La Grande evening observer., May 28, 1921, Image 7

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VOLUME XXIV
'V
STATE
Industry's
Two Days Session Attract Large Atten
dance of Men and Women Who are
Principal Live Stock Raisers of State
PROFITEERING BELIEVED
TO REST WITH BUTCHER
Strong Talks Made by Men Well
Stkk and Wipe Out Debts Caused by Deflation
Seemed to be Stockmen's Religion
(By Bruce Dennis)
Oregon's Horse .and Cattle Raisers Association has closed
its annual meeting at Canyon City, but in doing so it set in
motion waves of sound and action that will gather momentum
and have a decided- cITect lij)on the industry throughout the
state aiid Northwest.
11 was a body of serious minded men and women, serious
to a point of intensity, for each grower realizes his financial
condition; each grower appreciates the fact that after building,
. 0 1
up his cattle bands on the basis of high values, suddenly the
inops have been kicked out from under the industry and it is;
now facing losses that on one
Not only do they realize
other factor of even greater
credit which in the future will
nit-riy given, and they are aware that the blame of this laucr ; representative of Swift & Company's
condition should rightfully be placed upon the Federal Reserve Portland branch he warned him that
, . I if present conditions continue the cat.
banking system and its management. , tlo business of Oregon will go the way
The growers also -realize, and after considerate discussion, I the hog business went and even the
the realization crytalized, that Jhe reail butcher is the man jI,arTn" t' Darnel, because
who is making the Tremendous profit on the beef steer from the'of his connection with the packers,
time it leaves the feed lot unitl it isserved in the hotel dining I Mr Pierce explained that nothing prr-
sonal was me':int for he realized that
roum- ' - " MS , 4 I ! Mr. Darnell was but a bellboy for the
. No. one is fooling the Oregon cattle raiser, for much as hejbig business of the present system.
iiHi-lplesir to; resist the onslaught on his business, lie realizes! ''And'''eHid M,r- ricrc10.' "g""! if.
, , . ,, . ithe truth were known the Swifts are
who is taking the toll and forcing the consumer to pay fancy onV bellboys for those, still higher un
prices for beef, mutton and pork, when the price going to the 'on the industrial ladder a product of
producer scarcely pays his taxes
r -
But with all these things
land outline a few reasons why gencr
firmly established no state ev- ;a! conditions should change.
cr possessed a better class of
citizens to help readjust mat-
over the new John Hay Highway was
tcrs all along the line than arelwell worth .while. Let us call alien-
the Oregon live stock growers.
mi i i At i
lliey .know where they are be -
"jryped" but they are going to
stick; they know that debts
Will be following them" for SCV-i
oral years to come because of
this slump and
unbalanced i
condition of
.!. l...fsnort distance, to find
nevertheless they gritted their
.ppth at f'anvnn f'itv and pv.
I.CCU1 HI HIlVOIl lly tlllU
... ... .i
iiiessuu uuiernu nation w awu
tlin linmo 'firm luirninir (n im.
prove J he grade of their ijve!ali""',urP,'sp-'i' but " w:n'1 i""
Ispcctton each pennant carried the
Stock and keep thc range Slip-Wand of some cattle man In the statr
plied with thc beef steer and "nd had been made by thc ladies of
his sister, for wntcii
has long been noted.
Jfllerior Country Keadr for
You ran never ratth tht
r
o
.inlericr
country of Oregon napping. And t'ii.
instance was no exception for, be
ginning with the Hunter Valley rn'l
road out of B-iker there was rhver
fulness and good fellowship. .Conduc
tor fave Baird of the narrow gnntro
roaH had a smile for everyone and
stranger would have imagined IVive
had picnic partv in eharre. so thor
purhl ditl he Urok after thei wtnjs!
