Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-09-25
,rest and best food the earth can pro-

| duce.
! This idea has been formulated IN a
| number of bills now pending before this
committee, and, without appearing as
the advocate of any particular bill, am
here to contend for the principle inyolv-
| ing the interest of great industry, on
whose best development the prosperity of
| all Others depends.
| most respectfully submit that, in my
| judgment, the provisions of any such law
| should apply to interstate commerce,
and SO be within the constitutional pow
| er of congress 'to regulate commerce
among the several states
It should make it the duty of the Sec
rotary of agriculture to provide the
standard and to determine and fix the
classification and grading of wheat,
corn, rye, oats, and barley. Tho same
should be made a matter of permanent
record in the agricultural department,
and public notice thereof should be
given, and the same should be known as
the "Natlonal Standard, - or "Ameri-
| can Standard.
This record should be open to every
body, SO that any person could have
| copy thereof for merely nominal fee.
Every farmer in the land should be
able TO know from public notice the
classification and grade of the crop which
he has raised, according to the highest
standard in the land, the standard of
the United States.
If he desires he should for a nominal
sum have an official exemplification of
the same in his own house.
The tendency of such law will be to
give a higher standard to the cereals of
our country, to give permanency and
stability to grades and classidcations of
the same, and eventually to give better
credit and reputation to American grains
at home and abroad.
The standard of commercial honesty in
the handling of food products will be
elevated; the commercial value OF
farm products will be more uni
form and certain, and so agriculture will
becomes more secure in its proper place
among the great industries, and in the
just rewards which should recompense
all honest labor.
Mr.. Chairman. thank you and your
committee for the courtesy of this hear
ing.
solicit your most earnest and careful
consideration of this most important
question, snd 1 trust you will see your
way clear to favorably report bill en-
bracing this idea, and providing for a
national standard of American grains,
and thereby give to the products of the
American farm a new standard and dig
nifty in the markets of the world at home
and abroad that thereby the people may
have better bread and the tillers of the
soil q better recompense for their toll.
Mr.. Funston, from the committee on
submitte6 the foll0wiDu
port:
The committee on agriculture makes
the following report on the substitute for
house bills Nos. 10 1928 and IL ,46S:
That there is urgent need for a national
standard governing the classification and
grading of grain, uniform in its applica-
ton to the several kinds of grain pro-
duced in the several states, is evident
when the fact is known that there exists
no uniformity in the rules governing the
classification and grading of gr ain in the
several states, and that an identical con-
signment of gram, classified and graded
according to the standard of one state,
may be rated as of different class and
grade in any other market.
For example, shipper of No. wheat
from one market has no assurance, even
though the identity of the consignment
be preserved, that the wheat will grade
above No. 3 when graded according to
the standard in another state, the dispo-
sition being to make the grade as low as
possible in order that inferior grain may
be added without detection, and without
danger of condemning the grain to q
lower grade in the open market. The
mixing of grain of different grades by
the manipulators of the grain markets,
thus infioting great injustice upon the
producers of good grain, and placing
upon the market adulterated and I'M
wholesome food, is one of the evils for
which this bill provides remedy.
Let congress pass this bill, authorizing
and instructing the secretary of agrcul-
ture to establish simple government
standard for classifying and grading all
kinds of grain, which shall be uniform
in its application and in no way conflict
ing with any local stat dard or the inspec-
ton laws of any state; let this general law
establishing this standard simply require
that the grain of the best grades shall be
clean, sound, plump and in good condi-
ton, and that the weights per standard
measure shall meet such and such re-
quirements, according to the rules rsgu-
lating the rating of the different kinds
and qualities of grain, as experience
may determine to be fair and right, in
the Judgment of the secretary
of agriculture, and the producers
of clean and high grades of grain will BIO
protected and properly remunerated and
the purchasers will know precisely what
they are getting, regardless of where the
grain was grown; and warehouse certifi-
Gates, issued in compliance with the
standards provided for in this bill, will
be sought after and accepted at their
face value as the most desirable collat-
eral security for loans, at the lowest rate
of interest.
The committee are of the opinion that
this is a most excellent bill in all its
features, and therefore recommend its
passage.
Preston's "Red-Ike."
JudpeJ H McIeary, attorney general OF