Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1883-10-10
STAND BY THE FARMERS.

STAND BY THE FARMERS.
The Minneapolis Millers' Associa-
ton has purchased the system OF eie-
vators Of the Northwestern Grain
Dealers Association on the Brecken-
ridre division of the Manitoba road,
and secured control Of the elevators on
the Hastings and Dakota road. 1t Is
intimated such action became necessa-
nv to prevent the grain fSom the west
ern part of the state finding market
i'm Duluth.-Sauk Centre Herald.
The Minneapolis millers and the
railroads have come to terms, ana the
Joint monoplists have everything love
ly again, as the Sentinel antlclpateu
last week. The prospective plumber
was too great to long separate the
pIunderers.-LeSueur sentinel.
The elevators of the Minnesota x
Dakota Company and the Northwest
ern Grain Dealers Association nave
been purchased by the Millers' AssO-
ciation of Minneapolis. 1t probably
will not be long before the NIillers' AS
ISOLATION own all the elevators in the
state. and then-God help the farmers.
Pope County Fress.
We will say to these papers, and
many others which are expressing like
sentiments, to hold on; the battle in
the farmers behalf is not yet over, 1t
has only commenced. All this talk
about the roads having surrendered to
the Nillers' Association, and that the
war is over on that account, Is not true
in any respect. The purchasing con-
trolling interest in these lines OF ele-
vators by it, is the mere fioundering OF
the Association like a fish when you
are drawing the line in to shore. They
may have worried the roads more or
less, in the purchasing Of these ele-
vators, but so far as bringing the roads
to their terms in the reduction Of rates,
such concession would bankrupt the
roads. The roads all combined, could
not pay expenses in competing with
lake navigation, this we all know. The
roads cannot carry wheat from Duluth
to Buffalo for four and five cents a
bushel, as the boats are doing by lake. !
You may ask what will become OF the
farmers after navigation closes until
spring? That can be answered in this |
way: The Association will probably |
get wheat from those who are obliged |
to sell between the closing of naviga-
ton this fall, and the opening again
next spring, then the eastern mills,
that have an eye to business, will build |
elevators at the head of Lake Superb
or to hold all wheat over, which they
may be unable to take away next year.
If the Association shall so purchase
and handle elevators along the lines
of railroads, it will not be the work of
but short time, when the combined |
mills east will construct roads of their
own, from points on the head of Lake
Superior into and through the hard
wheat belts of Minnesota and Dakota,
erect and control all the elevators
along its lines. The Association have,
to waylay the eastern mills in doing
this, threatened to construct their pre-
tended road to Sault st. Mary, but it
would pass through such county as
would defeat its object. This will set
tie the matter as 10 what will become
of it in the future; and for the present
crop, the mills east are still purchas-
ing on the grandest scale, and taking
it out of Duluth in every day cargoes
of sc, OOO and $4,000 bushels, and when
the boats stop running this fall, they
will buy up all the elevators in Duluth
full, and as much more as possible in
other places. The Association may
skin the farmers some little this fall,
but not one-half as much as they have
heretofore. From the large amount
of wheat now going to Duluth, and
the small lots going to Minneapolis,
convinces us that there is power in
the market that will force the Millers'
Association to pay what wheat is
worth or lose it entirely, and go out
of the wholesale business. We must
stand by the farmer,a he is the back
bone and salt of the country, and the
merchants, newspapers, lawyers, doc
tors and manufacturers are all directly
interested in the good round price the
farmer shall receive for his wheat.
When he goes, we all go, and railroads I
are sWamped.