At Batesville. where, is lorired tfce
largest mill of the several oned
the 'irrgn l.umlie'r company, th-"
hoariing house of the company ha4
prepared dinner. Stagnativi. how
rVer. tas there to be seen for the
pj'iid at the mill contained a million
and half r.f fejjt, of pine lngs,athe
sidetr-tcks were billed v'h lnggii.af
cars all Lnald with .s.Tut tkr. saw.
mi'l enime were dead and
of f- f
shotved around the Ijrra plant,
e journey on to Prairie tVty was
. Th
br Tail an ongortunity o get ac-
p.(T.-tataav"c H",M ' "W. WIIL
i.tn;tj.
n.i
i;ai.h
elher'i cari
O 1
o
SECTION TWO
RAISERS
CONVENTION IS OF GREAT INTEREST
Regretable
Versed in County's Conditions
ever dreamed could occur.
these losses but . they realize an-
importance, namely the curtailed
displace the generous credit for-
and interest,
.. ,
Automobiles awaited the train at
Prairie and the drive to Canyon City
tion riht hprc to thc act that the
John Dhv highway is to be reckoned
jwith lty R00( wc
graveled and makjes a fine road to
travcI-
TJohn Day Town Wide Awake.
We entered the town of John Day,
which is located east of
( 'anyon a
the main !
street 'decorated in
most unique
manner. I,bng strings of pennants
If luttered in the Grant county breeze.
, . ,
At first they attracted littlo al
. w ..i ,i, ., ,u
usual ninr-lt nennontj. terl frr. rlr..nf.
-jonn I'ay. lamcmen searcnea lor
'tlheir brands nn neiiiiunttt and frtnml
jthem, making thc decorations decided
i ly effective and interesting.' Arches
Meeting, jof welcome were erected all along the
;strects, each being covered with green
lwughs, and on the face of every cit
izen was thc smile that is worth while.
Canyon City Open Headed.
From John
ft ly, where. Henry
iTrowbridge
lives, over lo Canyon
City is but
short Tlistanrc and soon
!""rty was entering the old town
:of Joariain Miller the town that has
been
ffc home. of notaWe charar-ters
-thi
:cwn that one haj ten thou
and ptople the town thaf gava 'up
t manriht million dollars in phcer t
irld tftf- town that i"day is one of
th- sulisiantwl, ttriviif interior
flints?
ivecriiioncommiiices lair-f swarin-T
ft. tne ton rn?l was out, ever hnc
was decorjjted and al1 v, tilers tealir-.-
jetl in an instant that a re honest
signto-g.tJatra .fmericaii rct-epUr.was
i Tis, all h
nen-d Monday evening
.--....w ..cu w . ,,T.,.a-' v. .... .....
prooram fo)tlSt evening fo. it wa
"?''! vb"! titf i"Jrts 1
wmilrl b-a
LA GRANDE.
CATTIE AND M0RSE
Condition
PIERCE SEES
MAKES .A KOKCEl'lII. TALK
THE CONVENTION.
AT
Speaker Centum Out Representative
of Swirl Company for Special
Question Of Much Interest.
Hon. Walter M. Pierce, of La
Grande was one of the chief speakers
at the second day's meeting: of the
Cattle and Horse Growers' association
mectiiifr in Canyon City this week Hiid
he made forceful talk, but his vision
of tho future indicates darkness:
After paying a glowing trihuto to
the stockmen, reviewing the good time
they had at Burns the previous year,
he -grappled with his subject, which
was "Can Cattle Growers of Oregon
Improve their Condition By Market
ing Co-operatively."
He made it plain that he was op-
P1"""'.' l '1'"m 'M commun-
ism is the last step to decay,
"To start a co-operative market
means a large investment of real
money and an extensive credit, neith
er of which tho stockmen possess
now," was the, way the speaker finally
nnalyzed his - subject "
Cattle May Follow Hogs.
Then, looking over at B. C. Darnell,
ipresenc qay ;sysiem.
"Will the capitalistic system sur
vive," demanded the speaker and then
ho told how eight per cent interest
will cat through steel posts and barb
ed wire. ,
Taxation our direct tax burden-
ihas reached thirty-five per cent of the
FUTURE
rental values of land.'' he said, "and b'" lh0 ihicr executive since organi
with a program already outlined for !,,tion "r lhc association, depicted the
thc public, it will rave reached fifty
per cent of thc rental values before
those programs are completed.''
