l82 MISSOURI AGRICULTURAL REPORT. 



of "poor old Missouri" leavijig her lambs to be shorn and led up to 

 the slaughter without a murmur, when I was informed that the State 

 of Missouri had nothing to do with it. Well, I said, is this the best 

 the city of St. Louis can do? 1 was informed that the city of St. 

 Louis had nothing to do with it. Well, said I, what is this thing 

 here, anyway — who owns this building and these yards? A Stock Yards 

 Company of gentlemen, who have little privileges in their pockets from 

 the great State of Missouri to run them for their own benefit. The 

 farmer holds his hands, and the Stock Yards Company goes down one 

 pocket and the commission firms down the other, and if he gets back 

 home with his breeches he is doing well. He had sense enough to raise 

 or buy his stufiF, and feed it, and ship it to market, but he hasn't enough 

 to sell it or buy more, and he has to have help to get his pass back home. 



I say to you that the great State of Missouri ought to own her 

 own stockyards in the city of St. Louis, Kansas City and St. Joseph, 

 and all the other centers of population in the State, and they ought 

 to be run at a minimum cost for the benefit of the farmers, who pro- 

 duce and ship the stock to market. Not only the State own the yards, 

 but the farmer should be allowed to sell his own stuff and buy it in 

 the open market. As it is, a killer in the city cannot or will not buy 

 from a farmer in the country without allowing a fee to some pet com- 

 mission firm. If one packing house buyer gets into the pen and bids 

 on stuff, and wants his bid to be final, he will not be molested by his 

 competitiors — his rival — his pal. They remind me of the way tramps 

 do business. When meat is to be had they chalk the gate, and the 

 next day his brother tramp stops for feed at the same place. 



I am not sure but that the State should maintain a slaughter- 

 house, where the farmer can have stock killed at so much per hun- 

 dred, which would open the market to retail butchers, who could buy 

 it on the hook. Tt is done in other countries, and we certainly have 

 as much sense as sleepy Europe. But the Beef Trust has us — they 

 fix the price,- and they make the market. Why have hogs been worth 

 about four cents at home all fall, with corn at 40 to 50 cents? Be- 

 cause the packers are now packing their pork. And why will they sell 

 higher in a very few weeks? Because the packers will have pork to 

 sell. Like begets like. Thcv handle the hogs so much they become 

 like them. And why do the farmers and stockmen permit these con- 

 ditions to exist? Because they have not howled out loud enough 

 against them. These men we send to make our laws — they will listen 

 to us. when they are sure the howl means business. At last a President 

 of the United States has heard the fanner's veil, and he has answered, 



