The advocate. [volume], September 07, 1889, Image 7

About The advocate. [volume] (Meriden, Kan.) 1889-1892

Image provided by: Kansas State Historical Society; Topeka, KS

                
'tantim mtuvissisu: LICU)."
Written for the Ahvocatk.
As nioet of tho necessaries conven
iences and luxuries of life lire tho
product of labor, those products are
virtually wealth. A country that from
its forests, mines and extorsive natur
nl agricultural facilities, can furnish,
through tho medium of tr, nil the
necessaries and I'onvcnicncics, with
luOMtof tho luxuries, possesses within
itself thnt which should render it in
dependent of nil otlu rs; unlit in evi
dent that its most important residents
wo those who by their labor ami in
telligence develop those resources, and
.that c:L nvery inuivuiwLci.tlis
class is entitled to a share of this'woa!!lh
ia proportion, to his own contribution.
As what nro termed necessaries aro
peremptorily required for tho exist
ence of lalor; a condition in which
these are its only reward, is one of
most abject servitude. An equitable
distribution of thp produot of labor
should protect all the industrious
from privation.
Tho establishment of national
nchools tends to create n desire for a
moro intellectual lifo thaji is consist
ent with constant toil; even if this
toil be exempt from physical incon
veuiencies. A fair distribution among tho indus
trious of their own products, would
obviate tho necessity of continual la
bor, and afford leisure audopportuni
ry for a higher mental i:nd physical
culturo
Ah tho distribution by barter of tho
industrial productions of a largo com
munity, is in n great measure imprac
ticable, for tho exchange of these
commodities, it hhould bo obligatory
iil)on the government to provide some
moans of representing t heir values, n
.means that could bo furnished com
mensurate with their necessary in
. croa.su.
A currency issued by t he govern
ment uiou tho security of this actual
woalth of tho country should sutiico
for idl purposea of internal commerce;
Jtll necessary importation could be
paid from its mines of precious mctnls
silver at its commercial value, milking
up miy deficiency in gold.
Centralized industries carried on
with enormous capital tend to disturb
tho balance of supply and demand
xmd produco lluctuation of prices con
ducive to bankruptcy. A nd in many
instances they become petty tyrannies.
. Co-operntivo industries organized on
n smaller scale and with regard to
convenience of locality, would tend
more to commercial equipoise. By
Audi arrangements thero would be
moro reciprocal consumption mid less
liability to a disproportion of produc
tion. ,
Tho evils resulting from tho coemo
tion of tho necessaries for speculative
purposes, Bhould find their remedy in
tho establishment of a Graduated in
come tax. Tho practicability of this
tax, depends upon tho subversion of
the present plutocracy.
A government under anv nnmn
that aimed to force an equality of con
dition upon its peoplo, could only be
of tho worst form nf ivrn
is jiossible for any government to give
jio nuuji-uM vquniny oi opportunity
But tho manner in which capital ar
rogates all advantar?eH iV ltlnm
bery of the people at largo of their
rights to opiortunity. L.vcox.
Tim Vwwtl Drim'Ciwtlntlon.
Tho United States Smato commit'
too apjtointed to investigate the dress
ed beef combine, has junt concluded
its silting in Chicago. It has been
denied that any such combination ex
ists and t he grievance's of farmers and
stock ruisers have lx-en pronounced
purely imaginary. Tho unwilling
testimony of the few witnesses whose
attendance was secured before the
committee, as well as tho testimony of
Mr. llaightly and others at Kansas
City in Juno last, establish the fact
of tho existence of such a combination
anil clearly rovcr.1 ..J .i-juious cnar
actor. Wo have not space this week
for a complete report of tho testimony
but submit below some of tho most in
teresting facts elicited. Tho princi
pals of the great combine refused to
appear before t he committee and their
testimony was not therefore obtained.
Sylvester Wilcox of Klgin, a large
buyer and seller of live stock, and u
lonler in dressed beef, testified that
there had been a constant declino in
the price of beef cattle in tho last few
years without any decline in the price
to the consumer. This decline in tho
value of beef on foot has been steady
and continuous tho price in 1889 be
ing nearly one hundred per cent less
than in 1WH Tho witness further tes
tified that tho freight tariff on liva
stock being higher than on dressed
beef tho small dealers considered it to
their advantage to buy drcsstHlboefin
Chicago and that thereby Chicago
had gained control of the livo stock
market.