IVoduccr's KxpensCH Too High.
He took the stand that the expense
line of the produrer is loo high to
ever permit low prices to prevail and
husiness safety follow.
His attitude towards the packers
was pronounced for hefore closing his
-pcech he asked Mr. Darnell why
.Swift was feeding cattle in Oregon
:" ' , " .. , . .
I no nr wurL-. u-hv .iv r . ,r uh nn ni,
: r- ii.. ...... - j. ,. ..',.. -.
i in tiiHiiinn i-aiiie in fin-an i.ne i un-
(land markets for Oregon cattle
why
packers warned roiailors where they
must buy their g'mdn, instead of ask
ing 'for the retailers' business.
Mr. Pierce, in closing, said with all
the dark future and with all the trou
bles besetting the cow man, he wfluld
I rat her be one of them, wading mud to
;his knees and snow to his hips, than
:to be connected with a corporation,
Must Compete With Others.
Replying to Mr. I'ierce, Mr. Darnell
admitted that he did not know why
Swift was feeding cattle except that
Kdgar Swift had large land holdings ijheir inve- lments. While wc imc 'o
in Orego i ard he'presumed he v.atited (nW-avmif g tajsc fr ird for the p'i; 'e
'o iu.1 cattle pcrsonnlly. He mid hisie see an cmeni a, industry u, g.-t
t. ,,., i. . huv Canadian ,-al.
iltt.t ,;,.(, ar, frf., of .tariff duty, I-
;r.u., nh,r f irn1H Injy' Ih-i'.i and they
a an .to cempetv. iif insiatri tnai in
p-.!i o(titl4 (nsafd the
rrtaile
"eisurtirf and ni .
It st t r.
);,rati,i j rt--nU4
. ?.
I iantkar di-iiv H,. tant.O .
I aniier inseri.-n ihl. i,.t f, u, ,.r
- T H,,i.l.A tl.f ...f..t tl.a. - .....
r.Utnstan
tim j u-a
1 talking the sf a-Je.
j ; ive. ""Wher ru manv s-iwed up, C.i
y i i (' UiU- ilecldi
L.''e
iii.T.' to oien
Inc. fun wa Vn :he r,wd arrive.U
r-pi..i. v.i.ii.i, - ,ii.ii m tu u.
ing in the aud O.rium uilt expr sly
Ifn, tha iliirkm,n', enOantirtft
AO. V
MEMBER OF .THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
OREGON. SATURDAY, MY
Reviewed
TALK
i
A A ' A .
Why He Could Not Pay
'The following interesting letter from an Oregon slockraiser
in reply to his banker asking him to pay 4is note, was read
at the annual nteeling of the Cattle and Horse Raisers Associa
tion at Canyon City, and so hit the general conditions of
every farmer, that it was printed In a prominent place In the
minutes of the convention... The letter follows:
"For the following reasons I am unable to send you the
vheck asked for:
"I have been held up, held
sat on, flattened out and squeezed. First by the United States
Government for federal taxes, the excess profits tax, and the
Liberty Iroan bonds, thrift, capital, slock tax, merchants' li
cense and auto tax, and by every society and organization that
the inventive mind of man can invent to extract what I may
or may not possess. , . . -
"From the Society of John the Baptist, the 0. A. K tho
Women's Relief, the Navy League, the Red Cross, the Black
Cross, the Purple Cross, the Double Cross, the Children's Home,
the Dorcas Society, the Y. M. ('. A., the Y. W. C. AM the Hoy
Scouts, the Jewish Relief, the Belgium Relief and every hospi
tal in town. Then on top of all comes the Associated Chanties.
"The government has so governed my business that I
don't know who owns it. I am inspected, suspected, examined
and re-examined, informed, required and commanded so I don't
know who I am, or why I am here. "All I know is that I am
supposed to be an inexhaustible supply of money for every
known need, desire or hope of the known race; and because
I will not sell all I have and go out. and beg, borrow or steal
money to give away, I have been cussed, discussed, boycotted,
talked to, talked about, lied to, lied about, held up, held down,
hung up, robbed and nearly ruined, and the only reason I am
clinging to life is to see what in the hell Is coining next.
