The anti-monopolist. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1874-1878, 1875-10-04

payiny more for acheat than they could
possibly afford to pay!! The result is
thus stated by the Glencoe Register, a
Republican paper:
Now nobody can sell a bushel of wheat in
Minneapolis but Messrs. VaDAuken Il Lange
Ii this is not monopoly, we don't understand
the meaning of the word. The millers have
an undoubted right to select their own agents,
but why send out an agent to monopolize the
wheat trade in every little village in the State
The grain will find its way into their elevators,
without an agent to conductit
Weare not complaining so mnch of what
the market is now, as what 1t is liable to be-
come under one mans control. Competition is
the life of trade. This making one man auto
crat of the wheat market won't do. 1t is too
large an interest to be placed in the hands OF
a single persOn;--lt he were an angel from
Heaven, the people would suspect him The
Millers' Association had better attend to its le-
| gitimate business of receiving and manufac-
turing grain at home, paying what they can
afford to pay for it delivered in their elevators
after it has come to them through the regular
channels of trade and if they can not compete
successfully with other markets, let them shut
up their mills and quit the business. .s.
The Winona Republican says:
Within the last ten days the Minneapolis
mlIers have made Messrs. VanAuken & Lange
| their agents for buying all the wheat ON the
| line of the Hastings and Dakota railroad This
arrangement of course drives all other parties
out of the market, and gives to Messrs. Van
Auken K Lange a complete monopoly Of the
,cheat trade as far as the Minneapolis market
| rs concerned. ...
Now observe the shameful and shall
| low defence made by the millers. through
the columns of the Minneapolis Tribune ::
Th Mlller's Ring, ]enter the market to buy
so much wheat, and no more, as is necessary to
run their mills, and III doing so come in COM
petition with all who buy for shipment and
speculation. Their necessities compel them
70 pay better prices than can be afforded by
speculative buyers, and consequently they have
kept the prices for ,cheot far above what the
farmers would have received but for their COM
petition. -+t.t -
If this were true, that they were pay
ing better prices than the outside buyers,
why should they form ii ring to drive
these buyers out of the market9 The
mere fact that they paid more would
give them all the grain. But in the
same article they admit that they formed
the ring because they could not pay as
high prices as the buyers. and therefore
they drove them out of the market.
They may even treat the farmers fairly
rs to prices until after election. for one
of the members of the Ring, Mr. Pills
bury. is 4 candidate for governor; and
it would not pay to stir the people up TO
too much Indignation until after their
votes are polled; but when the election
is over an. they have got full control of
| the markets, what is to prevent them
from putting the price oil wheat down to
any figure they please? And what rem
edv have the farmers? II they haul their
wheat twenty or forty miles to another
town there they again encounter the
monopoly. Even holding their wheat
over until spring will not help them,
| for the monopoly, unless arrested by
| legislation next winter. will endure as
| long as the greed of the miilers endtres
aud ii Pillsburv Is elected governor al
his influence will be quietly used to pre-
vent remedial legislatIon
And the worst OF it all is that the rail
road company has combined with the
Ring. And see how cunningly they
evaie the law which SAYS that they
| shall not charge one man tor transpor-
tation more than another The Tribune,
1.-The only clean-eut Republican paper
ia the State. and the organ of Mr.. Pills.
bury and the Ring. says:
First. we will refer to what he terms vio-
| lation OF the law by the railroad company. The
| railroad charges the millsrs their regular tariff
from the point where the wheat is shipped tC
/ Milwaukee or Chicago. bat In transit allows
them To unload the wheat It the mills, grind
Il and ship the -four to Chicago, reliering them
from the focal rates bs.,essa ths ppfr,s Of shig-
ment oad the mills. For convenience the,
make this reduction on fright on wheat keep.
inc strict account with the mills nf the orail.
sity of wheat received and -four shipped, anc
If at any time the receipts OF wheat show al
excess of flour shipped. the mills pay the extrs
local freight.
What q subtle distinction is that -
the r. X, Co., don't discriminate in ia
vor OF the Ring, but it ..relieves the
Ring of the local rates - That is "whip
ping the devil around the stump witt
!. a vengeance! And then the Tribun,
adds, with sarcastic grin:
II The wheat markets. Just as open and free a
: Glencoe rs ii ever was, and Mr.. Reed will fin
the Minneapolis market Just as accessible (
!. than city inspection and actual weights
Yes; Mr.. Reed can buy wheat an
ship it to Minneapolis and pay % cen,
7 per hundred freight. while Van Auke
Il Lange who buy along side of him. pa
but 16 cents and Mr.. Reed would be
the bankrupt court in three months. ]
| this faira Is it right2 Is it even Lawful
Is this the equality of citizenship befor
e the law which is the foundation stone {
5 our free Institutions
4 There is but one remedy: elect Hor
5 D. L. Bnell governor and state ticks
e and Legislature that will support him
: the work of Reform. Do this and "
! viii smash the Miliers' Ring and put
l stop to railroad determinations.