Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1884-05-07
THE FARMERS OF MINNESOTA AND
DAKOTA.
In Convention at st. Paul, Mimi, March
.,. Is, ID, 20, 1884, Address Their
Fellow Citizens.
To the Citizens of Minnesota and Dakota:

dress our fellow citizens of the northwest.
During the past few years, the few who
control and operate corporate monopolies,
have accumulated immense fortunes by
unlawful and oppressive burdens imposed
upon the industries of the many. Kings
of monopoly have secured favorable leg
islation through bribery of legislatures, a
subsidized public press and unlawfully
usurped powers, until the industries Of
agriculture, the trades and commerce are
made to contribute their legitimate profits
to corporate monopolies, beyond reason
or justice. These abuses have grown I'M
til they have assumed the form Of burdens
SO grossly unjust and intolerable, that
our fellow citizens of the new northwest
have been forced to assemble in local,
the purpose of devising means for the
redress of grievances and the protection
of constitutional rights guaranteed to
American citizenship. Railroads, en-
dowed by charter, with extraordinary
privileges, constructed for public good
and duly compensated have been and are
being used as means of outrageous op-
preston by illegal assessment of unrea-
sonablc freight rates charged for the
transportation of the products and COM
modities of agricultural and other legiti-
mate industries of our country. Roads
traversing the great cereal districts Of
Minnesota and Dakota, are specially cen
surablc for imposing exorbitant and 1p-
pressive rates.
The officers Of one of the said roads,
in answer to specific requests made by a
committee appointed by a convention of
the people Of North Dakota, claimed to
have made liberal concessions in the in
terest of the people. Of the three spe-
citic concessions claimed to have been
granted, two are without foundation in
fact, viz: The granting Of the privilege
capacity and secondly claiming that the
road had reduced reight rates during last
year 10 per cent. less than the previous
year. In the first place, the roads unlaw-
fully usurped control over elevators by
establishing the present system, and
therefore had no power to do otherwise
than abandon usurped control thereof.
In relation to this matter Gen. J. G.
Baker, Commissioner of Railroads for
the State of Minnesota says:
AT the time of the proposed issuance
of the rule (that is the regulating of the
capacity of elevators) this office protested
against It, and in the light of experience,
still more strongly declares'its opposition
to this regulation, as being unlawful,
unequal in it's operation and against
public policy ''In our last report, with
the approval of the Attorney General, we
pointed out the illegality of the rule
The railway in question, however, pro
| mulgated the order, in defiance of the
Commissioner and Of the law, and this
| regulation is now practically enforced by
all the lines in the state" In demon
stration of how legislatures are corrupted
and honest, equal and just legislation il
defeated he further says: eff it be said
| that the recent legislature took no action
| in this very matter brought before then
| by the Commissioner he has only to say
with the mercy of charity, that he viii
| not discuss the causes of the suppression
Of such legislation.
| In the second place, concerning thu
claimed reduction of ten per cent: OF
frelghts, by Redistribution of freigh
rates, weights and local rates, an average
increase was made instead of a reduction
Instead of the operating expenses of thi:
! road being GO to Is per cent. greater thar
any other road operated in the northwest
as claimed by the sworn statements Of thu
! officers of the road, as published by tn.
Commissioner of Railroads, shows tina
their operating expenses are that mucl
! less than some other roads and much les
| than any other road operated in tn.
northwest. AS to their promise of through
transportation of wheat and so.calle(
further reduction of freight rates, thes,
are questions and promises for future
action to demonstrate their good faith.
| OF the past and present conduct O.
these railroads, we can only say of them
that their cxorbitant charges on products
| lumber, fuel, machinery and merchandise
have resulted in extraordinary and unrea
sonable profits which amounts to this
that, for every dollar paid to these cor
| porations, forty to tifty-two cents goe
into their treasury as profit. Through
the usurped unlawful control of elevate
capacity by railroads, rich elevator com
panies have secured absolute control O.
wheat by driving Independent purchaser
from the agricultural districts. Thes'
elevator companies are part of the Min
neapolis Mlllers Association, and through
these usurped powers by railroads ant
Olies have been created with power t.
control the wheat market of the Who'll,
| Northwest. These monopolies hav,
exercised these usurped powers and Other
dark practices to an extent, which, TO-
the year 1888, has resulted in corporate
! greed absorbing several millions Of dol
lars on the wheat crop of Minnesota an(
Dakota, which should have gone to tn,
producers as their legitimate profits.
| These are the greater evils of which ou
producers complain, but there are other:
which are oppressive and unreasonable
In the markets, the farmer finds adulter
ations and limitations of butter which
centralized capital has forced upon it
and he must enter into ruinous compe
tition with these counterfeit products
| His good butter is forced to compete with
| oleomargarine, lard butter, compounds
! of worms and filth. Glucose is being
largely used in the adulteration of sugar
and syrups until it is difficult to find {
| pure article in the markets, and this tc
| the great injury of health and to the de-
triment of producers who are strenuously
| striving in the cultivation of sugar cane
| and beets to supply the demands of our
| liberation of many other articles OF diet
to the injury of health and detriment OF
legitimate industries are practiced with
| out restraint or fear
Actual settlers in the state of Minnesota
and in Dakota, are being taxed for thu
| improvement of untaxed railroad lands
lavishly granted by state and nationa
governments. Railroad corporations
| have been and are now conspiring to re-
strict or absorb river and lake navigation
petltioned for by the people of Minnesota
and Dakota, for the independent trans
portation of their products to other thar
the centralized markets controlled by
these and other monopolies. Lumber
rings and monopolies have heretofore
secured absolute control of the pine land.
sold by the government, and are now con
| spring to defeat q measure before thu
| National Congress intended to give thu
inhabitants of our prairies cheaper lumber
for the construction of more comfortable
habitations. Through these abuses, arbi
trary assessments and unlawful imposi
tions, the producer is deprived of tn,
legitimate profit of his labor, his habita
ton is not what it should be, his family
is stinted and deprived of many of thu
necessary comforts of life, his children il
many cases imperfectly clad and edu
Gated and in MANY sections. the farmers