Pollman Depicts the True
Situation of the Year. 1 92 1
liakor Man Who Has ttecn the
Chief Executive Since the
Organization of thc Associa
tion Declares Stockmen .A,re
Not to Blame- For Trying to
Raise More Cattle.
With the opening of the convention
President William Pollman.- who has
true situation that confront the
stock it en i rd told of the reasons why
the iniiutlry is so hard hit.
Mentioning the encouragement the
'ivciiinicnl had given to greater live
stock production, which in turn caused
money for that industry to b'.onie
freer, he tt-rtcd that stockmen am nut
lo blame for having stretched them
selves to comply with requests from
Washington to raise more cattle. The
fact that every producer tried to na-
,. .' "" " " r
if irvmv Ihal a mi.tr rn ,lr..n u-r.nl. I
I ,1. !.. .,. .
urt-.i iriitt; un-iii, in I rimer to on enm-
i mended than censured, according to
the president of tho stockmen.
"It is well to review that portion
of the history, ' remarked Mr. Poll
man, "but conditions confront m now
vri'ch no h.nger are theories, and in
those conditions' it is plain tc sc. in-
.iustices that cannot bo overlooked.
'Kor instance, while we as livestock
jproducers are facing great financi-i
:)if fu-ully and embarrassment, the
transportation lines if llii nation
iare, by ' t of co.igress, practically.
.guaranteed six pr cent earnir.g on
Itinr 'Mir Dr..d'u-ts lo market exjit'iav
fiml " never i.t fore heard of r-U-r'.
TVakmwtatioa Art Hia4r.
"Kither afiifndment or penl of
verai icaturca in tne transport :it
erf is impcrama aS mum be b'.fjvM
ipVit, as also must a Went prnteti
live tariff be ptiil.li; hed on livestock
ft oilier fam protlucts.
f "ta-.m .my mit 4c practic.J hy ev-
Irr.ll. .!.,! I.v nr. r.na I....IU.
J- ' j r...., uibv uic
w.vwnotie fxliirer. We: as ayi iorf'j;.
!try, cannol.quit. Most livestock men
f aye srient tht-Tr !ivrJ in the busii.a
iThcy'caanot wail liecausc nf financial
ceiression. ine'han. or mH nrre v j...i:
on therngesfthe Oregon reuge fs
fcootj, the hiy land will rodu0 tacn
year, and vp can no mtrre quit tSb
s! tha?. c-n
a mrehant t?tQ
.Us!',j
28, 1921
SIX
OB
and Future Problexms
down, sandbagged, walked on,
to quit business who huppehs to hutui
a year when his business shows losses
instead of profit.
Hans for rc-finnncmg many men
must como, about and the hill recently
introduced in congress by Senntor
Htanficld, unless tangled up with too
much governmental red tape, should
bring some relief, for it provides for
loans of sufficient time, lo Ul the
stockman come back."
President Pollman spoke praise of
the association for sticking together
and urged upo-, all tho importance
now, of all times, of li'ittliug with a
solid front for the rights wliich hate
been trampled down.
ON FIRST DAY
OFSES!
BRliCK DKNNIH ATTKMPTS
IrOCATE PUOKH v.m.
TO
Mao Who Makes Profit, Between the
I ee4 X) and the Hotel Dining
t able. Believed- lUsruvered
"Who Is the Profiteer behind the
Ked Irot and the Hotel Dining Table"
waa the snbjer- assigned to Bruje
Dennis of the Observer thc first dav
of the convention.
