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About Morning Oregonian. (Portland, Or.) 1861-1937 | View Entire Issue (July 16, 1919)
THE MORNING OREGOXIAX, AVEDXESDAY, JULY 1G, 1919. PACKER TO LIMIT BUSK L". E. Beebe Says Kenyon Bill Is Socialistic Measure. POWER CALLED ARBITRARY Inherent Rights of Americans to En gage in More Than One Trade Declared to Be Violated. The Kenyon bill, which is now before the senate committee on agriculture and forestry, will, if it becomes a law, establish, in practical effect, govern ment .operation of the packing houses of the United States by means of an elaborate licensing system, according to L. E. Beebe, a special representa tive of Armour & Co., who is now in the city. The bill also requires all persons en gaged in the business of slaughtering livestock or preparing the products for sale to sell and dispose of, within two years, and any stockyards, or interest therein, owned by them. Jt will also prevent those engaged in the livestock business from engaging in any other business or in the sale or manufacture of any other food product, and also takes the meat refrigerator cars out of the control of the present owners. Bill Is Called Socialistic. "This socialistic bill." said Mr. Beebe, "gives the secretary of agriculture ar bitrary power to grant or withhold a license to any packing plant now in op eration. After the license has been granted, the bill gives him the same ar bitrary power to make such rules and regulations for the conduct of the busi ness as he may see fit. He is em powered to regulate prices, to prescribe the method of doing business, the char acter of the plants to be used, the method of handling livestock and is given authority to regulate every branch of business. "Each licensee is compelled to agree in advance, at the time the license is issued, to obey every such regulation, past or future, whether valid or not. In short, the secretary of agriculture is given complete autocratic power to run the packing business of the United States, even to the point of requiring any packing plant to open all its facili ties to accommodate other manufac turers and shippers. "In requiring the sale of the stock yards the bill does not suggest any pur chaser, but it prohibits those who de veloped them and are most vitally in terested in their continued efficient operation from investing in thenr. Business Man's View Given. "Last year Armour & Co. bought $7,000,000 worth of miscellaneous prod ucts in Oregon fish; fruit, vegetables, dairy prodnco and the like yet if this bill becomes a law the secretary cv.n compel the packers immediately to sell and abandon every branch of their bus iness except that of slaughtering and preparing for sale livestock products. This would deprive the consuming pub lic of the marketing facilities of the various packers, which are an instru ment in reducing the cost to the con sumer of many commodities, and at the . same time limiting the right of the American business man to engage in more than one business at a time. "The interstate commerce commission recently found that the present method of private ownership of meat and re frigerator cars was the most efficient system that could be established, yet the Kenyon bill would take the cars out of the control of the present own ers, without any proper safeguards in suring efficient service in the handling Of most perishable products. Provisions Called I'nfalr. "The bill contains many administra tive provisions that are utterly unfair. un-American and autocratic. It presents a situation entirely unprecedented in legislation affecting American business in peace times. With the issuing of licenses at the sole discretion of the secretary of agriculture a single in fctance of impropriety may result in the revocation of the license of an en tire business. It makes every packer liable to lose bis license by reason of an act or omission of any agent or employe of his, without any default of his own or of the responsible heads of the business. It limits the free right of appeal to the courts, which is in herent in every American citizen. "If this bill, which practically pro vides for government operation of the business of packing-houses, stockyards, dealers in dairy products and poultry, becomes a law, it is a stepping-stone to government operation and govern ment ownership of every basic industry in the1 United States, committing us to paternalism and socialism, from which there may be no turning back. "The packing business deals in a per ishable commodity and is infinitely more complex than railroading. iov ' eminent operation of this industry would result in even greater disaster to it." FORD ALTERS HIS VIEWS Continued "From Virst Fa e. the enormous waste that comes with out email army ami navy 145.000 of 1 he count ry's hpst sperimens of man hood who produce nothing, who are as much a burdpn to the country as the insane and the poor would be un der national supervision. "Mr. telavipne said that, but T was responsible explained Mr. Kord. "1 1 was an attempt to educate the public to the waste involved in all armies." Mr. Stevenson asked why Mo Ford had not heeded his famous advertise ment, "Concerning Overp re pared ness," if that was what he meant. 1 cannot tell," said the witness, 'that was always what 1 meant, though, v hen I spoke of preparedness.' Mr. Stevenson then took up the sub ject of the national pruard. 'Isn't it true. Mr. Kord, that you oppose any of your employes joining the national guard?'' "No." Change of Mind Admitted. The l"elavigne articles, written in Til.