St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1884-03-20

ding of the said pine Land Ring" and Tor
the passage at the earliest practicable day of
said bill for the opening of the Red Lake In
dian reservation, and be it
Resolyed, That the foregoing preamble and
appeal be signed by the chairman and secre-
tary of this convention, be printed in conven-
lent form and furnished to each senator and
representative in congress by the secretary"
GSigned j. j. FURLoNG,
Presiding Vice President.
A. K. TE1sBERG,
Secretary.
The preamble and resolutions were unani
mously adopted by the convention, and
without debate.
CORPORATE TAXATION.
Mr.. Burdick offered a resolution as fol-
lows:
Resolved, That it is the sense Of this con-
vention that the next legislature of the state
of Minnesota should enter upon thorough
examination and investigation of the subject
of corporate taxation, and especially of all
railroad properties, including railroad lands,
whether they are bearing just and equitable
amount of the burden Of taxation.
The manuscript copy of Mr.. Burdick's
resolution was accompanied by the following
memoranda, credited to Railroad Commits
sioner Bakers report of 1882: "Congres-
sional grants, 12,141, 527 acres; swamp
lands, by state, 1911, $50; total, 1893, 277
acres, making 4,259 acres of land for each
mile of railway in the state"
NOT PARTY MEN.
Mr.. Reynolds, of Rice, said the talk about
parties reminded him of the farmers big
hog, which had grown from pet pig to be
nuisance about the house and doors, until
fbo nj +ba boor ha f.
kill our pet pig, said the girls. But he's
nuisance, he must be killed, said the farmer.
WE'LL then, father, said the girls, kill
him easy. He didn't believe they
could kill monopoly iniquities easy.
They could never hope to accomplish what
they sought through such men as sat in this
legislature last winter. They could not get
rid of such men by hitting the parties easy.
They, of his county, had tried it; they had
very good Republican of his county last
winter who was not good for the farmers,
he would not come here again. For himself
he was no longer party man, he was about
ready now to vote for General Jackson.
Mr.. Muzzy, of Otter Tail, spoke of his at
tachment to the Republican party and his
willingness to give it up if it did not do the
work of the people.
Mr.. Howard, of Hennepin, said if the old
or the new parties would do our work, well
enough. But if they will not we must make
a new party. If the Republican party will
carry out our resolutions we can take our
chances with the majority party. If it will
not we can, with all the farming commune
ties of the state at our back, take
our chances with the Democratic, or, perhaps
some other party. In referring to President
Arthur's late message as an instance of poll
ticians' Indifference to agricultural interests,
Howard remarked that Arthurs brief discus
sion of the hog export question did notinform
him that the president knew whether the
hog was an agricultural production or min
eral.
TRANSIT RATES.
Mr.. Tiffany, of Carver, thought the object
of the Millers' association was to drive out in
dependent buyers of grain, and described
the operation of the milling-in-transit rates
adopted by the railroads for benefit of them
selves and the Millers' association. He
stated that the railroads now have about
$500, 900 paid for unused freight by indie
pendent buyers who cannot sell the stuff for
lack of buyers. In one instance on the II. d
D. when local buyer forced the railroad to
give him a rate to Minneapolis
the outside combination raised the
price of wheat at Norwood long enough to
force that independent buyer out of the mar
ket. Between Minneapolis and Millbank the
rate all winter has been "a cents bushel.
Understand, that is the full rate to Chicago
Now there is ten cents bushel more than
the outside of honest rates from Millbank to
Minneapolis. 1t has amounted this year to
loss of 100000 to the farmers Of Grant
county, Dakota-and enough in some per-
sonal instances to ruin farmers who are not
well established. The Millers' association is
combination to rob the farmers of the little
profit they can make on raising wheat. We
must have these railroad companies, but we
want harmony and justice, and the only way
is to enact Just laws. The railroads must
make concessions. The farmers would make
concessions if they had anything left to give.
This is the starting point; the question now
is whether the these corporations or the peo-
pie are sovereign in this state of Minnesota.
CENTRAL COMMITTEE AGAIN.
Mr.. TAYLOR advocated his resolution as
calculated to eliminate party divisions from
this movement without organizing new or
third party.
Mr. Converse would accept the substitute
if he could see that it improved the situation.
He preferred to have fifteen members of the
committee instead of ten.
Mr. Mattson offered resolution request
ing that it be referred the committee ON res
olutions. 1t declares that while farmers de-
mand justice in legislation and will
accept nothing less they grant
and will be glad to have equal justice for all
other interests. So referred.
Mr.. Davis of 'Kittson said in his section
they could not raise corn or pork successful
ly. They must raise wheat and depend on
that crop. They were induced to go there by
the railroad company under false promises
as to transportation facilities. They are now
charged
VERY HIGH FREIGHT RATES
both ways. The company has established an
elevator monopoly which EFFORTS two cents
a bushel if farmers wish to ship themselves.
At one station instanced, before
there was an elevator there ian institution
which did not cost over So, 000) they sold to
Sterrett & Hill at car doors and never had
but one grade, No. l hard. Since then with
equally good crops the grain has been graded
down to No. 2 and even lower. In his own
case he had saved 5000 by shipping his own
grain by car loads to the mills, where it was
country had been robbed of at least twenty
cents bushel. They caunot stand it. 1t has
got to this pass, that the
present league of the railroad and
elevator companies must be broken,
or the Red River valley farmers must choose
between living along in beggarly condition
or leaving the valley. There was no politics
about this; it was pressing grievance which
demanded remedy at once.
Mr.. Palmer of Marshsll told of the exper-
fence of himself and associates in 1879, when
they were forced to sell at IS cents, after
a verbal agreement with the Sterrett ware
house to pay them the highest price they
could obtain, although they were offered by
other parties 70 cents. Next
year Palmer and associates