The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1884-04-17

Put North By the 0ommittee Appointed st
the xarnasxs' Convention, recently held
In 0t. Paul.
The committee appointed by the farmers
convention, held in St Paul March 1s, 10 and
&c, 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
leg!slanon through bribery 0fleSislatures, q sub.
sadlzed public press and unlawfully usurped
powers, until the industries of agriculture the
trades and commerce are made to contribute
Ssxa legitimate profits to corporate
by charter, with extraordinary privileges con-
strricted for public good and duly compensa-
TED, have been and are being used as means
o. outrageous oppression by illegal assessment
transportation Of the products and comn,odi-
ties Of Agriculture and otherlegitimate indus
great Cereal districts o. Aisasata and Dssk ss
are especially eensurable 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
convention of North Dakota, claim to have
made liberal concessions in the interest of the
people OF tho three specific concessions
claimed to have been granted, two are without
foundation In fact, viz; The granting of the
P1'A'o6o - co1s uct clexabOr1 OF lO,VUU Dusn-
els capacity; and SECONDLY, elaifnint that the
road had reduced freight rates during last year
III per cent less than the previous
year: In the first place, the roads unlawfully
nsurped control over elevators by establishing
the present system, and therefore had no pow
or TODD otherwise than abandon usurped con-
troll thereof In the second place, concerning
the claimed reduction of 10 per cent on freights
by 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,
charges on products, lumber; ftiel machinery
and merchandise have resulted in extraordinary
and unreasonable profits, Which, AMOUNTS to
this, that, for every dollar paid to these cor
poratidns, 40 I'd 81 cents goes INTO their treas
9ry as profit Through Tie usfrped. inlay
rich elevator companies have secured absolute
control of the wheat by driving independent
purchasers from the agricultural dis
tr'cts II elevator companies as
Mers assocaon and THOUGH e bese 1ns saPoej
powers by railroads and the latter corporations,
gigantic monopolies have been created with
power to control the wheat market of the whole
Northwest. These monopolies have exercised
these usurped powers and other dark practicea
to an e1tent, 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-
lions OF butter which centralized capital has
forced upon 1t, 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
nnt0V1l low S1,1 %oJ I,
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 titan the centralized
markets controlled by these and other nion0po-
lies Lumber rings aud fionopolies have
heretofore secured absolute control of the pine
lands sold by the government, and are now
consplrlng to defeat a measure before the nat
uonal congress intended to give the inhabitants
OF our prairies cheaper lumber for the con-
structlon of moro comfortable habitations,
In the thorough, systematic or
ganization of farmers, trades and co-indtistriec
OF the country, rests their only hope for secur-
ing eqnal and just legislation for the produce
ton OF their several industries against the en-
croachments, tyranny and unlawful usurpa-
ton OF monopOlies 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
equitable laws and their faithful execution, tho
result must be 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
to the principles of our platform Neither
should any person receive the
support of these industries, for any office, who
is not thoroughly and unqualifediy 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 your party caucuses,
send true mon to your county and state con.
ventiOns who will see to it that true men, un-
corrupted and incorruptlblc, are nominated;
and then soc to it that they are elected.