Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1882-02-13
MILLERs' ASSOCIATION.


Session Of the Legislature, 1884 6s-
Markets Of the State.
On the 18th day of October last, Sena-
tor Adams drafted and introduced the
following resolution in the senate during
the extra session, which was passed:
Resolued, That that the Attorney General
of the state, is hereby instructed to examine
and report to the Senate, the rights, powers,
and privileges of the corporation known as
the "Millers' Association" on this particular
point, viz; "Has said ASSOCIATION any legal
or equitable right to extend its authority
over any, or all grain purchasing markets in
the state, and fix the price at which wheat and
other cereals shall be Sold" !.
On the following day "the attorney
general submitted communication, in
response to the resolution of the senate,
relating to the rights of the Millers' as
ISOLATION, to extend its authority over
the grain purchasing markets of the
state, and fix the price of wheat and
ether cereals" The position as
sumed by the attorney general, was to
the effect, that the Millers' association
was body corporate, endowed with
all the rights and privileges of corpora
ton under the laws of the state, and pos
sessed the legal right to extend its au-
thority over the grain markets of the
state, and fix the price the corporation
would pay for wheat and other cereals.
This proposition no intelligent person
would deny, and. did the evil COM
planned of stop here, no injury would
be done. 1t would leave the price to be
fixed by open competition in the mar
ket. The object sought to be be deter
mined by the resolution, was not re-
ferred to by the attorney general, viz:
"Whether the Millers' association. in the
exercise of it's corporate rights, could ar
bitrarily control the grain markets of the
state, to the detriment of public interest,
and whether it would be public policy to
permit it to do so, and would not the
public interest demand some legislative
restrictions in the exercise of its cor
porate authority. Upon this question
the attorney general was silent. Per-
haps, in his opinion, the scope of the
resolution, as contained in its express
language, was not sufficiently explicit,
or there may not have been the usual
legal number of wherefores, whereases,
neverthelesses and Notwithstanding to
impress him with the serious import Of
the resolution. He may have regarded
his answer as a nice joke upon the
senate of the state of Minnesota, but
we can assure him If he
took that view of matter SO
fraught with vital interests to the people
of the state, he committed a gross mis-
take, one that that will confront him IN
the future The people are deeply in
earnest in the matter, and woe be to him
who uses his official position, to promote
the swindling operation at the expense of
the farming interests of the state.
The ramifcatlens of the association
extend all over the state, and to-day con-
troll, directly or indirectly, eight tenths OF
it's wheat markets, by owning or
controlling the numerous elevators
along the various lines of railroad. They
are able, by rebates on freight, to
freeze out all competitors, as no indie
pendent buyer can pay full freight and
compete with them in the market. This
unjust discrimination in freights is ru-
nous to the producer, as well as the nom
ring buyer, and will, in the end, result in
the destruction of the wheat interest of
the state.