Th spanker thougU h ItM-alfd that
slippeiw individual known as therof
ilee in the retail buti h. . This is
Quite true, but th. buw; saya h'e is
not gettiii rich. 'rthei- saarch
shows there aire tod 'many 'butchers,
which makes "too much Vvi-lic.-l
Irharges., forcing the peopl lo pa
:liviU 11. il r-v-,, aiik inrr.
ber of. rel.fiers. which the present
ststem of marketing .-rrnits. the fact
Irmsin that IU a.iil..e l ,.Li.
the bir ioney in handling the beef
.1
urnm r nrn, urpr in infl Pd itunipr.
Itrlaile
makes rrnni. a,
..0. al.
fleivaral discussion from miiiers of
tla assm iation supporWd this theory
and it was Cncrally conceded fi be a
r- - " . . j . . i- . ,
biifDackinr houses, hut facts din.i,
eL at he aS'aon . meeting uw
.-f f---. .
o
PAGES
FUTURE
E C.
TELLS OF C0IIQI11S
' With a clear concoptlou of con
ditions as they ara and with a
clean cut opinion as to tho future,
course of stockmen, George. C. Mc
Mullen, commission msn for lltn Kti,.
sas City Stockmen, delivered tiiu fol-loivri's-
speech at tin Canyon Chy
lonvcntion:
"1 am ploasod lo he VHh you
aguiu this yoar at your annual con
vention. "In those, troublous tlmos of ro
adustmunt I am glad that I am con.
nortnd with tho livestock Industry
In prnroronco to any olhor Induatry
that I know or. In fact, thoy are.
all badly uhot to pleceB. Whllo t
think tho cattlo and sheep men
have boon hit lis hard or moro no
than uny oilier class or buslnoa
men and that brings somo reaent
iii on t mid produces u (eollng that
gonorul condltlona should bo dllfor.
cut and it deslro to bettor them.
Tho ploaauro ot bolng u atock
nian lloa In tho fact that I am as
sociated with the games and squar
es t mou on Earth, who do not
whluo and growl when mlverslty
hits thorn.- It may be Unit tho torn
poriime.nl or a,, livostock man la
moulded by tho clionccs ho takes;
by wind, rain and aunahlno; by tho
market uncertainties, high rrolght
rates, tight monoy mid (Jod only
knows what all. . ...
' ' Ktockiiien ilro Oplli ililstlc
Hlockmon arc, us a rulo, optimists
and do voiy littlo honoring. But,
for tho Inst your and a hair, thoy
havo had a big holler cotnlug, but
thoy havo taknn thcrr niodlclno with
tho least kicking of any class of
business men I know of. Thoy just
aeein lo leel mora In a Ood in
Ilea vnn and all Is well.
A good iiiaiiy of us, In tho last
niglilooii mouths, havo foil lilio u
coituln wild and i-oi-.klcss follow
who, having lioeit ropHutedly ex
horted by a good iiiliilstor lo ro
peut and chiingo his ways, mid who
was caught in a ryciono and whlib-d
lliiough tho air for about a mile
or ao and landed on a haystack,
"When ho recovered conacioun
ness, tho siMiio in I ii hi t c r was with
hi mi and remarked to liiui: "Jim,
v hat might hnvo hnppenod lo you It
(lud had not boon Willi' your" Jim
answered, "If lit waa with mo. Hi
waa Hiiro going souio.'t- So It is
with us, wlioover has boon engaged
In tho livestock Industry Mr the
past eighteen uiunllia has bcuu go
ing cumo.
Back 'ti lull lrcti-1.
However, this much Is certain,
tha livestock liulustiy, though hU
haul and joltwl bark to prc-wal
pi leu b'tala befora any lAher busi
ness In fact, It Is about tho only
business that is down to tho 1914
Invol will bo tho first to luol re
turning prosperity. .
"Th's may iol happen today or
tomorrow or within tho next thirty
days, biU 4 do tool and hopo that
wo will "nolo ,i malarial Impiove
mevil iM-forc'tho first f the com
ing year. ,
Itoiiiember then? are oi. hirti
dred aud'teii inflllvo pmpio in tht.
Cnlted Slates ahn liaw, It, Aul anH
1l-rn aro tevcraT hundnal nilllona
of people in lAirope who wo'8 fin
to(eat, and thoy will tome day.
