St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-02-19

getting higher rates and larger return on
their investment than they deserve, be-
lieve that every railroad in the State-and
| Will speak for the Manitoba road, which
| represent would be willing that the
State make any rates it sees fit, provided
the State will guarantee the roads per
cent on their actual cost and provide
fund for maintenance, renewal and other
necessary expenditures. The present de-
preston in agricultural pursuits finds
corresponding depression in all other
branches of business While the income
of the farmer is greatly reduced, the in
come of the railroad suffers also, and
have no doubt that merchants and bust
ness men throughout the State find their
income correspOndingly less The real
cause of the present depression is, | will
undertake to show, not attributable in any
way to the rates of transportation charged
by the railroads in this State; and l will
show further that the rates in Minnesota
are lower on grain than they are, consider
ing the service, in any other Western state.
The entire grain producing areas of the
world were favored during the last year
with an unusually large crop. Russia,
Australia, New Zealand and India all have
large SURPRISES, and the surplus in the
United States is nearly 200, 900, 900 BUSH
els of wheat alone. There are more
bushels of wheat than there are mouths
to feed. This is not the fault of the rail
road. The farmers in Minnesota, and
especially in the northern part of Mime
sofa, are undertaking to do what has been
undertaken and which has failed in every
IN, oil fha fafa from tho tlantIp
ocean to the Missouri River. They are
undertaking to make one crOp-wh wheat
their sole source of income.
CAN'T LIVE BY WORKING FOUR MONTHS.
In Northern Minnesota farmer Guilt
waiting wheat can work from four to four
and one-half months, and no longer, on his
wheat crop, and he expects that four and
One-half months work will give him suf-
ficient income to support himself and his
family and the necessary teams to do his
work for twelve months. ] know of no
country outside of the tropics where any
man has right to expect a living from
the soil for twelve months on four months
work. We must have better farming.
We must have more intelligent methods.
Our farmers, in place of relying on one
crOp-as the people of the South did in
cotton, until they and their lands were i'm
pOverished must diversity their industry.
They must find some means of employing
their time for the entire year. Experience
has shown that there is no way in which
they can do this so well as by raising cattle,
pigs and horses, and dairying.
Thirty years ago the Genesee Valley in
New York was the favOrite wheat area of
this continent, and the mills at Rochester
were the largest in the country. To-day
those mills are diSmantled and the build
ings used as manufactures for straw hats,
boots and shoes, paper collars and other
like industries, and the lands in the Gene
see Valley, that were worth SO an acre
thirty years ago for wheat farms are to-day
worth $3.50 an acre for dairy farming. If
our farmers throughout the West will raise
more cattle they will reduce the surplus
that now alarms the nations of Europe and
they will supply themselves with all the
necessaries of life, butter, beef, pork, etc,
for which they now pay the highest retail
prices or 20 without.
| think | am safe in saying that there is
not one farmer in five in the northern part
of this State who raises his own meat or
makes his own butter We are constantly
hauling supplies ofthat kind over our road
the same as if the entire northern part of
the state was mining camp and il was
impossible to raise COW, an OK or a pig
within its borders. The older parts of our
Southern Minnesota went through
this experience fifteen years ago and to-
day they are comparatively independent,
owing to the fact that they have changed
their method and diversified their farm
ing.
The railroad commissioner in his report
says: " Complaints have been constantly
on the increase, and never more 80 than at
present. They refer to all manner of ues-
tionS connected with transportation rates,
transit rates, determinations, facilities for
grain, and many matters of a kin
bred character -
If these complaints nave come to his Of
ice and | have no doubt they have. it
would have seemed proper that he should
have given the substance of these COM
plants to the railroads Speaking for one
| can say that | have seen the
commissioner many times in my own office
and out OF it, and while | have discussed
with him the practice adopted by our road
in regard to the size of grain warehouses.
and he has admitted its advantages, he has
always opposed the position taken by
our company on the ground that it inter
fercS with somebody's rights, and on no
other ground. | have endeavored to show
him that our plan was for the greatest
good to the greatest number. and to that
position the commissioner has never been
able to furnish satisfactory reply
He has made no other complaints in our
Office that am awareof, except one where
shipper claimed to have lost ten bales of
Irvine and Investigation showed that the
had delivered the Irvine and held
the party receipt for same
CASE or 4 PRIVATE ELEVATOR.
Five years ago last July. when took
charge of the road, among the first matters
that pressed themselves on my attention
WAS that of an elevator case at Litchtield.
in this state \ man had rented an eleva-
tor and by offers of lower rates ~ storage.
had induced the farmers and others To store
wheat with him. He shipped this wheat
and sold II; put the money in his pocket
and ran away. and has not been seen since
| undertook to devise some better plan.
After consulting with those who had ex-