Stevens County tribune. (Morris, Minn.) 1877-1880, 1879-01-16
Among the first bills introduced thi,

Otate. ne IO1lOWlnS are 10 ot ueS-
ignated as Minnesota grades:
Sound, bright and cleaned wheat, 80
pounds to tile bushel, No. extra"
Fifty-eight pounds to the bushel, mo. |
Fifty seven pounds TO the bushel, "No.
9 extra"
Fifty-six pounds to the bushel, mo. 2
Less than fifty.six pounds and more than
fifty-four pounds, No. standard"
Less than fifty,foar pounds and more
than fifty-two pounds, "No. 4 standard" !"
UnSoHRd wheat and all cleaned wheat
weighing less than 80 pounds to the bush.
ell Rejected standard"
Wheat shrunken but otherwise sound
not to be deemed unsound.
The proof grade shall be made by
weighing the contents of legal half
bushel measure, the measure to be
heaped and leveled accurately, the
weight to be of course doubled. Of
course in many cases wheat may weigh
more than SO pounds to the bushel,
and to provide for this it is required
that the weight of the wheat shall be
stated on the inspectors ticket. The
bill provides penalty Of not more
than $500 dollars nor less than $l25
for any violation Of the act.
A second bill provides for the ap-
pointment of grain inspectors by county
commissioners, who shall receive ten
cents for each inspection ticket they
may issue.
The foregoing rules Of inspection.
&C., contain much that is Impractical
and Objectionable. In the first place,
there is not an elevator in the State
that could, without being both altered
and enlarged, handle and keep separate
the many different grades called for in
the bill. 1t would entail an enormous
expense upon the owners Of elevators
and warehouses, to which they would
not submit; or even suppose they
would, who are the ones that would
have to pay for the increased cost Of
handling, &c.s Would it not be the
producer! Then, again, what effect
would such law have upon other
States! Would Eastern buyers buy
grain under our rules of inspection,
and then sell under different rules! Tt
the first, we say: No law enacted il
this State would have any outside in
tluence, or effect. Second, No buyer!
would pay any attention to our rules
if they did, they would grade theiI
prices SO as not to lose by the opera
tion, and if they do this, what benefit
will be derived2 s'You can bring Z
horse to water, but you cannot make
him drink" Such law, if enacted,
would be of no practical value, woult
benefit no one except a few scheminl
political demagogues. If the people
of this State had found the present sys
tenn obnoxious, and had voluntarily de
manded some law, or measure, remedy
ing or altering the system, then ther,
would have been some hopes of deriv
ing a benefit. In the present instanc
no complaints were made until tn
demagogues and polititians raised tn
cry for a political purpose. The idea
people, the 'shonest farmer" ''m,
respected constituents, )" were all to b
protected. Oh! yes, these politician
were sure they were being robbed b
the 'swindling brass kettle, " and &C
cused ''Willie's ring They, 't
elected, = would stop the robbery, an
they have made a commencement
Now, we would say to our readers
don't wait for any dollar per bushe
for your wheat; nor imagine that thes
representatives are acting to proteo
US; indeed, we have many reasons I
suppose that there is no very serior
intention TO do more than enact som
buncombe law. (They have, after S
much talk, got to make a showing
They will pass some useless law, an
then return to their dear foolish COZ
stituents and if received with ou
stretched arms, their object will be Al
complished, for all they want is polit
cal capital. We have no reasons
suppose that anything further will |
derived from the proposed law; for Il
company, Hodges, B. & Co., are der
! agogues who always have lived off Il
people. They are failures as busins
, men, and, vampire like, live on t
community at large, sucking their 81
: tenance from the public teats.
! benefit ourselves we must raise I
! best wheat, keep the Legislature frc
d interfering, encourage competitit
: shut otrs ears' t0ethe cry of the den
J. gogues. and, above all, keep our grs
! ing and inspection out Of the reach
! the office-seekef and politician.
From the Boston Traveller.