Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 37, Number 17, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 3 March 1905 — AFTER THE PACKERS. [ARTICLE]

AFTER THE PACKERS.

Federal Authorities Deal Unexpected Blow to Beef Men. After months of silent and secret preparation the United States government opened hostilities Tuesday against the meat packers, by serving subpoenas upon heads of departments and other employes of the various firms, commanding them to appear before the federal grand jury, which will convene in Chicago on Marell 20. A concerted attack was made by deputy United States marshals in fifteen other cities than Chicago where branch houses of the packing firms are located, and before night 185 subpoenas had been served. • The opening gun sjgnplized the beginning of a determined prosecution of violators of Judge Grosscup's injunction restraining packers from certain acts which would be in violation of the Sherman auti-itrust law. an order which recently was sustained by the United States Supreme Court. The injunction restrained the packers from compelling their agents to stop bidding: from limiting supplies to agents or localities; from lowering, fixing or raising prices, and from dividing territory or enforcing uniform rules as to credits and charges. It is the firm belief of the Department of Justice at Washington that sufficient evidence has been obtained, as a result of the investigation conducted last sumnu?r by agents of Commissioner Garfield of the Department of Commerce anil Labor to insure the indictment, conviction and imprisonment of a number of the packers. The law provides a penalty of either a fine not exceeding $5,000, imprisonment not exceeding one year, or both, for violations of the anti-trust law. Punishment for violation of the Grosscup injunction would be at the discretion of the court under contempt proceedings. United States District Attorney Bethea is understood to be in possession of evidence supporting the charge that not a single packing firm has kept within the law during the last twelve months or more. It may develop that the packers have unwittingly broken the injunction, for their employes number into the thousands and comprise men of all degrees of intelligence.