The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1877-08-02
AN ENORMOUS TAX ON FLOUR.

the United states says About it
How IL Will Greatly Increase
the Price for Flour n Maintain.
ed-Nults are Already Brought
Against Prominent RliIlerS.
From the New York Tribune.
Ex.Gov. CadwAllaler, G. WashburD, Of
Wisconsin, in conversation with repre-
sentative Of the Tribune recently, gave a
history Of a patent for milling wheat,
which threatens TO impose tax Of mil.
lions Of dollars on the -four consumers Of
the country. He said ~ am pSrticu-
larly interested Just now in fighting the
Infamous Patent'right swindle which is
gosng to levy tribute on every loaf Of
bread made in this country. You haven't
heard about it2 Why, it'a making great
sensation in the West. It's . long story,
but I can give you The gist Of II in few
moments. am, by the way, the largest
miller in the United States; my mills be.
ing at Minneapolis, Minnesota. All
milICrs are now using what Ia called
the high process Of grinding, which
was generally introduced In this country
about 1877, but had been in use in Eu.
rope for City years. ! will explain the
terms Of high and low grinding.
Low grinding means the bringing the
upper or running milestone low down and
in close proximity to the neither stone, by
reason Of which the largest amount Of
-four is derived from the first grinding,
but, as necessarily must be the case,
great deal Of the ouleE= coating OF the
wheat, together with the embryo, would
be reduced 10 Puch fneness as 10 20 into
the -four, and separation was impossi.
BILE. The high grinding Is the direct op.
posite Of the low, andthe object is at the
irst grinding to get rid Of The bran at
once and make as little flour US possible.
This is done by blowing the bran of the
coarse-ground grain or middlings, and
afterwards grinding fine the small white
granules. J bought my machines in
France. This improved process is now
absolutely Indispensable to successful
milling. Deprive any miller Of it and he
is ruined.
"a ring OF spectators in Washington
have lately got hold Of an old patent,
never used, and have got it reissued o as
to cover all the machines for eiIecting the
process have described. 1t is called
the Cochrane Pntent. After quietly tax.
ing out the reissue, they went on without
making any noise and took suit up to
the Supreme Court, with q man OF straw
for defendant, and "a no real defense was
made, they easily obtained n decision
based on an opinion given by Justice
Miller. Now this gang Of patent swim.
dlera are attacking the heaviest millers
with suits, expecting TO terrify all the
others. They have singled out the Jew.
ellis Of Brooklyn, the Hexalls Of Rich.
mond, and my mills at Minneapolis. They
have put me under bonds in the enor-
nous sum Of S250,0OO, pending the con.
clusion OF the injunction proceedings.
81 learn that the raScalS propose TO he
maEnanimous, and to grant licenses 10
such millers as will recognize the validity
Of their patent, for the moderate sum Of
St, 900 for each run Of stones, which for
this city alone amounts to the vast sum
OF 81 100000. While primarily this great
sum would come from the milers, really
it all comes out OF the farmer and con-
sumer at last, and they are the real peo-
pie most interested in the defeat Of this
enormity. As there are over G,00O runs
OF stones in the United States, this license
will amount to $3G,000,0O0. We are
going to bring this great outrage before
Congress next winter and try 10 have the
patent Cancelled. The grain growing sec.
tions OF the West are indignant at the
exposure Of this enormous fraud, and the
grain-consnming East ought TO be equal.
ly aroused, for the attempted tax on the
chief necessary Of life affects both alike"