Mr. Halliwcll was askod: "Do you
not think tho depressed condition of
trado in St. Louis is duo to some kind
of combination which discriminates
against St. Louis dressed beef in favor
of that shipped from Chicago?"
"No sir, I do not."
"Can you givo any reason why tho
St Louis trade should not bo increas
ing
,y
"I am unablo to state, unless it bo
on account of tho fuctjthat St. Louis
has a reputation for being a littJo slow
er than Kansas City or Chicago in
getting business."
This caused Senator Vest to ex
claim: "Did you Jnever hear of the
'eveners' combination ?"
Tho witness admitted that ho had
some twelve years ago.
Senator Vest asked: "Well did you
not hear that a cliquo of Chicago
shippers made n combination with
some of tho railroads by which cheap
er rates were obtained from Chicago,
and that by this St. Louis business
was ruined I"
Tho witness had heard somo talk of
such things. Tho Senator pressed
him harder and brought in tho name
of Wilson, Morris and Allerton and
some others as having been parties to
tho "eveners" combination.
"Thero was a plan by which
they receivo $15 a car rebate on meat
shipped from Chicago but I think
thero was a discrimination against
Chicago which that rebate did not
overcome."
Fred J. Rowland, former chief book
keeper find confidential man for Nel
son, Morris & Co., was asked: "Do
you know of any agreement or com
bination Ndsora, Morris & Co., Ar
mour & Co. Swift & Co. and others T"
"Am I obliged to answer that ques
tion r !
"Yes ni r, you are."
"Well they had a combination n
mong themselves."
"A combination for what f
"A combination to sustain the price
of dressed beef. They ngreed un cer
tain prices in certain states, and they
had matters so arranged that they
could pay any price they chose for the
animal."
"Tell me," said Senator Vest "have
you spoken to any of them since you
were subperniied to come here!"
"Yes, sir; I was told by the Fair-
bftinv Oanning company thnt I need
not come here at all, that it was not
necessary."
The following was unanimously
passed and the committee adjourned:
WiiEitr.AS, 1'hilin ! Armour, Nelson
Morris, L. F. Swift, Frank E. Vogol,
J.S. Newman and Jacob Meyer, hav
ing beeu duly and lawfully summon
ed to appear as witnesses before the
committee, have repeatedly refused to
obey tho same, it is ordered that the
facts bo reported to the chairman of
the senate of the United States at its
next session in pursuance of chapter 7
of the revised Statutes of tho United
States.
There was other interesting testi
mony taken which wo have not space
to publish, all of which clearly estab
lishes the fact that there is 'an effect
ive combine which has steadily reduc
ed the price of stock on foot, control
led and monopolized the trade and
firmly maintained the price of dressed
beef. It is to resist such combina
tions that the Fanners. Alliance is in
ritituted ; and it must be apparent to
the most casual observer of tho cur
rent events of the day, that the con
test is to be no child's play.
If our present congress fails to en
act some effective legislation for the.
relief of tho producing classes it will
become necessary to begin at the Ik
ginning and place men m these posi
tions who will do so. The act ion of
congress upon tho report of this com
mittee and upon the other questions
involving tho legitimacy of trusts, wdl
be awaited with intense interest by
the people.
AN INQUISITION.
The prominent packers of Chicago
by persisting in their neglect of tho
subpoenas issued by Senator Vest's
committee have made a mistake. A
citizen who fails to exhibit are
spect for constituted authority always
makes n mistako and in this cane there
aro many reasons why the packers
should deal frankly with tho commit
tee, even at tho risk of unfair treat
ment by its chairman.
Yet tlieir reluctance to testify about
their private business before Senator
Vest is not without excuse.
