Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1877-08-08
A TAX ON BREAD.
Tho Enormous SWindIe Of the Poor
by the Patent Process Of Grinding
Wheat.
New York Tribune.

Ex-Governor CadWallader C..
Washburne, of Wisconsin, in runvcr-
sation with a representative Of the
Tribune recently, gave history of q
patent for milling wheat which
to impose tax of millions
Of dollars on the flour consumers of
the country. He said: II am par
interested just now in fight
ing the infamous patent-right swim
die which is going to levy tribute on
every loaf of bread made In this
country. You haven't heard about
it? Why, its making great sensa-
ton in the west. lisa long story but
I can give you the gist of it in a few
moments. / am, by the way, the lar
gest miller in the United states; my
mills being at Minneapolis, MIMI
All millers are now using what is
called the high process of grinding,
which was generally introduced in
this country in 1871, but had been in
use in Europe for fifty years. will
explain the terms of high and low
grinding. Low grinding consists in
bringing the upper or running mill
stone low down and in close proxim-
ity to the neither stone, by reason OF
which the largest amount of flour is
derived from the first grinding, but
as necessarily must be the case, q great
deal of the outer coating of the wheat
together with the embryo, would be
reduced to such fineness as to go in.
to the flour and a separation was i'm
possible. The high grinding is the
direct opposite of the low, and the
object is at the first grinding to get
rid of the bran at once and make as
little -four as possible. This is done
by blowing the bran of the coarse.
ground grain or middlings, and after.
wards grinding fine the small white
granules. / bought my machines in
France. This improved process il
now absolutely indispensable to sue
cessful milling. Deprive any miller
of it and he is ruined.
"a ring of spectators in Washing.
ton have lately got hold of an old pat.
emit, never used, and have got it reis-
sued 90 as to cover all machines fol-
effecting the process ! have described
It is called the Cochrane Patent. AT.
ter quietly taking out the reissue, they
went on without making any more
noise and took suit up to the Su-
preme Court, with a man of straw
for defendent, and as no real defense
was made, they easily obtained de.
cision based upon an opinion given
by Justice Miller. Now this gang OF
patent swindlers are attacking the
heaviest millers with suits, expecting
to terrify all the others. They have
singled out the Jewels, Of BROOKLYN,
the Hexalls, of Richmond, and my
mills at Minneapolis. They have put
me under bonds in the enormous sum
Of $3.50, 600, pending the conclusion of
injunction proceedings.
II learn that the rascals propose to
be magnanimous, and to grant licens-
es to such millers as will recognize
the validity of their patent, for the
moderate sum of 5000 for each run
of stones, which for this city alone
amounts to the vast sum of 81 200, 600.
While primarily this great sum would
come from the millers, really it all
comes out of the farmer and consul
mer at last, and they are the real peo-
pie most interested in the defeat OF
this enormity. As there are over g.
600 run of stones in the United States,
this license win amount to $36 600, 0O(
We are going to bring this great out
rage before Congress next winter
and try to have the patent cancelled,
The grain-growing sections of the
west are indignant at the exposure OF
this enormous fraud, and the grain.
consuming east ought to be equally
aroused, for the attempted tax on tho
chief necessary OF life affects both
alike"