stock yards
and terminal railroads for the
packers"
Mr.. Palmer said the other things
he desired to accomplish were to
take the packers out of the pubic
storage warehouse business. the
retail business and all the unre-
lated lines of business.
"All those things | insisted upon
and would not under any circum-
stances recede from" said he.
Mr.. Palmer said he had made no
to the packers as to
what his position would be with
respect to future legislation by con-
gress or litigation by the govern
ment.
"My personal view" he said. lis
that | would like to see this tired
out. | believe this is great long
forward step. I believe we nave
gotten things that we have peen
for for years, apparently
hope of getting. | think 1t
will do a great good. l do not
promise it is going to mean imme-
date lowering of prices