- I'nril'K n -i nip fnm m n H fd PrpsiHnt AVilson for opposing an army of 3"o.000 in 1916. and later when the president became convinced that preparedness was necessary, accused nim oi incoii eistency. "What inconsistency?" asked the at torney. "Perhaps he changed his mind in a very short time." "You have changed your mind, too. "haven't you?" "Yes." "lon't you think the president has a rlsrlU to change his mind as con ditions change?" "Yes." Mr. Stevenson, sucrjzested that in the 3-"ord view when JVesiden t Wilson be came an apostle of preparedness he became an apostle of murder. "Mr. Delavigne used that word." "Vou approved it and you understood It meant an advocate of murder, a teacher of missionary advocating mur der?" "Yes, sir. i "Was it Mr. Delavigne'a job to mis represent your views, or to represent them," Mr. Stevenson asked. "To express my views as nearly as he could." "You advertised to the world that they were your views; the world knew nothing of Delavigne as far as they knew it was Henry Kord speaking:?" "Yes, sir." "And Henry Kord was savin? that the president was a vacillator; that he was keeping the truth from the people and that he had no military reason for changing his mind?" "While I think that Criticism was not what I would have said personally, still it is a good thing for a president to be criticised." the witness replied. One article suggested that while the president was arguing for prepared ness it was to be remembered that it was a presidential election year. "It is time for the voter to remind his congressman and any other candi date who may seek his favor that the people will not spend their money to arm against invading ghosts conjured up by the president," quoted Mr. Ste venson. ''Well, the president may have want ed to be re-elected and thought that the end justified the means." Attorney Stevenson introduced - a pamphjet containing pacifist argu ments which, witness admitted, was widely distributed at his expense in li16. AVar Murder," Says ltne-.au Mr. Stevenson quoted Mr. Ford as saying "preparedness is the root of war." "That meant over-preparedness, said Mr. Ford. "What do you mean when you say that war is murder?" "War of aggression." "And those who urge preparedness advocate murder?" "Over-preparedness, yes." Witness said that sane preparedness for defense was legitimate. He had no quarrel with it. "President Wilson was one of those who urged the preparedness which you call murder?" "Over-preparedness; I am strong for preparedness now." "You were not In 1913." Pershing Deemed Murderer. "I thought preparedness at that time was adequate." Witness said that he considered pro fessional soldiers those who made their living of it were murderers. 1 "That includes General Pershing?" asked Mr. Stevenson. "Those who commit murder are murderers. If war is murder than pro fessional soldiers are murderers. Regarding the matter in the pamphlet prepared by Theodore Delavigne, Mr. Ford said: "I authorized them and I am respons ible. Often I didn't know what was in them.' "Did you know what was in your widely published page advertisement opposing preparedness?" "I don't believe I read that- I sent out many things to make people think, without reading them," said Mr. Ford. "In 1915 you told a Tribune reporter that you had no belief in history; that it was nothing but tradition?" "I think so now more than ever," ad mitted the manufacturer. "But you wrote that Mn all history I cannot find one man who justified war?" queried the lawyer. Testimony CauseM Laughter. "Mr. Delavigne wrote that.'' Witness reaffirmed that, so far as he was concerned, history was "bunk" and music and other arts of no interest. "Then you confess that fthe Tribune was right when it called you an ig norant idealist?" persisted Mr. Steven son. "Did the editorial say that?" "Yes." "Well, I am not ignorant of all things." "Automobiles, for instance." "Yes." "Business?" "Yes." "Well, you admit that you are an ig norant idealist ?' "No, I do not." "You admit, then that you are merely ignorant of many things?" "Yes." "Well, let us see; what are the funda mental principles of our 'government?" "That is a large order," said th witness. "There is much difference of opinion about that." put in Attorney Murphy, one of counsel for the plaintiff. "Well," continued Mr. Stevenson, "can you change congress without an election ?' "I think we can change Mr. New berry." countered the witness amid laushter. Political mhltlon-4 Denied. Mr. Ford is contesting the recent senatorial election in which he was defeated on the face of returns by Truman H. Newberry. 'Then you still wish to be senator?" asked the lawyer. "No." answered the manufacturer with emphasis. Attorney Alfred Lucking, counsel for Mr. Ford, protested at the questions concerning ignorance. "To know one subject well is enough for any one intellect," said Mr. Luck ing "Mr. Ford knows every nut and bolt in his great factory, yet if I were to take Brother Stevenson in there he would show a profound ignorance." "Unless we have the league of na tions we should prepare up to the hilt for war," said Mr. Ford. "You think now that preparedness would be an insurance against war. don't you?"' "If it v. as used irr.mediatcly to clean up the situation." Th. subject of the San Francisco preparedness day bomb outrage was brought up by Mr. Stevenson, who sought to establish an analogy be tween the men who incited the bomb throwing and Mr. Ford's own propa ganda against preparedness. TonKcr.pt Ion Held Kalreat. Tne witness said that if an army had to be built he regarded conscrip tion as the fnirest way. "Do you believe that it is the duty of a. government to defend its citi zens?" asked the Tribune lawyer. "Yes. sir." "How?" "By petting prepared up to date." "But in 1115-16 you were advocating oisa rmament ?' "Yes,, for the whole world." Mr. Stevenson read from a statement by Mr. Kord, advocating that the United States take the lead in disarming and remarking that the whole world would follow. "Well, I meant the world. I was not interested in the United States disarm ing. 1 was thinking of the world. "You wanted our country to lead?" jJ LaaL silling The Greatest Name in Goody-Land ICeep Cool Don't let the hot weather sap your strength. Keep cool while the mercury climbs with one of our little breeze-makers. You can sit in your home or office in comfort on sweltering days that would otherwise be unbearable. EIGHT-INCH WESTINGHOUSE FAN Jz U r J $11-22 Complete with cord and plug. For 1 cent you can operate one of these fans for four hours. It's port able, can be carried from room to room. SIXTH at PINE ELECTRIC CO WE DELIVER "I think It would be" a good thins right at the present time." "Didn't you ever read history?" "Myself? Quite a. little." "What histories have you read?" An objection was interposed and Mr. Stevenson argued to the court: "Plaintiff charges that he was libelled when the Tribune called him an ignorant Idealist." "I ad-nit I am ignorant about most things." volunteered Mr. Ford. He qualified his previous testimony by stating that he was beginning to have a little appreciation .of art, and as to music, liked the banjo. 0 U know the realm of child hood dreams is a land of sweets. 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