Stevens County tribune. (Morris, Minn.) 1877-1880, 1879-06-19

ry manner makes the wheat weigh fully
one pound heavier and yet we are not hap.
py. -~---.~-as-->-
George B: Wright, In letter to the Pope
County Press, on the railroad situation,
among other things, says: 8:gta ,,5s .5
Your people are between the.upper and
lower Jaws of the ST. Paul G1 Pacific croco-
dile, the upper and neither millstones OF
one huge monopoly. ~ ..3 ~.
Progress must be slow until that monop-
oily is broken. ,7f ..,E 80.
That's just it exactly, aud that Is the rea.
son we intend to get out OF the jaws and
from between the millstOnes. MIR. Wright
does not think it possible 10 build the
road at oil, and considers that II built it
will only amount "to paying large price
for heating the St. P. s. P. poker" We
presume in a few weeks Mr.. Wright will
come to the front in another Communica-
ton and tell us that our only salvation
from everlasting destruction Is to have
narrow gauge road" between the main
and branch lines. that road centering in
Minneapolis. When we take into .consid-
Grafton the fact that Mr.. Wright is working
in the interest of company recently
formed in Minneapolis, to build narrow
gauge railroad that will tap Pope county,
the cause of his anxiety and solicitation
will be apparent. The recent rumor that
the Minneapolis Millers Association are ne
gotiating for the purchase Of the St. r. &
P. Elevators, is making ouz people more
eager for the Little Falls s. Dakota road.
Yes. Mr.. Wright, we do wait to get from
between the nsillstOHes, and our only
chance of breaking away from the clasp Of
this monopoly is by building the L. F. d
D. railroad We do not want our grain
and other produce to go one or two hun
dved miles cut of direct line, and pay the
extra transportation out Of our own pockets
We predicted last January, that st. Paul
and Minneapolis would fight the enterprise
and do their utmost to throttle it, and here
we have the first attempt to kill it, but it is
too late. That road is going through.
The sooner the public learn that more
can be accomplished hy legitimate compe-
tition than by coercive legislation, the
sooner existing evils will be remedied.
Monopolies feed, flourish, and grow fat in
these days of corrupt legislation; it is com
petition that takes the fat and flesh off their
ribs Here, few weeks ago. farmers
were smiling over the adoption of the
"Stacy Filler" clubs were organized for
the purpose of compelling wheat buyers to
use them; but, alas, a change has come,
and now we hear condemnation, where but
few days ago, we heard coauHaendat ion.
Il is now claimed that this Stacy Filler,
which is recent device, designed to en-
sure uniformity in filing testers and dfprc-
venting the fraudulent manipulation of
grain in grading, is making wheat test
lighter and grade lower than when filled
by hand. Another cause of its unpopular
ity, lies in the. fact that ths wheat buyers
appear to be perfectly satisfied with the in
vention, and are placing and using iit in
their warehouses, hence the farmers are sus
picious thet theg have been trapped. The
fact of the whole matter is this: the farm
ers are not one bit the gamers by last win
ter's lcgislation, if any thing they are thu
losers. Heretofore, in the majority Of in
stances, the farmer received actually more
than his wheat was werth-this may be de
MED and disputed, bat it is nevertheless q
| fact. Of course there are dishonest men
in The grain trade, but there, are no. more
there than in any other branch of business
we honestly believe that, as a rule, inspec
| tors and graders are honest, honorable men
aud previous to the adoption of the Stac.
Filler, gave the farmer, in the majority o
instances, where wheat fell little short o
grade, the grade above what if so disposed
they could by rigid enforcement of tn
rules have graded it. The Stacy Filler
simply hopper suspended at a certai
and uniform height over the tester. tn
wheat going through this hopper falls in
to the tester, and always with the sam
force, thus ensuirng accuracy and preven
ing any fraudulent manipulation ofthe grai
by dishonest parties. The hoppers ar
placed at q uniform height above the tes
ers, this is done to make the weights ccl
form to the Milwaukee standard grades
Now, the Filler is and must be correct, 9
an expert cannot, even if so disposed, max
any variation in the weight, hence, as th
tester with the Stacy attachment make
wheat test lighter and consequently grad
lower than when tested by the hand, "
must come to the conclusion that our pr
vious assertion that grain graders are hol
est and liberal with the farmers, is an il
disputsble fact, for the farmers whe
weighed heavier and of course grade
higher under the old system than it no
does under the new. The buyers acce
the situation as forced upon them, and
farmers are now sick of their bargain th,
can only blame themselves and renenb
that it is better to s.bear those ills we hav
. than dy to others we know not Of"
Proceedings OF the Board Of
: Hs COumfy @ COm1aaissiOmers.