The Commoner.
JANUARY 29, 1304.
A PUBLIC ABATTOIR
The high price of meat to the man
who buys it from the retail dealer and
the low price paid to the cattle dealer
and farmer by the packers have re
minded consumers and producers
again of the advantages of a public
abattoir. The producers have been,
driven into a pen or chutes like those
the management of the stock yards
erect for the cattle. Out of these pens
there is a wide opening into an alley
which rapidly converges, Tho cattle'
unsuspiciously take this wide open-,
ing, other animals follow them until
the foremost are pushed into double
file and then into single file. The
crowding is uncomfortable, but the
steor in the lead yields to the pres
sure of the push behind and to get
more room walks up to the man with
the sledge hammer. The hammer falls
on the stoerr8 temple and he drops
dead. The object lesson of the stock
yards and the slaughter of their four
footed occupants has been incorpor
ated into the system developed by the
packers.
The farmer and stock- raiser has
been forced to sell exclusively to the
stock yards. The retail butcher, who
used to kill his own animals which
lie bought from the farmers and
stockmen in his own region is now
forced to buy his meat exclusively
of the packers. The history of get
ting the- retail butchers into the first
pen is a long one and took several
years to accomplish. The butchers,
who refused to buy their meat of Ar
mour or Swift or Cudahy, or one of
the other packers were forced to
yield to a competition whose contin
uance would drive them out of busi
ness. There, is no question but that ,
In tho, old way of isolated slaughter
ing there was great economic waste
of material. Hoofs, hair, marrow,
bones, blood and horns were thrown
out as waste material. Now they are
valuable by-products of slaughtering.
But in the days when farmer and
butcher slaughtered their own meat
the farmer and butcher were contont
with a modest profit. Tho packer,
who saves or sells every part of a
beef animal demands a larger margin
than ever the butcher and stock
dealer asked. But having entered the
pen prepared for him by tho packer,
the butcher cut himself off from tho
stock dealer and the farmer from
whom ho was in the habit of buying
bunches of cattle. He could only buy
from the packers and when the few
packers made an agreement to sell
meat at a certain price tho butcher
has no recourse and tho consumer
pays the difference, though the butch
er makes no larger profit than he did
before the plot succeeded. ' The per
fecting of their plans has taken years.
The arrangement is four-sided; it in
cludes the butchers, the consumers,
the stock dealers and the packers. An
understanding, concerted action and
good faith among the packers them
selves are necessary to the success of
the conspiracy which has absorbed
the margin of profit that belongs to
the farmer and the retail butcher.
The butcher, the consumer and' the
stock dealer are in the pen which has
only one opening and that one leads
into the slaughter house whore the
man with the steel mallet stands and
strikes the endless procession dead.
Like cattle, tho producer, butcher and
consumer have been driven into the
pen and each individual recognizes the
object of good faith when he sees the
man with the hammer and hears the
dead fall of the one ahead of him,.
The aggregate of cattle killed a day in
the Chicago packing houses is thou
sands; but each animal has one mo
ment of agony when he sees the man
with, the hammer and realizes why he
has been crowded up to that point.
The individual pays the price and the
tyranny of the packers' and their enor
mous profits will be uninterrupted as
long as the individual continues to
walk into tho pen the packers have
built for him. Lincoln (Neb.) News.
The A, B Cs of the Far East
What is the trouble in the far east?
Japan is trying to keep Russia out
of Korea.
What is Korea and where is it sit
uated? Korea is an autocracy under Ja
panese influence, about as large as
Kansas with a population estimated
at between 8,000,000 and 16,000,000.
The empire occupies a peninsula just
south of Siberia jutting into the Pa
cific ocean between the Yellow sea
and the Sea of Japan, and reaching
within less than 100 miles of "the
southern end of Japan.
Is Korea a rich country?
Not especially. It is a purely agri
cultural land and the methods of cul
tivation are primitive. A few gold" i
mines are operated and tnere are
supposed to be deposits of copper,
iron and coal.
Why, then, does 'Russia want Korea?
Chiefly because of its position.
Korea is an extension of Manchuria
which practically belongs to Russia.
In the natural development of con
tiguous territory Russian merchants
have crossed the boundary into
Korea, and Russian interests accumu
lating there under the weak native
government naturally look to the czar
for protection.
Why is Korea of strategic value to
Russia?
For two reasons. First, Russian
vessels must make a long detour
around Korea to pass from Vladivo
atock, Siberia, to Port Arthur, the
Russian harbor in Manchuria. In this
journey they must traverse a narrow
strait between Korea and a Japanese
island, comparable to Gibraltar. To
insure free passage Rjissia seeks to
control the end of the Korean penin
sula. Second, when Russia begins its
anticipated absorption of- China it
would be inconvenienced it a hostile
power should have a military base
on the northeastern coast of Asia.
Therefore it desires to annex Korea.
Why does Japan object to the Rus
sian annexation of Korea?