If tho senate of tho United States
bad in the interest of farmers appoint
ed a committee to inquire impartially
into tho causes of low pnices for cat
tlo thero would be no excuso and a
ro f usal to tostif would justly be taken
against the reca ritrants aa far as tho
other facts made a prima facie case
against them. Senator Vest occupies
no such position. Ho is an ex parte
prosecutor of tho pucking houses. Ho
asked for tho committee v der an ac
cusation thrjtthu packing, houses ha
forced domi tho jprico of c?-UU ty 'ft
lawless combination. Ili.' tx k,s
admitted no other view thun tli K U v
porkers were public eriomu u mid
pitcking industry a crime. AH d:u
ing tho state legislative n rnloniii ct
ast year ho advocated the ir.MpeclV;n
bills which were frauds on their V:sx
pretending to be sanitary measures
when they wero intended to criudi a
lenelieiid business.
The packers are nware that in ap
pearing before the committee they
would be putting themselves in th .
hands of an avowed enemy, who Trill
use his authority to bullyrag and
misrepresent them. They luvo tor."
son to fool that every possible miVcon
wtruction would bo placed upon their
answers to questions which would not
be guarded by the slightest obligation
of fairness or dignity. In the hairida
of a man whose object in life ia to
make a case against it thero is not au
industry in America which could not
be made to suffer. A committee
chairman armed with power to neud
for witnesses and papers and viciously
inclined to inflict injury, can always
lind prejudiced or ignorent persons
to testify to anything he dowirou and
can annoy the objects of his animosity
if he once gets them on a stand in a
court of which he is tho chief judge
and examining lawyer.
The packers wero taught last winter
that they are to be the prey of ft BOt of
demagogues and another net of boat
ling legislators for some time to come.
The butchers' association with Senator
Vest us it s attorney, law undertaken ,
tho destruction of packing in order
that the control of prices to tho con
humors may be more firmly fixed in
tho hands of retail butchers. Every
corrupt political bummer in the huid .'
scents boodle and is going tu try to
get into a state legislature so that fio
can force money out of the packers.
With the jackals of corruption and
demagogy at their heels it is but
natural that the victims should hesi
tate to go bo foro a committee whoso
chairman is leader of tho pack.
Kansas City's most important man
ufacturing industry is threatened.
Kstablishments which employ several
thousand hands and maintain a great
stock market aro wantonly assailed.
Business processes built up by largo
investments of capital and scientific
appliances are to bo jeopardized by ft
man who has never hesitated to abuso
to the utmost his oOicial power to, at
tain the smallest personal end. Evad
ing the inquisition set up by Senator
Vest is to bo disapproved from one
point, of view, but Kansas City can
hardly avoid an opinion that there is
some justification. Kama City
Times.
no
Turtles wlio ronteinphite vhltlnu Top'iku lur
Inif Hi-? Statu l'alr (Srpt. lfith. to iM.rt. Inclusive.)
should tx-nr In inlml tlio fact tliatthn "Santa To f 11
lloiitc,' will (tfll vxcuntlon llfkt.N dully, conn l,jy
iiicitrliiK Suudiiv, Si'it.Miilicr lr.lli, and coiitliin- f
. Vn-
liiK until Sntnaday, Si-t. Slit. '1 ihw tirkow will v'"
1)0 un nalo fium nil polnH in IGuisa At Otu'i The
SAUK. KOU TIIK KOeNDTUIf, With niil' of .W th(
ndsnl(iH'onioii (.7) cnitn) added. Tlckvt.t will lit, un
limited for return on orlieforo Monday, Se.nW-ii. ; .. i
ber'ilid. No on nlionld Tall to vl.ilt tin? ra1. i
n M l the eajillnl dtyofKaii.ini. Keinomlier tlr? ' "'y
thero Is no lino iuiiiiIiik an many through enrrf
trains Into Toneka an Hie A. T. (i. S. 1 1J.
Kverybody Interented In the firowlh ami dev A)
.......... ,f If'M.u.ia .ill. I thu ii. Iv-int. nl t .1
above low rated. V w!.. t
For further iiartlenlari hi ropird ,o tlwtf " f l
:u;NlofH, nn'l on K. A. Waonka, -
.wnt A. T. & S. JT. II. IE., MvrUW f' ... ,
or address (iso.T. icjiouhun, r"'
o. r. &r, A..A.T.& h. r.