Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1882-02-24
HONEST WEIGHTS, HONEST GRADES
IND IN OPEN MARKET

Arrangements are being made for the Or
ganization of a stock company to build a
cheese factory at Hancock. Farmers are tired
of trusting themselves with the wheat crop,
and are turning their attention to stock
raising.
Hancock is in Stevens county, Mime
sofa, nine miles this side of Morris. 1t is
the outlet for large part of Pope comfy,
and it is in the midst of as fine wheat
growing region as there is in the State;
and, nevertheless, the farmers are going
out of wheat raising and into the stock
business. What is the reason? Partly
short crops, during the past two or three
years, but principally the fact that the
farmers find themselves entirely at the
mercy of the Minneapolis wheat ring.
They have never had the free competition
of an open market for their great staple.
They have been obliged to take just such
prices as a few men, living one hundred
and fifty miles away, dictated, and these,
of course, put the price Of the wheat to
the lowest possible notch-that being the
purpose for which they made their COM
bination
That which is taking place at Hancock
is, to greater or less extent, going ON
ali over the State. When the wheat crop
is short, as 1t was last year, the millers of
Minneapolis are obliged to fight for the
wheat against the competition of out
side buyers, and the price goes up; but
whenever the crop is large enough to re-
lease them from the fear that they will
not get enough for their wheat they put
the price down to about the cost of pro-
duction and IN some years even lower.
The farmers recognize this state of facts.
The meeting of the farmers held recently
at Grove City, formerly Swede Grove),
on the line of the St. Paul & Manitoba
railroad, say in their resolutions:
As it is the obvious intention of the Mime
apolis millers, who now own and control the
Davidson elevators, to suppress all independ-
emit grain warehouses, and effectually exclude
all competition, thus becoming absolute die
tators in the manner of grading, weighing
and buying wheat, and as this Touring comb-
nation possesses the power to depreciate our
chief product below the point of profitable
production, and rob us without mercy
through its despicable devices, besides sub
jecting us to insufferable indignities at the
hands Of sycophantic hirelings, and eventual
" entailing upon us and our children the des-
titution and obloquy of serfdom; therefore it
behooves the farmers OF this country to turn
out in full force and organize against such an
association as public enemy.
If this course is followed all over the
State, legislature can be elected next
fall which will forever put an end to all
such conspiracies against the public well
fare, and that will pass such laws as will
give the farmers honest soeights, honest
grades and an open market.
That should be the rallying cry of the
people; and, forgetting for time the
national questions which divide us as to
politics, we should unite as one man to
overthrow this oligarchy of thieves.
The merchants, bankers and manufac-
turers of the State are as much interested
in this work as the farmers, and should
take hold of it vigorously; and St. Paul.
as the financial, political and intellectual
capital the State, should lead off in a
great effort for Justice and reform.