The daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1873-1877, 1876-02-21
LIE WIS STEWARD
THE INDEPENDENT CANDIDATE
FOR GOVERNOR OF
ILLINOIS.



Hon. Lewis Steward, of Plano, Kendall
county, ILL.,, delivered a speech in the
cheap transportation convention, held not
long ago. that shook up the dry bones Of
Chicago, and its members of the board of
trade, so that it was suppressed in all the |
papers, but the Western Rural would not
down, and gave it to the public. The
Rural World presented memorial from
the producing classes showing enormous
charges for handling grain, and other
matters of complaint. The memorial
raised a storm of excitement, when mem
Der of the convention, who is now presi-
dent of the board of trade, moved that the
memorial be thrown under the table, as
it was an infamous lie. MIR. Irus Coy, Of
Chicago, defended the memorial in tell
ing speech, and called upon Mr.. Steward, at
its conclusion, who had more experience in
agricultural pursuits than any other man
in the state, las his speech will verify,) to
answer. The excitement here was at its
height. Steward" Steward was all
that could be heard Finally he was forced
to come on the platform, place that no one
had occupied except Governor Beveridge,
asallother speakers spoke from their places.
Mr.. Steward. in his plain, unassuming,
but.energetic and logical way, soon reverted
the attention Of his audience, and was
cheered and congratulated by all at the
conclusion of his remarks. He said:
Mr.. President and Gentlemen of the con-
Uenti0n:
am no speech maker, as you will find
by listening very few minutes, and do
not understand why | should be called up
on when there are so many present much
more capable Of handling the subject than
myself. But when | see the only commu-
nication presented to this body from the
class to which | am proud to belong brand
ed as a lie, and proposition made to
throw it under the table, and knowing as
do that some of the statements made
therein, which have been pointed out as
lies, are true, feel like saying what can
in defense of this communication, and ask
for it at the hands of this convention a re-
spectfui consideration.
l helped to harvest and deliver to this
city some of the first grain that ever went
into the hold of vessel in this harbor. /
have carried grain up long fight of stairs
on my back and poured it on top of high
bin. l well remember the first spout in
troduced into the side of building through
which we might empty our grain into a
weighing hopper. | remember the first
horse elevator erected in this city; the first
introduction of steam elevators for hand
ling grain from wagons; then the erection
of huge elevators for receiving grain from
cars and delivering it aboard vessels in the
river, each and every one of which i'm
provements l hailed with joy.
| have hauled as nice white winter
wheat as God ever allowed to grow upon
our prairies, fifty-fve miles to this city
upon a wagon, and sold it for thirty eight
cents per bushel, and delivered it by
backing it up stairs in the manner men
toned, thereby gaining, think, realiz
ing sense OF what constitutes cheap pro
duction and transportation.
| saw with delight the first train of cars
ever run out of this city, and commenced
to use the railroad as soon as ten mile;
were completed, and continued to do so by
unloading grain from our wagons into the
cars in sacks, until the cars reached oul
place, when we erected grain elevators foI
raising it from wagons and delivering OF
track in carloads in bulk. ethen adopted
at once and continued to use every facility
for transporting and handling grain frou
the establishing Of the Chicago graiI
market until the present time, and ought
and believe we do, know what the usua
charges are for getting Car Of graiI
through this city in the usual way
have never been a fault finder and don
wish to be considered a party with
grievance, and while believe majority
of the members of the board of trade anC
middlemen of this city TO be honorable
men, and men with whom | would trus
all the grain l ever grew, EXPECTING
they would dispose of it to the bes
advantage and account to me fol
every dollar, yet there are some fact'
connected with the transfer of grail
through this city which we cannot ignore
and think ought not to exist. When thu
first steam elevators for receiving grain
e from cars were erected, they commenced
handling and storing grain for about one
half the present price. and in making
careful test with 10000 bushels of corn
our shortage was but eleven bushels
Since the combination made the advanc
of charges we find by the same test
shortage of over 100 bushelsl / had oc
CdSlOu W ESCeINe JuTOuBu CulS City car y
white winter wheat last week, for millin,
purposes, and found it over s bushel
short. | received about the same time
car load from Nebraska, and found it onl,
one bushel short.
As to the charges of twenty dollars pc
car named in the memorial hold in IN,
hand the figures in detail, which hay
verified by comparison with the books O
the oldest commission men in this city.
find:
Elevator charges for receiving and delivering
on board vessels or cars per car load. $50
Commission, buying by car load. ........... 30
Commission, selling by car load .............. 40
Storage-average IL days above LIST 20......... 40
inspection in and out..........- ............ 8
Insurance average. ............... ........... 3
Shrinkage. which is inevitable--a
grain never increases in quantity al
ter it leaves the feld--and withou
charging any wastage or stealage up
on any one, l estimate it at not les
than rs cents per 100 bushels, or s.
for the car load, making tota
amount of $l9,S5, which l am satisfe,
is below rather than above the average.
Now do not wish to charge any part
cular blame upon any man or set of me
for all this Yet when we see grain car
ried in vessels from this harbor to Buffalo
distance of 1000 miles, for two cents pc
bushel, may we not ask if it cannot be 20
from the cars to tho vessels, a distance O
three hundred feet. for less than f;v