Prescott journal. [volume] (Prescott, Wis.) 1861-1871, 1869-05-07

xii tuc ttSuio VI cefucct OteCueslOu Will
the Chicago aud st. Louis journals, aud
not only is il attracting tho attention of
grain buyers and shippers. but even the
great srmy Of producers and consumers
als waking up TO the importance of the
movement. aud watching intently its de
NelOpment aud progress. The orgaDiza
ton Of mammoth transportation com
psuy in ST. Louis, for the purpose of
moving the produce of the West to
Eastern and foreign markets, via New
Orleans. has caused mighty stir among
tie freight companies of Chicago, Butfa
10 and New York. The ruinous tariff.
which have been exscted on the ship
ment of grain by way of Chicago, have
been = grevious burden to the producer
and consumer alike. The greater share
of the profits of grain raising has been
absorbed by these greedy. sOulless corpo-
rations. 1t costs over fifty cents TO trans
port bushel of wheat from the Missis
sippi River via Chicago to New York
1t is estimated that this rate can be
cheapened nearly oDe-haIf by forward
ing grain by the Mississippi river and
ocean route. Whatever amount it is
lessened raises the value of grain in an
equal degree. II the freighls from this
place to New York or Liverpool could
be reduced twenty five cents per bushel
on wheat, it would add just that to tho
price of grain in this market. Our farm.
era would then reap the reward of their
lsboIs instead of lining the pockets of
capitalists with the hard earned proceeds
of their toll.
There is not the least doubt but that
the producers of the Yves: have been at
the mercy of grinding transportation
monopoly for years past. Already it
begins to quake and tremble in the pres
cnce Of this new movement. AMI it
is busy devising schemes to lesson its
own rates of transportation, or break up
The new company organized a; ST. Lou
is, by attempting to prove That tue trans
portstion Of grain by the way of New
Orleans is altogether impracticabIe, and
that the heat of that climate will ever in-
terpOse barrier against safe shipment
10y that route. But the latter has thus
far proved unsuccessful. aud the former
more reasonable and generous movement
j, made 10y the Boards of Trade Of Chic.
ago. Milwaukee. and the cities eastward,
By which means they hope to control the
grain trade of the West in the future rs
they have in the past. A Commercial
Convention, composed of delegates from
the Boards of Trade of Milwaukee, Chi
rsgo. Detroit, Toledo, Cleveland, Oswe-
go, Buffalo and New York, met in Chi.
cago on the 2sih uIt., to take into consid-
GRAFTON the question OF ehesrening the
cost of transporting the products of the
Northwest to tho seaboard. In speaking
of the meeting, the Republican says:
The Commercial Convention, which
met in our city yesterday. has underta-
ken q refoTmaIory movement of highest
Importance not only to Chicago, but to
the whole Northwest. A general con
viction prevail that the freight charges be-
tween this section and the Atlantic tide
water are exhorbitsnt and should be aba
tel Thus the cost of moving bushel
OF gEsin from q point two hundred miles
west of Chicago to New York is not
less than So cents. This unavoid.
able outlay is added TO the price of The
grain in The Eastern markets and enters
iuto the price of all its changes of form
and place subsequently,. This is injuri-
Gus to. producer rs well as consumer
Before the day Of steam transportation.
the expense of moving hushei of grain
evon few hundred miles was so great
As to restrict lis market to a very limited
area in the neighbnrhood of the farm
where the grain vas grown. The pres
ent exhorbitant freight charges which
have brought ths Commercial COnven-
ton into existence, operate in the same
general manner TO restrict the inter-
cha~ge Of commerce. though TO much
less extent.
There is not an interest of or section
or .of the sections through which trans
portatinn takes place, but is injuriously
affected. directly or remotely, by The ex
horbitant tariff Of charges. Indeed, the
project of dcviating the grain trade into
an entirely new channel, having ST. Lou
is for its distributing mart, and the Mis-
sissippi for its outlet to the OCEAN, has
been engendered by the very conditions
of which there is much complaint, and
TO which it is proposed to apply the SOW
ereign remedy of reduction While
Chicago has nothing to fear from the
plan of turning the current of grain
transportation down the Mississippi riYor,
yet watchful eyes in every direction are
narrowly observant Of the situation, an
capital and effort in rival quarters will be
ready TO take advantage Of any slip Of