The great West. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1889-18??, 1890-01-17
GRAIN INSPECTION.

ceived a boom from the Chief Of that
at Minneapolis. This
document has been published all over
the state, as is right and proper. This
Office has recently been visited by a
member of the Inspection force,
whose name we do not give on ac-
count of his supposed Alliance rela-
tions, and as a result we feel called
upon to give our views of the system
in general and of Mr.. Clausen's state
ment.
The Deputy Inspector made the
broad statement that, "If thepresent
Inspection system did not remedy
the evils depressing the farmers then
nothing would"
On the basis of that broad state
ment, and of the evident drift of the
Clausen publication, our understand
ing of the Inspection system is that
it is fraud immeasurable in extent.
II either one of twoconditions were
present in the state, no fault could be
found with the system:
1st.-H there were no farmer in the
state but what raised enough wheat
to ship himself and by himself-so
that there were no elevators and no
need for them. 1t will not do to say
farmers COULD combine. They
''could'' combine-but system
which ''ccmpels' a reaching out
for escape from it, is an evil system.
2d.-It the Inspection system re-
lated to the buyer at both ends OF
the deals-if it protected wheat as
wheat, anywhere and everywhere,
instead of protecting only termina!
dealers and Warehousemen.
Any man who says the Inspection
system protects the farmer, as a
farmer or seller of wheat, does not
understand it, or he is standing in
with the knaves who are putting
from IS to 6Cc. between the farmer
and Liverpool. But this severe ex-
preston applies only to those who
maintain that it protects the farmer
"as farmer though he sells
to an elevator: Hundreds believe in
the system because they do not un-
derstand it.
Note what we say: Anyman who
says that the present inspect bears
any relation WHATEVER to the farm
er-seller states an untruth.
We put this thus strongly because
that no man in the country is affect
ed in any way by the grade given in
Minneapolis. The local buyer is in
structed to keep his grades down
by the elevator bosses. Then he is put
under bonds to see that he does it
and he does do it.
Then he is instructed as to the
weights-to keep them on the safe
side-and he does do it.
Then he is instructed to grade no
No. ! hard "under any circum-
stances" And he Obeys.
But this is not a part of the In
spection system!'
Certainly not-but that is where
the farmer is robbed. That is why
the system affords protection to Min
neapolis, but positively none to the
country.
"But the farmers can ship their
own wheat"
Certainly, but an escape from the
evils of the law does not render the
laws any the better Besides, the
farmers cannot always combine
not in one case out of a hundred.
The law is to protect the farmer
from sharks-it does SO by the farm
er escaping from the sharks!
Now let us apply the screws, and
know the facts:
What is the average cost rate for
selling wheat? Why the Board men
sell for each other for Ath of cent
bushel. Milwaukee and Chicago
houses sell for farmers for Ac. and
take care of it-or sell for Ath cent on
the open board. If county raises
one million bushels "a small county
of twenty townships )-certainly
$4,000 ought to pay enough for
taking that wheat in at the eleva-
tors. 1t would pay ten men $1,000
year at the elevatOrs-more men
and more pay than is used in anv
county per one million crop-on
SQUARE deals. And a $4,000 income
net per year from a single county of
that small extent ought to satisfy
the elevator man.
Very well, this is two cents a
bushel. Now we defy any living
man to show us station where the
difference between the price of wheat
sold at Minneapolis and bought at
an elevator 80 miles from there is
within THREE cents of the freight