"Tho chb and 'flow of the work
er'a nutclftisintr uo-Aer caiiiini 'm
fixed aa Ut tliiiollinlt, Ijit tbey
pi'.-ip vuiiiroi inn tiemaiKi lor moav.
On the olhor hand. It-titlieM a li.l.
ed time to produco beef. Tho re.
fductloj lo cattlo production has
.".receded Olbo Increase In thnoun
I rlovmp0 pn.j thi Igtrlnnlnj of
NtfrBEK 202
4. . a
Discussed
an increase In cattlo production
Buouia begin now If It returns to
normal by the time the working
man's status returns to normal. -
Beef Supply Less.
"Tho' Biipply of boor cattle ' la
the United States January 1st rr
this year was about 4V4 per cent
loss than ' January 1st. man. .nr
about 10 por cent less than. 1919.
i lurtnor reduction will show on
anuary 1st, 1922.
"The statistics ehnw (hat la.t
fall thoro were' more cows, heifers
aim brooding stuff shipped to mar
kot from tho rungo from Texas and
the Southwest, In fact, from all
uiouuiog countries, regardless ot
prices, than thoro has for a great
many years. You know (hit ihi
cau only last so long until tho
ureoaors will do out ot ammuni
tion. You cuu euesa what will hap
pen tuou."" .'" . -, '
While, at present, conditions In
tho livostock Industry, lha sima as
In , all other , tndustrlntt. ant vasv
liscouragllv. 1 really Uiink tha In.
Icul thing to do with prices for
-attio relatively low and the sunolv
bolow normal. Is to get back Into
the producing game. . You cunuot
shift productloa ror any length of
imo. without brluKinir a Dorln.1
whon all would wlBli tney had,
muUo the anto.
"Wutor always Hceks tin lnvel ' an
With tho Cattlo and ahnnil humna.a
This la tho muin Indiiali-v or thia
great country., You know the guuie.
bo sues 10 your traao.
, l'lgurca on Improvement,
'An OXHOrt buvor hna pnenrilttr.
boon purchasing heavy boot steers
on tho Kansas City market, which
i'liiproVOd nrlcou Ulalnrlnllv . Ihm,
cattlo aro moving Into Old Mexico
uom. loxns, Arizona and Now Mox
bio. An Knallah cotnnunv in Tihrt
eala, Bouth Atrlcu, Is buying grade
anil pure bred cows and hmn m
Amorlcu, so it looks to ma tiva wa
should begin to tlguro on Iraprov-
n g conditions In the livestock mar.
kOtS Wllhlll a. Slinrt limn Wka
prices will be In tho future would
ou noining more than a mere guess,
bllt thO OOlllt 1 Want to tllV almaa
upon la that wo havo passed that
portou wnon wo will bo culled upon
to accept fuithor mutorial roauo
llon, jind conditions ate vtrongly
favorable for a bolter demand.
"I bollovo that 1 am nf rv, .
saying thin thoro iu more feed In
tho United Htatoa, from one eud to
tho other, with a few.exceptions.
mini mere lias boon for a ereat
many years.
"Tho vora bolt still has approx
imately ono. third of last year's corn
crop on hand, a big reserve of rough
f'Jcd and an excellent graaa pros
pect In sight, and, lr financial con."
dltlons woulil eaao up some, which
t think they, will, we ought to have '
a pretty good market for stocker
and feeder cattle cfui-.jg tnio sum
mer and fair.
. Jltmee i-'or Cut In l-'rofghl.
I also hopo to see the rallrosds
rut freight rates on livestock so
thai you cau alilp Kast again, and
not be forced to self bur stock at
ono market, regardless or price,
etc? ,
a
'iWhen the time coin's we hope
lo eoo you on tl?o Kiftias City
market again, where we have (Ive
targe, packing bouseHand the big
gest atockor and fuedor market in -the
worlff. . .
'ast yoarire handled 7 V4 mil
lion head of cattle and, ot that
(ConPuied on Page Two) .
M MULLEN
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