The sun. [volume] (Morris, Stevens County, Minn.) 1882-1895, 1884-04-17

Put North BY the Committee Appodutod 1t
the xarmers' Convention, recently held
In 81. Faul.
The committee appointed by the farmers
convention, held In st. Paul March Is, 10 and
90, 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
legislation through bribery of legislatures, sub
sidized 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 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 unreasonabie freight rates Charged si for the
transportation OF the products and commodi-
ties of agriculture and other legitimate indus
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 committee appointed by 3
convention of North Dakota, claim to have
made liberal concessions in the interest Of the
people OF the three specific concessions
clGtmed to have been granted, two are without
foundation in fact, viz. The granting Of the
privilege to construct elevators Of Is, O(0 bush
els capacity; and secondly, claiming that the
road had reduced freight rates during last year
10 per cent less than the previous
year. In the first place, the roads unlawfully
usurped control over elevators by establishing
the present system, and therefore had no pow
or to do otherwise than abandon usurped con-
troll thereof In the second place, concerning
the claimed reduction of 10 per cent on freights
by q Redistribution Of freight rates, weights
and local rates, an average increase was made
as claimed, instead of 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
porations, 40 to So 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
sr'A ns These Of elevator the companies nnes,not
Millers association, and through these usurped
powers by railroads and thelatter corporations,
gigantic monopolies have been created with
power to controlt the wheat market of the whole
Northwest These monopolies have exercised
these usurped powers and other dark practices
to an extent, which, for the year 1888, has re-
suited in corporate greed absorbing several
millions of dollars on the wheat crop Of Min
nesota and Dakota, which should have gone
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 adulterations and imita-
dons 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 Improvement of
ad low tod hv
state and national governments. Railroad
corporations have been and are now conspir-
ing to restrict or obsorb river and lake naviga-
ton petitioned for by the people of Minnesota
and Dakota, for the Independent transportation
of their products to other than the centralized
markets controlled by these and other monopo-
lies Lumber rings aud monopolies have
heretofore secured absolute control of the pine
lands sold by the government, and are now
conspiring to defeat measure before the nat
tional congress intended to give the inhabitants
Of our prairies cheaper lumber for the con-
Etrucion 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 equal and just legislation for the produc-
ton of their several industries against the en-
croachments, tyranny and unlawful usurpa-
serfdom and slavery. With the producers Of
our country thoroughly banded together, stand
ing shoulder to shoulder in their demand for
equitable laws and their faithful 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-
ture, the trades or commerce, who will not first
pledge his unqualified support and adherence
70 the principles of our platform. Neither
should any person receive the
support of these industries, for any Office, who
is not thoroughly and unqualifedly 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-
tions 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 incorruptble, are nominated,
end then see to it that they are elected