The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1884-03-08
Our Northwest Letter.
Special to the UAnnoN ApvocArE

| Special to the CARBoN ADVOCATE
MINNEAPOLIS, March /, 1884.
This section Of the country has just
witnessed what farmers can do when they
conclude to take matters in their own
hands. After having been imposed upon
for several years by powerful railroad
corporation, aided by wheat elevator mo-
nopolies aud mill owners, they have at
last called halt, Heretofore a railroad
covering q large section of the wheat
producing country, owning controlling
interests in many of the wheat elevators
and having large influence with the mil
lers in this city, have been saying to the
farmer that he must store his wheat in
their elevators at prices fixed by them
and unless be wanted to pay exhorbitaut
rates of freight must sell his wheat to
the elevator companies and that the far.
mers should not build elevators along
the line of the railroad. All of which
resulted in a complete monopoly for the
benefit of the corporations and to the
great disadvantage of the farmers. This
ring, composed of three links, s,--the rail.
road, the elevator companies aud the
mill owners. must be broken before the
farmers could be relieved of this unjust
oppression. The farmers OF the Red
River Valley aud Northern Dakota held
mass meeting and chose representatives
to meet the directors of these large cor.
porations with platform like this:--
nc lnx nat ra tau rf fra iUh
permit us to build our own elevators
along your line aud make no discrimiu-
alton against personal shipments TO our
own consignees. or we will see to it that
we have Legislature that will compel
you to do all Of this and more too" It
is hardly necessary to add that the com
panies yielded as gracefully as possible,
for they saw the farmers meant business
and fo- time, at least, there will be
peace in the "granaries OF the world"
Here were comparatively few farmers
dealing with corporations representing
millions of capital, and is a striking ii. |
lustration of the power of the ballot and |
what farmers, who complain of oppres.
sion on all sides, can do by acting unit |
edly and intelligently. give no names
because am not advertising any cor
porations or monopolies. |
But this is small part OF the troubles;
which our farmers haye to contend with,
and the remedy is still within their
power. They have yet TO learn what
Iowa did few years past, and that is,
that they cannot go right on raising |
nothing but wheat year after year. 1t is
a fact that majority of the farmers Of |
Dakota and Minnesota do not rsise vege-
tables enough for their own use, nor do |
they have chickens, pigs, cows and srch |
stock to enable them to live as farmers
should 1t is a common sight in the !
country stores TO find farmers buying |
the potatoes and cabbage, the butter and |
eggs which are sold to the dealer from
Wisconsin aud Iowa.
Were it not that fish and game are
abundant but little fresh meat would
grace the farmers board, and this, too,
IN country where me at is almost neces-
sary to enable them to withstand the Sc.
we're cold. Notwithstanding the long
winters, 1t is not very expensive to raise
stock, as hay is almost ''as cheap as dirt,
and oats can be raised with very little
trouble as the soil is rich and weeds
scarce. The next generation will pro.
badly see the folly OF this one idea Kind
of agriculture.
Here. as everywhere else, business is
dull. Collections are slow and failures
numerous. An immense amount of Com
mercial paper is ahoat. Everything de.
pends upon the next wheat crop. If il
is a success the country will be in good
shape, but If it should prove failure,
bankruptcy will be the order Of The day
L. ho -
ing that all they had to do was to come,
and that wealth and fame were loafing
around on corners and vacant lots wait
ing to be picked up. This city, though
one of the busiest in the Northwest is
filled with young meu, many Of them
having trades too, who cannot get regu-
lar and permanent work. This is the
natural result of too much blooming"
and when matters have found their ma
tural level the northwest and its citizens
will have the healthy prosperity which |
cannot iail to wait upon rich agricul- |
tural country.
We have just passed through the first |
blizzard for this year, or perhaps it |
would be better TO say it has passed |
through US. Stock which had been win.
tering finely on the Montana ranges, were
driven to the canyons and gulches, and |
many Of them were frozen and lost be- |
fore they could reach such friendly |
shelter. Numerous stage drivers aud
parties ont in sleighs have perished and
others not been heard from.
The Indians on the government reser-
Vations huddle up together and take their
tea hot, which beverage, like congress
sional mineral water, is strongly Impreg-
mated with alcohol. BY the way, the Iu-
dians on some of the reservations are in
a destitute condition, having no fuel and
less clothing, the Agent having in all
probability, INDUCED in little ''spec"
Of bis own by selling govern II ent rations
10 white settlers. However, the western
citizen quotes Vanderbilt only substi;ut-
ing 'indian" for ''pnblic," 30 that il
heir wishes are granted Lo will go to a
where there will be no freezing,
nor bhzzards. Wonder if Ahey wouldn't
make valuable assistants to his satanic
majesty?
In my next letter / will have some
hing to say about Western Society.
Nnyy A AdvorfiSonopfs