Arizona republican., 1920-02-15
For Relief Of An Ir1dustY-y; Report Of Marker Co171n1iffee
 O. Lipe Stock ASSociQio

sale advertising which thoroughly mis- stated the character of the. legislation and the attitude of the great body of
 producers regarding it. The fiercenesS With which the packers attacked the
 bills and the great campaign of mis- representation, are probably without
 Fl ecedent in our legislative annals. A systematic attempt was also made to prevent livestock associations from endorsing the bills. with the result that
 few of the state associations were
 divided, while nearly all of the impor- tsnt livestock and farm organizations
 in the country have gone on record in favor of some sore of federal regulatiye legislation. The list is too long to re-
 count here in detail. Besides these agricultural organizations. the National Consumers league and the Farmer Labor Conference of November 21-22
 have endorsed the Kenyon bill. The former has entered the field and is
 doing effective work for federal reeu- lative legislation of the packers.
 Early in March. 1919. the packers launched thoroughly worked out plan for joint committee of the packers, producers, and commission men, in cluding a government representative. ostenSibly for working out problems
 Of mutual interest and stabilizing che
 markets for livestock Under the plan the livestock producers would have helG a minority vote. Your president ana the market committee realized that srch a committee might easily be used to block legislation, and by prompt action the plan was frustrated, and in it's place there was organized a strictly producers committee of 15. which, after several meetings with the packers voted to turn over it's functions to the National Farm Bureau Federation
 The hearings on the K. and R. bills 1 before the senate agricultural commit tee commenced on August Is, apd con tinued until September 18th. The fed
 eral trade commission first ratified and gave the bills vigorous support.
 The packers. with their host of inspired and uninspired witnesses, followed. They were primed and attacked the bills in force. Fortunately, their ann
 intuition was as deficient in quality as 1 it was large in quantity. as two very large volumes of the senate hearings, filled mostly with their testimony at test. The policy was to overwhelm the committee with an avalanche of witnesses. Your market committee,
 with its limited resources. met the sit uation as best it could. In August we met in San Francisco and sent a state
 ment to the chairman of the commit | tee (exhibit A) and letter to the president (exhibit B). which were given considerable publicity. and which not only exposed the reprehensible methods Of the packers, but stated the real | character and purpose of the bills, When the opposition had finally fin- 1 ished. the members of the market com : mittee and other representative stock mer appeared before the senate com l mittee in rebuttal and testified for the bills. Our testimony has been pub lished in pamphlet form and has been
 sent to the members Of our associa- ton. Several leading farm journals have quoted from it.
 l The consideration of the peace treaty and the adjournment of congress de | layed consideration Of the bills. Mean
 while. the attorney general was press 1 ing his antitrust case against the 1 packers. He was ready to place the