Because Japan is overcrowded, with
a population twelve times as dense as
that of the. United States, and it
seeks an outlet for its emigrants on
tho mainland. The island empire has
hoped, too, to make Korea the base of
an attempt to extend Japanese influ
ence throughout China. Further
more, it now conducts nine-tenths of
Korea's commerce and owns Koiea's
two railways. Its trade and railways
would both be threatened and prob
ably be deprived of value in the event
of Russia's success. And, finally, Ja
pan holds that its own independence
would be menaced were Russia to
gain the harbor at the end of -the
Korean peninsula almost within can
non range of the Japanese island fort
ress of Tsushima. '
Does 'Japan want to annex Korea?
No. It is satisfied to maintain
Korea's sovereignty with the expec
tation that its natural advantages of
situation will give It the lion's share
of Korean trade.
When did the trouble between Japan
and Russia begin?
It began in 1895, when by war Ja
pan had forced China to recognize
Korea's independence and to grant
Japan the southern end of Manchuria.
Russia forced Japan to give up Man
churia, seized the surrendered terri
tory and secured a timber cutting con
cession in tho Yalii valloy In Korea.
What brought on tho present crisis?
Last year Russia advanced the
claim that the timber concession ex
tends to tho valleys of all rivers trib
utary to tho Yalu and that it gives
tho Russians the right to build rail
ways and to monopolize tho port of
Yongampho at tho Yalu's mouth.
Did Russia announce Its intention
to annex Korea?
It did not. But Japan took the
ground that its procedure meant vic
tual annexation and so issued a pro
test. Is this likely to lead to war?
Japan says it will unless Russia
recedes from its claims. Kansas City
Star.
Additional News Notes.
It was reported from Kansas City on
January 21 that a number of small in
dependent slaughter houses in that
city will be forced to suspend opera
tions unless thoy aro able to becuro
government inspection of their meats.
Applications for government inspec
tion had been made by some of these
smaller concerns.
In a speech made by R. B. Prebel,
president of the Chicago Medical so
ciety, on January 21, in reference to
the high prices of anti-toxin, he an
nounced that he would appoint a com
mittee to make a complete report of
the facts and to start a movement to
ward the manufacture of anti-toxin by
the United States government.
Great snowfalls were reported on
January 2l from different sections of
the country, the states of Wisconsin,
Indiana, Minnesota, and Ohio suffeiv
ing from the snowfall, which in some
places is causing much damage. Ice
gorges have been formed in many riv
era and it io feared that tho floods
resulting therefrom will cause much
property loss.
A mysterious robbery was com
mitted on January 21 on one of the
Southern Pacific's trains between San
Luis Obispo and San Ardo in Califor
nia, when a safe estimated to have
contained valuables to the amount of
?8C,000 was taken from the express
cai.
of the loading democratic organiza
tions of tho west.
According to recent Chicago reports
the Iroquois club Ip. that city, whose
membership Includes many prominent
Chicago democrats, are preparing to
boom General Nelson A. Miles for
president on the democratic ticket
this year. The Iroquois club is one
A tornado that swept over Mound
villo, Ala., on January 22 caused the
death of twenty-eight persons and
more than 100 wora injured. Tho town
contained about 300 inhabitants ana
it is said that It Is almost entirely
destroyed. Tho town of Birmingham,
Ala., was also struck by tho tornado
and many buildings demolished.
The Holland Bocicty of- Now York
hold Its annual dinner January 21.
Moro than 400 members and guests
wore present. Tho toasts Included:
"Peace," William J. Bryan; "Holland,
Our Ally in tho Revolution," Rev4.
George C. Lorimer; "Tho Friendly
Relations of the Dutch With Other
Nations," Sir Chen Tung Liang
Chang; "Our. Hero Ancestors," James
M. Book.
Tho Chicago Record-Herald of
Thursday, January 21, said: Dr. Her
man Edouard von Hoist, the renowned
historian, scholar and independent
political fighter of America and Ger
many, who was tho first professor and
head of the department of history at
the university of Chicago, died yes
terday at Frniourg in Baden. Tho
announcement of his death, which
has been oxpected for several years,
was received at 4 o'clock by President
W. R. Harper in a cablegram from
Mrs, Isabella von Hoist, which said:
"My husband passed away quietly,
this afternoon."
Western New York has, during the
last few -days, experienced suph
changes in meteorological condition?
as to cause the greatest alarm to the
residents of low-lying districts owing
to the danger of floods. Every flood
district' of the western part of tho
state is threatened with serious dis
aster. Heavy snowfalls and rains
throughout parts of Ohio, Indiana, and
Pennsylvania have caused many rivers
to overflow and it is feared that before)
tho floods subsido much property los,
may bo sustained.
The Russo-Japanese negotiations art
still progressing and it is now re
garded almost as certain the war will
not be declared. It was reported from,-'
London on January 22 that Russia.'
has agreed to Japan's terms regard-1
ing tho integrity of Korea and that
the only question at issue now re-'
lates to Manchuria. It is said that;
some of the best and strongest men
in the Russian empire have been set
to work on the negotiations with Ja-
pap and this is taken as an indication'
that Russia 'desires peace.
(Ill OH OUR HIGH-ARM ff A AR
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IOTH AND PINE STREETS, (2 Elocks Ktrlh f Ualon Statien) ST. LOUIS. MO
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