The Dickinson press., 1884-04-19
An ADDasss TO
Put 1orth by the Committee Appointed at
the Farmers Convention, recently held
In 6t. FAM

Put 1orth by b Committee Appointed at
h Farmers Convention, recently held
in ct. Faul.
The committee appointed by the farmers
convention, held in st. Paul March 18, 10 and
~, have issued an address, which. after relat-
ing the evils of and oppressive burdens i'm
posed by corporations and monopolies, says:
kings of m%onopolies have secured favorable
iegislationthrough bribery flesislatures asub;
sldlzed public press and unlawfully usurped
powers, until the industries of agriculture, the
trades and are made to contribute
thelrlegitimate profits to corporate m%onopolies,
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-
tries of our country. Roads traversing the
great cereal districts of Minnesota and Dakota
are especially censurable For exposing exorbi-
tant and oppressive freight rates. The officers
Of one of the said roads, in answer to specific
requests made by a committee appointed by a
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
pi1f1AcSc - COuSlfuCU elevators OF lO,UUO push
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, tho roads unlawfully
usurped control over elevators by establishing
the present system, and therefore had no pow
er TODD otherwise than abandon usurped CON
troll thereof. In the second place, concerning
the claimed reduction of 10 per cent on freights
by a reclassitication of freight rates, weights
ana local rates, an average increase was made
as claimed, instead Of a reduction. OF the
past and present conduct of these railroads.
we can only say of them that their exorbitant
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
poratlons, ~ to 81 cents goes into their treas
ury as profit Through the usurped, unlaw-
full control of elevator capacity by railroads,
rich elevator companies have secured absolute
control of the wheat by driving Independent
purchasers from the agricultural dis
: srl''s' part nteS' of elevator The companies ;nesanot Is
Millers' association, and through these usurped
powers by railroads and the latter corporations,
gigantic monopolies have been created with
power to control the wheat marketo of the whole
Northwest. These m%onopolies have exercised
these usurped powers and other dark practices
to an extent, which, for the year 1855, has re-
suited in corporate greed absorbing several
millions of dollars on the wheat crop of Min
nesota and Dakota, which should have gone
70 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 authorizations 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 inthe State of Minnesota and in
Dakota, are being taXedfor the improvement of
untaXed railroad lands lavishly granted by
state and national governments. Railroad
corporations have been and are now conspir-
ing to restrict or obsorb river and lake naviga-
hon petltloned for by the people of Minnesota
of their products to other thanthe centralized
markets controlled by these and other monopo-
lies. Lumber rings aud m%onopG1ies have
heretofore secured absolute control of the pine
lands sold by 1.-THE government, and are now
conspiring to defeat a measure before the nat
tional congress intended to give the inhabitants
OF our prairies cheaper lumber for the con-
struction Of more comfortable habitations,
In the thorough, systematic Or
ganlzation of farmers, trades and co-industries
OF the country, rests their only hope for ecur-
ing eqnal and just legislation for the produce
ton of their several industries against the ell
c~roachments, tyranny and Unlawful usurpa-
ton of monopolies which threaten them with
serfdom and slavery. With the producers Of
our country thoroughly banded together, stand
Aho ou1 W SLOuluCf III tllClf QClllllu IOr
equitable laws and their faithful execution, the
result must be q grand victory over tyranny
and wrong. No man should receive tic sup
port Or vote of any person engagedin agricul-
ture, tho trades or commerce, who willnottirs
pledge his unqualified support and adherence
should any person receive the
support of these industries, for any office, who
is not thoroughly and unqualitiedly identified
with our interests. Any person who accepts
and travels OF the free pass of any railroad or
Office or position, places himself under oabliga-
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 your party caucuses,
send true men to your county and state con-
%ventions who will see to it that true men, un-
corrupted and i%ncorruptble, are nominated,
and then see to it that they are elected.