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Show CHICAGO PACKERS .. MAYGQT0PR1S0N Government Has Completed Plans for Investigation, and Indictment of Big Men. BELIEF IS THAT FINE WOULD DO NO GOOD Evidence Has Been Carefully Gathered by Secret Service Men; Firms Involved. 4 ' - N By Leased Wire to The Tribune. CHICAGO, Jan. 22. Leading Chicago Chi-cago meat packers may bo found iu contempt of court, in addition to being made tho. objects of indictments by the federal grand jury, which convenes Monday, according io reports in the federal building today. Aside f rom the criminal prosecutions that may follow tho inquiry of thej grand jury, it is possible that .Judge' Grosscup may take official notice of 'Ovidonco presented and fine or imprison the officials of the'- companies involved if it shows they violated an injunction issued by him several years ago, in which they were forbidden to coinbino - to restrain trade and. control prices of meat. The criminal prosecutiou will be directed with a view, ttot to securing fines, but to sending certain packing parous, lorison. f Convinced of the existence ofa combination com-bination in violation of t.hn Shormnn anti-trust, law, .Attorney General Wick ersham has directed that evidence be presented to ho federal grand jury when it convoncs noxt Mondaj. Secret service operatives have been gathering the evidence for months. Pour Firms InvolvtL Four of Chicago's biggest firms are concerned in tho coming prosecutions. They are Swift & Co., Armour & Co., Morris & Co., and the National Tacking Tack-ing company. Tho last named company is controlled by the other three and is believed by government investigators to be tljo agent through which tho market mar-ket is dominated and prices aro controlled. con-trolled. In addition to criminal action against the' compauies and their officers, a suit in equity is to be instituted asking the dissolution of the Rational Packing company as a combination in restraint of trade. The penalty for violation of the Sherman Sher-man law is a" fine of $5,000 or imprisonment imprison-ment for not more than" ono year or both. Federal authorities believe that the mre imposition of the fine Would" have little effect and thcrcforo will ask i tho imposition of the prison sentence I If convictions 'are secured, following the expected federal indiotments, sev ernl of Chicago's most prominent citizens citi-zens may ha.vo to go to prison. Men whoso names aro a power in the financial finan-cial and business world" and whose families havo had much- lo do with the building of Chicago will be among those who may bo imprisoned for a year. Government Is Heady. The government's programme of action ac-tion against tbo four biggest concerns of packing town is practically completed. com-pleted. The evidence by which it is said to prove tho federal anti-trust laws have bcon violated already is in hand. Many of the documents which will bo submitted in proof of the charges, aro in the possession or the department of justico nnd t havo been for more than a year. The four CQnccrns against, which tho attack is aimed are transacting an annual an-nual business in excess of 700.000.000. That tho prico of meat to the consumer has increased out of proportion to the greater price paid to the farmers, the difference .going into expanded dividends divi-dends which competition fails to cut down, is a 'contention of the government. govern-ment. Armour it Co.. Swift k Co., Morris & Co. and the Natioual Packing coinpany are the houses uamed. The business which theso houses transact, yearly, as revealed by tho public statements required re-quired "by fhe" state of Massachusetts, was as follows: fcwitr,. .-Jou.uuu.mju ; Armour, $2-10.000,000; Morris, $110,000,-000; $110,000,-000; National Packing company. $100,-000,000; $100,-000,000; total, $700,000,000. Plans of Attack. Tho attack which the a"gonls of tho government contemplate presents throe possiblo courses as follows: Criminal prosecution of the packers, for alleged violation of tho federnl anti-trust laws; punishment, in case of conviction, would be $5,000 .lino or imprisonment not exceeding one year. Civil biiit against tho National Packing Pack-ing company, attacking its right to continue con-tinue business in alleged violation ot tho anti-trust laws; dissolution of tho companj- would bo tho punishment sought. , Inauguration of proceedings in con-tempt;, con-tempt;, on the charge that tho injunction imposed by Judge (Trossc.up five years ago. forbidding fixing prices or restraining re-straining trade, had been disobeyed; punishment would be whatever the court, saw fit, to impose. Heads of the beef lru.l made a few concilia lory declarations: J. Ogdon Armour ' X am satisfied that the price of meat is too high, but it is caused by the high wages which we have, to nay." Edward Tildon "Tho price- of meat is not. exorbitant. The most of this talk of trusts is sheeny demagogic. I dou'tHcc how tho government, can take iiny,kaction against the National Pack-iug Pack-iug company.' Louis F. Swift ''High prich of meat ft duo to the high price of grain. Farmers Farm-ers aro not. fccding-tlieir irniin to stock but aro holding it nnd selling it at A'cry high figures." MILWAUKEE. Wis.. Jnu. 22. Patrick Pat-rick Cudahv of Omaha, one of tho biggest big-gest of the beef barons, today said: "Tho fnrmors nro the cause of the present hich prices. Tho far mors lost money during the .1007 panic, by feed-Continued feed-Continued on Page Two. CHICAGO PACKERS MAY GO TO PRISON Continued Prom Pago Ono. ing stock and then sold all they could, so that there is a scarcity of products." |