Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1883-02-03
REGULATION OF ELEVATORS.

VI
Our e%nterprising and independent st.
Louis contemporary. the Post Dispatch,
in speaking of . law framed by the st.
Louis merchants exchange to regulate
grain elevators, 3 s:-''This bill is
based almost entirely upon the Illinois
State Warehouse law, and is changed
only to meet the necessities of the st.
trade. With this law passed BY
the Missouri legislature and put In
practical effect by the exchange, the
board hopes to be able to 60 before the
Illinois Legislature and show thom st.
Louis has practically their own state
law here. That II they will but keep
their state warehouse law away from
East St. Louis the trade of st. Louis
will receive no injury, but with one
state law on the east side of the river
aud q different state law on the west
side, with different sets of inspectors
and grades OF grain, not alone will the
grain trade of St. Louis receive a dam
aging blow, but the interests of their
own constituents, the country grain
shippers of southern and central Lii.
neis, at points contiguous to st. Louis,
will also suffer. 1t IS not now = quss-
ton OF quibbling over the more details
OF the registration rules. That q be
attended to 1T any time after the law
has been passed. 1t is tho passage OF
this law that must be brought about,
and TO this the whole exchange. and
the grain trade, should work
in harmony and bring their influence
ina body to bear for the successful
outcome to this important measure.
There 10 one provision in the bill pre-
pared by the exchange directors that
will meet the approval of the country
shipper, aud it il one. too, that IL not
to be found in the Illinois law. This
il q complete aud exact supervision OF
weighing Of all grain gong into St.
Louis elevators. The bill provides
that supervisors of weighing shall be
who shall have charge of all
in the Inherent elevators, and
whose duty shall DO TO carefully super
wise the weighing OF every bushel of
grain received In these elevators"
1t the Post-DIspstch will send an
msn,o business experience,
to interview the millsrs Oho do not
own elevator stock, and the commits
sion men who neither own the stock or
are under obligations to those who do.
will fluid out that it 10 misin-
formed, aud mistaken IN its advocacy
of this bill. We believe the P.-D. to
be Independent aud fair enough to ad-
init this If it were convinced OF it.
We say what we do.
Tho bill may have and no doubt has
some good points, but its radical defect
10 that it is framed by the elevator
and their friends on 'change
for the express purpose of evading the
very reform that is necessary. Weigh
ing in as we'll as weighing out is all
very well. 1t 10 right, and will be
found in any proper law upon the SUBJ
ject. But what is needed is, frat, to
take the grading of grain out Of the
hands of the elevator mon /; and, second,
to prevent impositions by fraudulent
mixing of grain. Honest elevator men
can object to neither Of these provis-
IONS, 1t dishonest ones do it makes no
difference.
The trouble about the merchants ex-
change regulating the elevators is that
it is itself regulated by the officers aud
stockholders Of the elevators. The
two parties 1T Interest In this whole
question, when 1t is legitimately con-
sidsred, are the producer whose gram
liuds a market through the elevator,
and the consumer who must buy his
grain from its bins. In the merchants
exchange bill it Is IN int crest foreign
to. and, really however much it may
profess that 1t is not), antagonistic to
both, which seeks to regulate the matter
to. suit itself. That it consents at all to
regulation is merely because it sees
that 1t must Inevitably come. That the
farmers OF Missouri have suffered the
thing to remain a. it is 80 long is q
marvel. They cry aloud at the burdens
of freight charges, yet send their grain
to q market where it il graded too high
in the interest of the dealer and specu
lator In that market, at = cost, on the
millions OF bushels involved of millions
of dollars to them, not to speak Of
what they are wronged out of by the
mixing process.
The radical reform 10 the one adopt
cd in Illinois. aud which this merchants
exchange bill distinctly avolds-th,
regulation by the state, In the interes
Of all its clrizens fairly and impartially
Of the rates to be charged and of th'
inspection aud weighing. This is dou'
in Illinois, and the law has been sus
tanned by the U. 8. supreme court ii
elaborate opinions. And no man witt
reads the reports of the grain busines'
done at Chicago and St. Louis q dar'
to asssrt that the Illinois law 10 iDjurl
Gus to the gram trade OF its cities. Nor
than that, effort after effort of stronI
and rich lobbIes, from Chicago and st
Louis, have assallsd every session Q
the Illinois legislature to sscur the re
peal of their law, aud always unsuc
cessfully. demonstrating by sxperienc
that the growing strength of tho la,
lies in its justice aud fairness.
The true thing to do in this matte
10 to institute a real reform or to pitc
the whole thing out OF the window VI
til that can be accomplished. We hav
not seen Mr. Carter's bill upon th
subject and We therefore caunot e.
press q positive opinion upon 1t.
Farmers in the legislature and ger
tlemsn representing farming coustitl