Daily globe., 1882-01-26
THE WORK GOES ON.
Another Sufferer from the Wheat Ring
Heard From.

An0ther Sufferer from the Wheat Ring
Heard From.
Editor News:
HASTINGS, Dec. 81, 1ss2.-You have a
large circulation among the farmers of
Dakota county, and they admire the in
dependent manner in which you strike
right and left at abuses. Why don't you
attack the villainous course of the Mil
lers association of Minneapolis in mon
opolizing the markets of the state, beat
ing down the price of the farmers grain
and latterly purchasing large NUMBER
of elevators with intent to prevent out
siders competing with them? l see that
the newspapers and farmers in different
parts of the State are moving in this mat
ter Rice county has just spoken. Da-
kota county should follow suit. The
whole people of the State should unite
against this monstrous monopoly, for it
not only attacks the prosperity of the far
mers, but of all the merchants, mechanics
and tradesman who depend upon the
money of the farmers for
their support. All over the state, and
especially in the frontier towns, it has
largely arrested trade, for the farmers
hold on to their wheat to avoid selling
No. for No. or rejected, and the result
is, the merchants are unable to make
collections and pay their debts. Even
the outside millers are interested in hav-
ing an open market and chance to
secure wheat at the highest price they
can afford to pay for it.
No nation in the world would peace
fully submit to thus having their prOduc-
tions forestalled and their markets mo-
nopolized Such rascalities in the reign
of Queen Elizabeth and King James
brought England to the verge of revolu-
ton. In Germany, it is said, an increase
of penny gallon on the tax on beer
would cause political CONFUSION at any
time. But here million people quietly
submit to see twenty OF thirty knaves fix
the price of their productions, ex
clude competition from the markets
and concentrate the fruits of
their hard earned industry in their own
pockets. And the result is poverty and
mortgages among the farmers of the state,
and hard times among the merchants,
while on the other hand, the men who a
few years ago made precarious livlihoods
by selling hardware or groceries by the
small quantity, or by stealing government
pine lands or half breed scrip. are able to
build the largest mills in the world and
possess elevators in half the towns of
the state.5
The people hold the remedy in their
own hands, In England such combina-
tions would be treated as conspiracies
against the public welfare and the par
ties sent to the penitentiary; here they
rule the very people whom they plunder,
fill all the offices, and are the recognized
aristocracy of the state, while even the
people who are plundered support them
by their votes, and are proud of the for
tunes wrung from themselves.
What is the remedy? Drop all the
petty squabbles about halfbreeds or stall
warts, Democrats or Republicans, for a
few months at least, elect legislature
pledged to pass laws to indict the parties
to such conspiracies; and if the constitu-
ton of the state does not contemplate or
will not sustain such law, amend the
constitution. The people have the votes
to do it. They need but to use them. A
Republican form Of government means a
machine to correct abuses and protect the
many from the few. If ours will not do
this, we had better abolish it.
The people feel that many of their
newspapers are Indifferent to their wrongs
OF hired by their oppressors to betray
them. hope, therefore, you will take
hold of this subject and agitate it week
after week, until you have reused the
people to united action; be assured they
will sustain you. Yours truly,
ONE OF THE SUFFERERS.