Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1878-10-20

| view with MR. Valentine, the elevator agent
IN winch 1t Was stated that '.sockdolager''
nad Deen given Hodges. The speaker said he
survived 1T, and was here as strong in the fioht
as before Valentine had administered his
| 'sockdolager." -
The speaker then illustrated by figures the
extortion imposed upon the farmer. num-
DER OF letters read to sup
port the exhibit, and in each
the emphatic declaration was made
that general dissatisfaction existed among
the farmers. They were tired of being rob
ped. sad the speaker. The speaker then re-
ferred to the report he was to make to the
chamber Of commerce. He would give it to
them and in such instalments as he had pre
sented. The speaker could stand all night and
read such reports from the victims themselves.
The speaker said he was ready to prove all he
said and just what he knew; he would NOT hack
down one iota. Applause.
The speaker continued: Every hound, pa
per. and plmp OF these rings he opposed had
diced public if the way he had chosen was not
ing evil. He had been accused
OF Introducing the matter for political
purposes. But he disclaimed all and every in
snuatlon OF the kind. Applauge.) He had
uoiie II Tor special purpose, to bring immedi-
ate ana wanted relief to the suffering and plum
dered farmers. (Applanse) He was charged
with bringing up the matter to further Don
nellY's prospects, When thu subject was first
conceived by him, neither Donnelly or Wash
burn was In his mind. His mind and heart
were too 1ull OF the wrongs of the farmers to
glve thought to politics. But since Donnel-
rs nomination he had watched his course. and
he was free to confess that he admired his ex
ertlons IN behalf of the farmers. He believed
MN honest, and he, the speaker was for Don
nelly. (Applause.) He hoped every hard-shell
Democrat would sustain Mr. Donnelly. The
speaker then read the following
Addf'ess to the Totcrs IF the Fourth Ward.
10 the legal voters of the Fourth ward of st.
Faul which constitutes the Twenty-fourth
senatorial district of Minnesota-not to them
only but to every citizen of this city, and to
every man IN the State of Minnesota who has
the welfare of the general public at heart.
A few weeks ago, in Incidence to the prom. :
1hgs OF humanity, took occasion to call the
attentlon or the chamber of commerce of st.
Paul to certain abuses in the handling, testing
and buying of wheat along the Main Line of
the st. Paul & Pacific railroad
then and there publicly stated that q sys-
TEN of wholesale robbery had been inaueurated
and was being perpetrated upon the tanners
along said line of railroad. The question was
asked me by several of the members of the
chamber, Who are these public robbers? NV
reply was The people and the farmers along
the line say it is the Minneapolis Millers' asso-
citation and the Milwaukee chamber OF COM
merce."
committee was promptly appointed by
Gov. Slbley, the president of the chamber. to
investigate the charges. Messrs. Hodgson and
Smith, with myself, were appointed said COM
mittee.
was reluctant to serve on said committee
knowing my work would call me away from
the city for several weeks, and SO stated to the
chamber. Without regard to my wishes Or
circumstances was made chairman of said
committee Knowing that prompt and decisive
action on the part OF the committee would at
once knock IN the head one of the most in
famous conspiracies to defraud the peonle tba +
had even been invented; knowing l must
start the next day to be for weeks shut out
from the ordinary channels of Communication
having no time to hunt up and confer with NV
colleagues. L Immediately prepared and pub
lished the following circular:
TO the Farmers Of Minnesota, especially those who
market their wheat on the line Of the st. Paul & Pa
citic railroad: ~
have laid your complaints "a to ,nf.r or,a;
ana outrageous widening out of grades Of wheat be,
lore the st. Paul chamber Of commerce. W
l. am appointed by said chamber to the cho;r,,o,,
sup OF committee whose duty it Is to carefully in
Vessate and report the facts. AS Chairman of said
committee, call upon each one OF Won who have
treated by this arbitrary grading and
muens OUT OF grades. to report to me at your earli
esI convenience giving nothing but facts and evi
dence that cannot be set aside.
an adequate remedy for the abuses so widely and
bitterly complained Of can and must be had No
wheat ring, no matter how respectable or powerfnI
snould De allowed to take advantage of the necnliar
conotion OF the crop. 1t of those wears when
Warenousemen and wheat buyers find a rich harvest
in grading and doctoring wheat LET rne s,1oaat 80
you Inc necessity of organized resistance to the
ABUSES you complain Of. Let every neighborhood of
xnr 9la meetings talk these things over and
WORE 1ogetner. Test the value of your wheat by tal
ing 1un loads OF it to mill and having ground to
hour, Sc! your -four and see what your wheat brings
sera,gnt 1our, and also the bran and shorts ner
Dushei Let one man in each neighborhood tsst
load OF rejected wheat in this way; another load of
w. "aosnel load OF NO. 8; another load of No.
.. compare results. By this method YOU arrive at
the true value of your wheat, and can easily defer
mne whether the wheat buyers are paying ANYTHING
like full value. "A' 'tAiiie
In my own experience have thus made wheat nat
me from 30 cents to S.O5 per bushe for some Hhaar
the ring would only offer 50 cents Der bushe for
nave good 1eason to believe and so have Won that
"hen the grade IS arbitrarily widenea ont so os to
make ~ cents per bushel difference between No y
and No. wheat that the temptation to make what
barely grading No. grade No 3 is Temptation that
~ 700 1nucn 1or some kinds of poor human nature TO
resist ad that they ina tyerently, in some other
way, steal a grade from the farmer. Thai form If
stealing must be punished. That sort of a thief
must be reduced to the footing of horse thief and
punlshed as severely. It has for MANY Years heen
evident to majority of the farmers Of minnesota
that some sort of legislation having for it's the
prevention and cure of the evils you COMPLAIN of in
the arbitrary grading of wheat must be had and the
sooner the BETTER 1 shall be away from honna t ti
next four weeks, but don't stop for that Send vonr
communications TO me at st, Paul as fast as Won can
and on my return the committee will proceed to COL
iect and arrange facts upon which such renort can
ne mace as Will be the basis of such necessary epjs
lation as the condition of things demands. 20
In taxing the initiative in this movement T can
Truly say am truly actuated by no selfish yindctiye
OF pecunlary motive. never can forget the way my
sell and neighbors were pundered wears aGo in
Southern Minnesota, in much the same wav yoI, now
complain OF. We took the robbers of the public by
tne throat and taught them lesson thew renemhar
yet. 1t seems about time to do it again. T trust
every newspaper in Minnesota that has the welfare of
the public at heart will publish this circular.
LEONARD B. HODGES.
For this first step taken in what considered
the right direction, you all know how venom
ousy have been assailed. Fully believing in,
and endorsing the divine injunction, that if
thine enemy smite thee on one cheek turn 70
MN the other also, have patiently endured
the abuse of the slaves of the Wheat Ring until
patience can no longer be deemed a virtue. T
propose now to roll up my sleeves and 90 for
the slaves, defenders, pimps and apolosists Of
the robbers of the public, in way they'll da-