St. Paul daily globe., 1889-10-25
WANT DOLLAR WHEAT,
And Talk of Asking Farmers Not
to Sell for Less,


ST. LOUIS, Oct. 24.-The interstate
wheat growers convention met again
this forenoon. with Col. n. J. Coleman,
the permanent president, in the chair.
= Robert LindblOom, the Chicago wheat
[ speculatOr, made speech, in which he
B gave the SpeculatOrS' side of the wheat
question. He said the mOnOpOliStS had
{ taught society lesson that would in
time make monopoly an impossibility.
That lesson was The lesson of
} cooperation. The lesson taught
by trusts was cooperation. 1t
was intended as a blessing
to monopoly. 1t will end in being
blessing to humanity. Mr.. Lindbloom
said he was brought up to believe that
wheat on the great lakes at 81 per
bushel was as good as a government
| bond, but in four years it never went as
high as 81 until last year, when 1t
touched SO for minute because of "Old
Uutch," and he was as much surprised
as anybody. He believed that at fairly
high prices more grain could be sold
than at low prices. There was no fOunda-
tiOn for the cry Of over-production. In
five years, while the production of
wheat decreased 219 per cent, the price
decreased 90 per cent. The speaker
then went on to show that there had
been no production in other cOun-
tries. President Coleman then ad-
dressed the convention from free trade
standpoint, denounced the way
the farmers are used by the pres
ent administration and the protective
policy, and said that the only way to
protect their interests was to adopt free
trade. He assailed elevator combines,
pools, commission men and spectators
as the robbers of the farmers, and said
that between these factions the farmer
was crushed. After these speeches were
applauded. Lindbloom's by the prOtec-
tiOnists and Coleman's by the free trad
ers, the committee on resolutions pre-
sented the following:
Resolved, By the farmers Of the states ly
ing in the Mississippi and Missouri river val
leys, and of the states of Oregon, Washing
ton and California, in national convention
assembled: -.-e--..
First-That we hereby memorable our ma
Honal congress and the president of the
United States and most seriously petition
them TO make such reciprocity treaties with
those foreign nations to whom we ship our
surplus farm products as will cause such
foreign nations to remove their customs
duties from our farm products shipped
abroad, thereby causing us to receive
higher price for our foreign farm surplus,
that we sell at home.
Second-That we ask that such steps be TAX
en- by our national congress as will destroy the
present existing mouopolles and trusts and
prevent the formation of others.
Third-ADd to the end that we may get
our farming implements at a less price, that
the present laws be repealed that place a
dutv upon farming implements or the raw
materials used in their manufacture.
Fourth-That we are more deeply interest
ed in the carrying out OF the above resolu-
tons than we are in the success Of any pO-
Iitical party.
A very animated debate followed.
which was decidedly political in charac-
ter. The free traders greatly Outnum-
bered the prOtectiOnists, and the resolu-
tiOns we're finally adopted by a large
majority. 1t is said that an attempt
will be made in the convention to set a
price OF 81 on January wheat and Csc on
December wheat, and that some of the
members will endeavOr to get farmers
In the ASSOCIATION to pledge themselves
not to dispose of their crops for less.
During the afternoon permanent or
ganiZatiOn, to be known as the Inter-
state Wheat Growers association, was
formed. with n. j. Coleman as perma-
nent chairman. Among other reSOlu-
tionS adopted was one requesting Su-
perintendent of census Porter to collect
data to show in the next census what
percentage of the people in This country
occupy their own homes and what per-
centage are tenants. The remainder of
the afternoon was devoted to desultOry
political debate in humorous strain,
and the convention finally adjourned
{ sine die.