The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1884-04-18
An ADDRESS TO rAzmrxs,
Put Forth by the Committee Appointed at
the Farmers Convention, recently held
in st. Eau1.

Put Forth by the Committee Appointed at
the Farmers Convention, recently held
in st. Fau1.
The committee appointed by the farmers
convention, held in ST. Paul March is, 10 and
20, have issued an address, which. after relat-
ing the evils of and oppressive burdens i'm
posed by corporations and monopolies, says:
kings of monopolies have secured favorable
leSlslationthrough bribery of legislatures a sub.
sldized public press and unlawfully usurped
powers, untilthe industries of agriculture. the
trades and commerce are made to contributa
theiriegitimate profits to corporate monopolies,
beyond reason or justice. Railroads, endowed
by charter, with extraordinary privileges con
structed for public good and duly compensa-
ted, have been and are being used as a means
OF outrageous oppression by Illegal assessment
OF unreasonable freight rates charged for the
transportation OF the products and commodi
ties of agriculture and other legitilnateindus
tries of our country. Roads trayersing the
great cereal districts of Minnesota and Dakota
are especially censurable for exposing exorbi-
tant and oppressive freight rates. The officers
or one of the said roads, in answer to specific
requests made by a committee appointed by a
convention Of North Dakota, claim to have
made liberal concessions in the interest OF the
people, OF the three specific concessions
claimed to have been granted, two are without
foundation in fact, viz. The granting of the
privilege to construct elevators Of Is, 600 bush.
els capacity; and secondly, claiming that the
road had reduced freight rates during last wear
10 per cent less than the previous
year. In the first place, the roads u~nlawfully
usnrpea control over elevators by establishing
the present system, and therefore had no DOW.
er TODD otherwise than abandon usurped con
troll thereof. In The second place, concerning
the claimed reduction of 10 per cont. on frcishts
by q reclassitication of freight rates, weights
and local rates, an average increase was made
I as pEHlmaH instead nf o raIgrnttNN ~ A..
past and present conduct of these railroads,
we can only say of them that their exorbi,ant
charges on products, lumber, fuel, machinery
and merchandise have resulted in extraordinary
and unreasonable profits, which amounts to
THIS, that, for every dollar paid to these cor
porations, 40 to % cents goes into their treas
ury as profit. Through the usurped, unlaw-
fui control of elevator capacity by railroads,
flch elevator companies have secured absolute
control OF the wheat by driving Independent
tricts. These elevator companies as
n part of the Minneapotis
Millers' association, and through these usurped
powers by railroads and the latter corporations
siSahiic monopolles have been created with
power to control the wheat market of the whole
Northwest. These monopolies have exercised
these usurpedpowers and other dark practices
to an extent, which, for the year 1883 has re-
suited IN corporate greed absorbing several
mllilons OF dollars on the wheat crop of Min
1SNSN uANa DhhoNNt, illI .Subulu luNe tsOlp
to the producers as their legitimate profits.
These are the greatest evils of which our pro
ducers complain, but there are others which
are oppressive and unreasonable, In the mar
kets, the farmer finds deliberations and imita-
tons of butter which centralized capital has
forced upon it. and he must enter into runious
competition with these counterfeit products.
Actual settlers in the State of Minnesota and in
Dakota, are being taxed for the improvements
untazed railroad lands lavishly granted by
State and national .I-'
corporations have been and are now conspir-
ing TO restrict or obsorb river and lake n%ayiga-
ton petitioned for by she people of Minnesota
and Dakota, for the Independent Transportation
OF their products to other than the centralized
markets controlled by these and other mouopo-
lies. Lumber rings aud monopolies have
heretofore secured absolute control of the pine
lands sold by the government, and are now
conspirins to defeat a measure before the nat
uonal congress intended to give the inhabitants
of our prairies cheaper lumber for the con-
structlon of more comfortable habitations,
In the thorough, systematic or
ganization of farmers, trades and co-industries
OF the country, rests their only hope for secur-
ing cqaal and just legislation for the produce
ton of their several industries against the en-
croachments, tyranny and unlawful usurpa-
uon OF monopoies which threaten them with
serfdom and slavery. With the producers of
our country thoroughly banded together, stand
ing shoulder to shoulder in their demand for
lui.hp4 luWS hlu llelT 1iltQIul execution. the
result must be a grand victory over tyranny
and wrong. No man should receive the SUP,
port or vote of any person engaged in agricul-
lure, the trades or commerce, who will not first
pledge his unqualified support and adherence
to the principles of our platform. Neither
should any person receive the
support of these industries, for any office, who
Is not thoroughly and unqualifiedly identified
with our interests, Any person who accepts
and travels on the free pass of any railroad or
transportation company while holding public
office or position, places himself under obliga-
tons to such corporations in such manner as
to render independent action for the public
good impossible, and should not be trusted as
our representatives. Farmers, we call upon
you to organize, attend ycur party caucuses,
send true men to your county and state con-
%ventions who will see to it that true men, un-
corrupted and incompatible, are nominated,
and then see to it that they are elected.