Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1878-11-16
THE swINDL1NG BRASS Kettles.

THE swINDLING BRASS KETTLES.
an Ercecdingly Conscientious Person W7ao
Demonstrates that the Brass Kettles Can
Be Used to S,vi,.dle, But Don't Want to
Call Any Names.
To the Editor of the Globe.
noticed that you have copied from the
Window Reporter portion of my letter
giving the facts of my own experience in
disposing of a little wheat. The figures, as
the Reporter gave them, and as they were
copied into the GLOBE, make rather bad
common tary on my arithmetic. Where I
wrote that, in exchanging my wheat for
-four the miller took 164 pounds out of 444
pounds, in lieu of screening and toll, am
made by the types to say that 164 is 81 per
cent" of 444. wrote 81 per cent. Again
am made to say that 80 cents per bushel,
realized in flour at $3.50 per 100 pounds,
was gain for me of ss11625 per cent over
the 80 cents per bushel offered at the Win
dom warehouses. wrote 1862 per cent. .
The figures "551-12" signify SO LIP
pounds per bushel. Aside from these figures
the letter was printed substantially as I
wrote it. These errors, however, I do not call
attention to as rejecting upon the Reporters
typo, but simply for the sake of the correc-
ton itself.
1t is not strange that, in the smoke of
election, with his head, heart and hands full
of figures, upon which "the destiny of the
country was turning, the fingers of that
young type setter slipped a little, and, l
doubt not, if you will lay aside your editorial
robes and undertake the job of "setting up''
fhQca nnrfoofi0rc- Of
fingers you will syInpathize with the Re
l0gter's compositor.
AS to the use you make of my letter and
the hard names you apply to those engaged
in this uneven wheat business, [ wish to say
that I have no sympathy with either side in
the political scrimmage going on over the
brass kettle, and have no faith in :.throw-
ing mud' as means of grace.
My aim in writing the letter which YOU
copied is to arouse farmers to an intelligent
consideration of their equitable rights, and
SO be better fitted to render the merchant,
the miller, the wheat buyer, cor any other
man, justice in judging of the character Of
their dealings with him.
deprecate the custom of calling other
men liars, thieves, knaves and t.throats
because they will not pay much for wheat,
may offer as he may deem it worth. But if
can show my fellow farmer that his wheat
will bring him more by Touring it than by
selling it for expectation, or in any way fur
nish him with facts from my own expert
ence or observation, that will enable him to
become more successful farmer, and there
by moro valuable citizen, OF enable him
intelligently to judge whether he is really be-
ing imposed upon, consider it my duty
SO to let whatever light may have shine.
AS not only the farmer but the miller and
the merchant and the wheat buyer have
right to know what farmers think, I con-
slider it simple justice to make public such
facts as they have been arrayed before my
eyes and then if | have misjudged or mis-
stated aught the way is open for the correc-
ton of my 'facts."
Some of the gentlemen who are handling
wheat at Window, buying on commission
for others, express some dissatisfaction with
the figures and statements made in the arti-
Gle which you copied. They claim that it is
unjust to represent that a bushel of low
grade wheat for which they offer only 80
cents will produce 80 cents worth of flour,
because if all our farmers should flour their
wheat flour would not sell for $3.50 per 100
pounds.
If it is unjust, all ask is that some miller
or wheat buyer will be kind enough to show
wherein such representation is at fault I
am novice in this matter, and am unac-
quainted with their system of business, and
would like to learn why it is unfair for me to
figure upon current prices of flour in esti-
mating the value of wheat and at the same
time just for millers and wheat buyers to an
ticipate the decline in the price of flour that
will justify their own work upon the wheat
market.
Please rise and expladn-don't be bashful.
Honest, straightforward words and figures
will satisfy the honest farmer, and honest
men ought to be ready to show the Justice of
their modes of dealing with their fellows.
| am told that in my letter to the Window
Reporter, misstated the price of No. 3
wheat. said it was worth only 80 cents
per bushel, and Mr.. White, who is in the
employ of d. Patten & Co., and who tested
my wheat, says that No. wheat has never
been less than AZ cents per bushel. MY
mistake was as to grade of the wheat. I
stated that my wheat only weighed accord
ing to the tester, SO pounds and called it No.
3, whereas it was No. 4. was correct as to
the price offered. I am glad to make cor
rections, but am sorry that the correction is
OF no account is dispelling the darkness of
my facts.
Now word as to the tester. I am assured
that it is correct and that it is intended to be
"flled Light and is not to be shaken or
Jared. This I get from wheat buyers, and
to my suntutored mind'' indicates that it is
not intended to give the scripture measure
spoken of in Luke s: 80, but that kind
mentioned in the prophecy of
Micah, chap. 6, verse 10, which scripture
it would not tie amiss for the advocates of
1.-THE brass kettle'' to carefully peruse, read
ing the context both preceding and follow
ing. 1t may be right to fill the tester as
carefully as possible. I confess my igno-
rance of the intentions of its author; but as
compared with human custom of filing grain
measures from the earliest recollection of
''the Oldest man." it lacks precedent about
as badly as the child of whom we find record
in the New York Tribune for October Both,
who was born in balloon. There have been
hagb born persons in the world, but none
quite so high born as this young man. Just
so there have been correct measures in the
world for ages, and it has been considered
allowable to breathe within gun shot of the
standard measure while it was being filled
until the present reign of ssthe little brass
KETTLE
Allow me space enough for single example
on this point. Thos. S. Brown, an intelligent
farmer in the town of Springfield, Cotton
wood county, gave me this item last evening:
He was selling a load of wheat which tested IS
pounds per bushel. The manipulation general
of the tester stepped out of the warehouse,
and another man took the tester, filled it,
gave it very slight tap with his hand, passed
the rule over the top in the usual manner,
and the same wheat weighed 81 pounds. 1
would like to ask which is nearest the uni
form mode of measuring, to shake the meas
ure or to handle it carefully, as does the
wheat buyer? and will it not be discourag-