Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1882-02-23

that will so tend, it is time for the people to be
alarmed.
We are tole that the association which has
in one bargain captured the whole Davidson
line of elevators is not the Millers' associa-
ton of Minneapolis. Is it important whether
it is or not? am satisfied that it is not the
same corporate body, but the purchasers of
the elevators are body of men who are large
owners and investors in the mills of Minneap-
oils, and it is immaterial what form of organl-
zation they may adopt.
Every man knows that the operator of the
elevator, who is usually the inspector, should
be man of sound judgment and free from
bias He should not be interested in the least
in the purchase of wheat. The opportunity and
temptation to fraud and deceit are too great to
be resisted by everyone. This fact has been rec
ognized by our legislature in utterly forbidding
any party who is engaged in the business OF
handling wheat from employing any person
as an inspector of wheat (Gen'l Statutes 1878
page 1,011, section y who is in the least inter-
ested in the purchase with the millers IN con-
troll of the elevators. The inspe ceor- of wheat
will be appointed by them, and he will be most
directly interested in the purchase OF wheat by
the millers, for his bred and butter is In the
millers' hands.
The millers have bought the elevators; for
what purpose? Is it because they want wheat
which they hitherto have not obtained? Not
at all; they can at all times have all the wheat
on the line by simply competing for it in open
market. The millers are here always as buy
ers. They buy the largest portion OF it at all
times. All other buyers are but occasional.
They are only in market when the millers
leave the price at such a figure that the out
slider can come in The outsider can come 10
only when drop in the millers' price allows
him. The millers of Minneapolis, or at least
their speakers, have asserted for years that
they were able to pay little more for wheat
than the general market would warrant, and l
think they often have. This competition, this
readiness of outsiders to jump in at the first
opportunity, has been greatly to the benefit
of the farmer.
The millers have never, of course, paid more
than the wheat was worth in order to get it,
for it is apparent to every man that they, as a
class, have greatly prospered. But they, at
least, have hitherto paid all the farmer could
reasonably ask. Of this the millers have tired;
this never-ending competition is expensive, it
reduces the profit side of the ledger, Bnd they
have bought the elevators as remedy. Not
merely that they may obtain our wheat, but
that they may obtain it more nearly upon
their own terms.
Their grst step is to buy and operate eleva-
tors in direct violation of the spirit if not the
letter of the laws of the state. Their second
will be to compel the closing of all competing
elevators and buyers of wheat The evidence
of this lies in the fact that the millers of Min
neapolis have waged silent but none the less
vigorous war upon the independent elevators
of this line for a year. This they have done
with the Davidson elevators merely as sort
of an ally; with the Davidson elevators under
their control, the war will be open and bitter.
The board of trade inspector of Minneapolis, a
man who claims the power to declare the
quality of all the wheat we raise; man who
sneezes when the millers take snuff, refuses
car after car of wheat consigned by the indie
pendent elevators unless they will take No. 2
for No. Q, while the Davidson elevators wheat
is seldom set back. This has been continued
to such an extent that the independent eleva-
tors have been compelled to organize against
such practices; they have organized and have
employed agents to take charge of the wheat
rejected by the millers' inspectOr-for such he
should be called-and sell the same in open
market. and in nearly every case the independ-
ent elevators have by this means succeeded in
obtaining the grade which they had given the
farmer for the wheat, and at least one grade
better than the millers would give for it. If
the wheat was No. Q to st. Paul buyers, why
not to the millers?
If the millers cannot give as good grade
for wheat as the other parties, do we want
them to control our market? In the future
the millers will control the Davidson eleva.
tors. This rejection of the grade OF wheat
taken in the Independent elevators will con-
tinue; the Independents will be compelled to re-
ship their wheat, sell on commission, employ
agents and pursue other expensive expedients,
because the natural consumers OF wheat
choose to act the part of monopolists. 1t is
evident that the millers do not want the wheat
of the Independent elevators, unless they can
have it at grade less than its actual quality
If they will do that with partial competi-
ton, what will they do if this warfare com,
pels the closing of the independent elevators?
There IS another reason why the millers de-
sire to control the elevators of this road. The
farmer is so unreasonable as to rush his wheat
into market when the price is high and retain
it when low. In consequence the millers are
gorged, over loaded with high priced WHEAT.
They could OF course, and sometimes did re-
fuse to buy wheat but the elevators went on
receiving and shipping wheat to others who
would buy whereby the wheat was drained
away and when the price fell the miller could
get none All this could be changed If the
mlllers controlled the elevators. They could
refuse to receive wheat, there is no law to
compel them 70 receive. The millers need
neither buy nor allow others to buy, and the
farmer would be compelled to hold his wheat
until the price fell.
The death of the independent elevator sys-
tenn is most alarming possibility. There is
yet another indication Of the war OF the miller
upon the independent elevators; the price OF
wheat has lately advanced. From that, one
would naturally conjecture that the millers
would bny wheat, and so they will of certain
parties. They will first buy all of the tickets
issued from their elevators in no matter whose
hands they may be. They will for the present
buy also from the farmer who has deposited
wheat in the independent elevators with the
mental reservation that they will see about
the grade hereafter, but they will not on any
hitherto bought tickets in competition with
them. They do not want wheat; they want
their own way.