The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1881-03-05
A suPERFLuoUs BOARD.

| sUPERFLUOUs BOARD.
One Of the pernicious contrivanccs of mod
ern times, to enable legislatures and high TX
ecutive offices to shirk their duties, is to farm
out all kinds of difficult, tiresOmc or unpl.as-
ant work to boards" Thus We have a penl-
tertiary board, a public charity board, an agri.
cultural board, railroad and warehouse
board, &c. &c. The duties of the last named
board, We believe, are to sec to ii that certain
granger" laws of this st tie, in regard to the
railroads and others in regard to grain ware
housing and inspection are duly enforced.
Other laws, such as Invoive the ownership or
conveyance of lands, all the relations of debt
Or or creditor in commercial ansac,Uns be
the rights of persons and rights of things, the ia
dviduals thereby affected are supposed to be
allsufficient 70 see to their due enforcement
Thus If D man is swindled IN horse or u hog
tradc he is expected to institute his own suit
to bring the swindler to tao; but if he Is
swndled by railroad in q freight bill, or by
Il warehouse man In grain transaction, 3
board" is expected to attend to seeing him
r'ghted. We'll. possibly board" may be the
right thing, if the said board" does its duty;
out so far as our state warehouse and railroad
board Is concerned, its efficiency seems to be
matter Of grave doubt A, least. 80 many
complaints for neglect Of duty were lodged
against them in the legislature that that body
felt constrained to have the matter looked into
10y committee Of investigation.
The committee has been in session for sever.
al weeks, thus far occupying itself with the
grain inspection business at Chicago, and
without pretending to 20 over the many col
umns Of evidence taken rs published in the
Chicago papers, we can endorse, rs entirely in
accord with our reading of it, the following
resume as given in an editorial in Saturday,
Chicago Tribune;
Without going into detail, there can be no
question that the evidence has established u
general and gross neglect of duty by the
Commissioners and by the Chief Of the Gram
Inspection Bureau Resulting from this gen
eral and gross neglect the Inspection OF
grain in tins city has long since ceased to have
OF grain dealers. The Deputy Inspectors are
numerous and are men of varied judgmnt, and,
in the absence Of any effective head Of amy su-
pervlsing, directing chief, the Inspection has
become 10 some extent II sort of lottery. re.
suit Of This sys,emless system OF inspection is
the avoidance OF this market, and the ship
ment Of grain TO other points where better
standard Is established and more uniformity
maintained. Persons il the country buy and
sell grain by comparison with samples OF the
different grades fixed by the Inspection BIZ.
reau Of this city When the ltain reaches
here 1t may or may not be inspcg according
to tue grade, and, If not, then the loss Is sui.
ticient to make shippers seek other markets,
where the standard does not vary and osclllate
according 10 the person who happens TO do the
inspecting The Chief Inspector Is not grain
expert, and for several years past has devoted
the chief part Of his energies Ia the manage.
ment OF the Chicago Exposition building, and
where he has kept his office. From that insti-
tuition he has derived a comfortable salary, and
also another rs Chief Inspector OF Grain, with.
out attending TO the duties of that Office. The
testimony goes 10 show that his Office is a
siiiecure so far rs any services are performed
His Deputies have been continually al cross
purposes, and the whole business has been a
notch -po.ch, without head or tail to it. In the
absence of competent chief, the subor
dinates do the business each on his
Down hook and On his own judgment
lSome Of them have so much to do that they
merely look into the car and take things
for granted. Inspection without uniformity If
a fatal injury to this city and those who sell
lgrain here.
Il As to how the same board" has performed
its duties in regard 10 the railroads, the Ira.
buns says facetiously:
The commissioners have otker duties, end
among th,se Is 10 sit up with the railroads and
lsee that there il no litigation between the
roads and the public. The Commissioners
have been qure successful In maintaining the
most perfect harmony with the railroads II