The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1881-09-30
OCEAN FREIaHTs.

1t is only on the Pacific coast that the
American Samson is shorn of his
strength and has become the full
prey of monopolists. While the
railroad exactions complained of in
the east exist here in aggravated
form, it is well known that our farm
ers do not derive anything. like the
same counterbalancing advantages
from the general railroad system of
the continent. The through routes
for the great staple of the Pacific
slope farmers are, very fortunately,
as one would suppose on the ocean
highway. But stra NICELY enough,
while the eastern farmer is attacked
exclusively ON land, the Pacific farmer
is victimlzed most enteneivelY
by sea. If Uncle Sam should
impose an export duty of S5 per ton
on wheat it would be regarded as a
terrible blow to the chief industry of
the Pacific slope, and yet it would
but feebly express what the farmer
has suffered during the last twelve
months, and what it is now proposed
to subject him to during the present
season. An export duty, if it did
not fall to some extent on the foreign
consumer, would at least do nothing
to lessen the supply of tonnage. But
allow a few men to rule the freight
market and self interest naturally
prompts them to exact the largest
tribute from the farmer, and with a
view of perpetrating their reign, to
limit the quantity of shipping. This
freight monopoly not only impover-
ishes the farmer, but cripples the ex-
port miller, and has blighting effect
on the general prosperity ofthe coast.
The most remarkable circumstances
CONNECTED with our ocean freight
monopoly is that, with temerity
unknown in the eastern states, it
always places itself completely at the
mercy of the farmer. This corner in
freights is nothing more or less than
"shorting" tie wheat surplus of the
Pacific coast. Yet this operation,
although one of the most reckless
that can possibly be attempted, has
been so long tolerated by the farmer
that 1t is now undertaken without the
slightest apprehension of danger and
with confidence which is born only
of long series of unbroken successes.
to fix the relative price of wheat be-
fore it is even reaped is common
enough among the bulls and bears of
Chicago; but to sell, in effect, the
entire surplus in advance, at terrible
sacrifice to the farmer, and without
making him party to the transaction
is peculiar only to the Pacific coast.
The tonnage now in sight. and that
which will inevitably follow, to carry
away what will remain thisImonth of
the entire wheat surplus of this state,
are intrinsically worth no more and
could be made much less, than what
the majority of ship-owners are
willing to accept. In placing there
fore an exorbitant value on this ton
mage, the freight gambler lays him
self entirely at The mercy of the
farmer, who instead of meekly ac-
cepting rediculously low prices tor
his wheat, may at any time insist on
the high figures he was accustomed
to before the present method of
freight speculation was invented.
Owing to the extraordinary forbear-
ance and docility of the Pacific gran
ger, speculation, instead of being on
his side, as in the eastern states, is
almost invariably against him, and,
instead of being the terror he has
become favorite mark for the mo-
nopolist.
The fact that the freight question
/ this season was from the beginning
substantially settled in favor of the
farmer has made no difference what
ever to the freight speculator, who
still continues to exact his $5 per ton
with the most delighted nonchalence.
The small addition of from 100000
to 100000 tons register to the list Of
vessels on the way is now all that is
necessary to enable the entire wheat
surplus to be exported within the
season. The great danger is that q
much larger quantity may be sent
this way, despite the efforts OF the
monopoly, which to sustain itself il
naturally making use of every pos
sible maneuver to limit the supply
after January. But whether there
be an over or an under supply o
tonnage next spring, the result il