112 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



have been charged with being in league with the Chicago packers and 

 receiving "hand-outs" from them; they have been charged with running 

 an independent packing plant at Chicago and penalizing the members 

 of the Corn Belt Meat Producers' Association if they failed to ship their 

 stock to the Chicago plant; they have been called "grafters" and "dope- 

 sters" and everything but gentlemen. And why? Just because they 

 made a fight to give Iowa farmers as reasonable freight rates as those 

 given to farmers of other states for a like service. They even went so 

 far as to publish and circulate a pamphlet that was chock full of 

 false statements and misrepresentations by one who styles himself as 

 being familiar with the facts — for the purpose of berating and lambasting 

 your officers. But it was all done under the guise of protetcing the 

 Iowa packer. Now let us see how much the Iowa packer is willing to 

 help the Iowa farmer. 



The first move made by this association to give Iowa farmers and 

 stockmen fair rates was during the winter of 1907, when a petition was 

 filed with the Iowa Railroad Commission, asking for a reduction on live 

 stock shipped within the state. Before opening the case, your officers 

 communicated with the Iowa packers, and asked them to join in the case, 

 on the theory that lower rates within the state would help their business. 

 But, to the surprise of your officers, they received no encouragement from 

 the packers, so they proceeded to prosecute the case alone, and secured 

 a reduction of eighteen per cent on cattle and sheep within the state. 

 This certainly redounded to the benefit of the local packers, but so un- 

 appreciative were they of the work done that when the assocaition under- 

 took to secure as reasonable rates from Iowa points to Chicago on live 

 stock as stockmen in other states were receiving, the Iowa packers at 

 once joined hands with the railroads to prevent any reduction in rates. 

 Towards the close they became uneasy of the outcome of the case, and 

 opened fire on the association through the newspapers, and attempted 

 in this way to arouse public sympathy in their favor so they might 

 prejudice the case in the minds of the Interstate Commerce Commission 

 — for it must be remembered that the Iowa commission had already 

 fallen a victim to their seductive pleadings and passed a resolution — a 

 copy of which was secured by the packers and the railroads — which reso- 

 lution was very damaging to the case. 



Now this seems like a very strange procedure on the part of the packers 

 to secure the co-operation of the live stock men in building of the Iowa 

 packing business. The facts are that any reduction that this association 

 might have hoped to receive on hogs could not have affected the Iowa 

 packers, and it looked like the packers simply joined hands with the 

 railroads so they might help fight their battles and protect their inter- 

 ests; and that it was a very diplomatic scheme to create public sympathy 

 in favor of the railroads no one can doubt. 



Now as to the attitude of this association towards the Iowa packer, 

 I want to say once for all that it is not opposing in any way their inter- 

 ests. But we do not propose to build up the Iowa packer at the ex- 

 pense of the Iowa farmer. The management of the Iowa packing houses 



