Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1943, 1890-05-09

she shall be without other means of sup.
port than her daily labor.
SEED WHEAT.
The "seed wheat" season is now nearly
closed and the results of b%enefcent leg.
islation to help out destitute farmers, &c
far as this season is concerned, is exhaust.
ed. But in spite Of "good Intentions
which aprofane divine once said furnished
paving stones for a very warm local..
ty, the seed wheat providers have not i'm.
proved results, and from Rolette county
there comes a complaint endorsed by ev.
idence that will stand the test of the SO.
verest cross-examination, that one-dollar.
a-bushel elevator wheat is not, as a last
resort even, to be commended.
The samples accompanying the follow
ing manifest have been carefully exam.
ined and fully come up to the standard as
described:
"EDIToR BISMARCK TRIBUNE: forward
you a sample Of the seed wheat that we
uSSO v tSAolI LII lkO1CUUC COuA-
ty have to buy at one dollar per bushel in
order to sow our land or go without and
starve. The seed wheat lien I signed called
for No. l hard good clean wheat. Do
the elevators and seed wheat committee
consider this such? I got twenty. five
bushels and fifty pounds for seed, 1 cleaned
!, an 6efor ff | seWed it ao and got t Twenty ssa6 bushels ae5
four bushels and thlrty-nine pounds of dirt,
composed OF wild oats, mustard and other
wild seed. To be sure we being the beg
cars should not be the choosers,' say the
elevator companies. Yes, beggars are we
farmers when we have to pay one dollar a
bushel for wheat that would be rejected if
we were to try to sell it to this company.
The wheat | got for seed would injure my
land more than its value ten-fold had /
sown it as received. It's too late to kick
but nevertheless it is just to express our
sentiments and thus expose our supposed
benefactOrS.
Yours Very Respectfully,
"ANGUs MCKAY"
The TRIBUNE has abstained from en-
tering the list of those who have severe
ly criticised the elevator seed wheat
committee, for the reason that the
semi-oticial character of the much eulo-
gized beneficence in behalf of destitute
farmers withdrew it from the yulgarity
of ordinary charity, but after repeated
evidence that can no longer be blinked,
that however pure the motive, the seed is
most foul, we are compelled to stand in
with others who have no other motive for
exposing the fraud than the public good.
In addition to this introduction, the
following from a source not in the least
inclined to be captious is quoted as apro-
pos. As Burleigh county is excluded
from any benefits arising from the COM
missions distributions, an "object les
son" borrowed from another county will
be excused. The quotation is from the
Grand Forks Plaindealer:
We have been careful not to sheer at the
plan adopted by Governor Miller in his
seed wheat scheme, nor at the work which
he has accomplished, lest we should seem
to stand in the way of a worthy charitable
undertaking. But we must confess that
it makes us very tired to see those who be-
long to his political household going about
with their mouth full of praise for the shon-
est farmer" governors "noble" course in
Gllt STU WIledG UuSlu6SS.
A Devils Lake paper has the following
to say OF the workings of the seed wheat
question:
The terms upon which this seed is being sup
piled are more favorable than the farmers have
been able to obtain heretofore and briefly stated
are q follows: For any amount of seed under
125 bushels the farmer gives a lien on the crop as
security; over that amount additional security
1sa required Mpi i Tbs The price is IS cents a bnshel if all
pected to bear his share of the losses. but in no
event will the wheat cost more than 81 a bushel.
How thankful the needy farmers should
be for fiat last assurance that the price
will not be run above a dollar a bushel!
The fact that Governor Miller furnishes
wheat to anyone who is able to pay cash
for it at Seyenty-tive cents a bushel shows
c~onclusively how extensive a margin is
added to the price in the case of those who
are really too needy to pay cash.
This additional TWENTY-FIVE cents
smacks more of a shrewd one-sided bust
ness bargain than the generous assistance
to be expected at the hand of the state in
an emergency like this. For this seed
wheat ali the security the farmer is able
to scrape up is taken and his note is signed
for the amount. Then note the admirable
arrangement still further. We quote from
the Devils Lake paper:
The notes fall due Sept. LIST, until which time
no interest is charged. After that they bear 10
POI o wv 1uIcleoO. 1ueIe uab pOU DeeQ q Time IN
the history. Of Ramsey county when the farmers
have been able to buy seed wheat on time on as
fav rable terms as they have this spring.
September 1st is the date set for the ma:
turity of the notes. Now, everyone knows
that it is impossible for the farmer to get
money from his crop before the middle of
October or the first of November. Why
could not the time have been extended
at least that much? 1t might just as well
have been June 1st as September LIST as far
as the farmers nope of paying it off at that
date is concerned.
But we shall expect, when the bountiful
harvest has been gathered this fall. and the
farmers look forward with joy to the pros
pect Of a speedy relief from mortgage and
debt-We shall certainly expect to hear Ger.
tain demagogues go up and down the land
and proclaim that Governor Miller and his
seed wheat commission saved the state
from the black and woody depths of despair
and incidentally that he ought to be re-
elected governor by a fond and grateful
people.
Col. M. W. GREENE of Fargo, the hon.
ored ex-soldier, careful and painstaking
atforpov op1 Tho o1oorook ,lr.a H.