The Warner weekly sun. (Warner, Brown Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1885, 1884-04-18
AN ADDRESS TO FARMERS.

Put Forth by the COMMITTEES Appointed at
the Farmers Convention, recently held
In st. Faul.
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
legislation through bribery Of leoisla tn res. o sub
sidized public press and unlawfully usurped
overs, until the industries of agriculture, the
trades and are made to contribute
their legitimate 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-
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 a committee appointed by q
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
IOulOdLlOAEm Iacb, VIZ. = Inc Rfa0LIiE OF the
privilege to construct elevators of 1900 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
err to do otherwise than abandon usurped con-
troll thereof. u tho second place, concerning
the claimed reduction of 10 per cent. on freights
by a Redistribution of freight rates, weights
and local rates, an average increase was made
as claimed, instead of q: reduction OF the
past and present conduct of these railroads,
we can only say of them that their exorbitent
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
sricts' 1T. These elevator H. companies M;des.not e
Millers' association, and through these usurped
powers by railroads and the latter corporations,
gigantic m~onopolies have been created with
power to control 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 1883 Sa3 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-
tions 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
a1,4n go 1as,.~ ko~n1 fAa 49,
untaxed railroad lands lavishly granted by
state and national governments. RAILROAD
corporations have been and are now conBpir-
ing to restrict or obsorb river and lake naviga-
ton petitioned for by the people of Minnesota
ard Dakota, for the independent transportation
of their products to other thanthe 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 a measure before the nat
tional congress intended to give the inhabitants
of our prairies cheaper lumbe for the con-
struction 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 eqnal and just legislation for the produc-
ton OF their several Industries against the en-
croachments, tyranny and unlawful usurpa-
ton Of monop0lies which threaten them with
serfdem and slavery. With the producers Of
our country thoroughly banded together, stand
ing shoulder to shoulder In their demand for
equitable laws and theirfaithful execute on, the
result must be . grand victory over tyranny
and wrong. No man should receive the sup
port or vote of any person engagedin agricul-
tlre, the trades or commerce, who will not first
pledge his unqualified support and adherence
10 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-
10 render independent action for the public
| good impossible, and should not be trusted as
our representatives. Farmers, WI call upon
gou TO organize, attend your party caucuses,
! send true men to your county and state con-
| ~rentions who viii see to it that true men, un-
corrupted and in~corruptble, are nominated,
Ind then see 10 it that they are elected
There are now before the house, bills for
ihe erection OF public buildings in different
parts OF the country calling for appropriations
that reach an aggregate of $8,500,U0 Mr..
| Stockalager, of the committee on public build
ngs and grounds, will ask the
I house that three days be set apart for the con-
| lideration Of these BILLS. The buildings called
Tor IN Western cities arc at Council Bluffs,
| Iowa, 5000 o Keokuk. lows, S1jU, COO; La
| Crosse, Wis, 100000: 4 public building at
Duluth and Winona, MINI, 100000 each; 1t
! Oshkosh, Wis, 100000