Daily tobacco leaf-chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1890-1895, 1891-07-25
A WHEAT TRUST
Gigantic Scheme to Control
Future Prices.
The Movement One by the
Farmers Alliance.

1hey FropoBe 10 hOlu bhck rOur"Fltnk
of the Entire Crop of the United States
for an Advance-The Scheme a National
One, With Headquarters in st. Paul.
ST. PAUL, July 25.-St. Paul has been
made the headquarters of a national
movement by the United Farmers ALI
ance of the country to corner the entire
wheat crop of the United States. At
No. 317 Wabash street for several days a
large force of employees has been en-
gagged in sending out circulars with the
view of not only having the Alliance
men of the United States, but all classes
of farmers keep back their wheat crop
until the "bears" have all been killed off
and prices have been advanced to high
point.
In other words, the Alliance press
bureau, the reform press bureau and
state press bureau are working together
endeavoring to unite farmers of the
United States in gigantic wheat trust.
In which the producers shall be the
stockholders and by which the specu-
lators and wheat buyers will be squeezed
to the wall. At the head of the move
ment, which has it's headquarters in St.
Paul, is George Muller, auditor of state,
and prominent Alliance man. A cir
cular reciting the benefits of combina-
tion and urging the formation of the
trust have been made public. The cir
Cular estimates the wheat crop of 1891
in the United States at 500, ,000, 900
bushels.
The promoters Of the farmers wheat
trust believe that four-ifths of this
wheat can be held back by the farmers
for from four to eight weeks, by which
it is thought that prices will have gone
skyward. Lists bearing the names Of
secretaries of every Alliance in the
United States are now in the hands Of
Mr.. Muller, and circulars have been
sent to the Alliances of the eastern
wheat-growing states, Illinois, Kansas,
Nebraska, Iowa, California, Oregon and
to part of the remaining wheat-grow-
ing states.
A dispatch from Washington says:
Mr.. H. w. Aver, secretary to President
Polk, of the Farmers Alliance, and
manager in this city of the Reform
Press Bureau" which is also known as
the alliance Press Bureau" said that
the work of sending out circulars, de-
signed to show the farmers of the coun-
try that it wGs to their advantage to hold
back the wheat crop, was actively pro-
ceeding in this city as well as in ST.
Paul, which was chosen as one of
the seats of operations because of its To-
cation in the great wheat belt.
Mr.. Aver said that there have already
been 400, 600 of these circulars sent out
from Washington and during the next
few days an average of 100000 day
would be mailed until more than mill
ion circulars altogether are issued. The
circulars, he said, will also be published
in about 1000 weekly papers with which
the bureau is connected. He remarked
that he could not say, of Course, that it
was the circular which had brought
about the result, but he had noticed in a
recent market report that, as matter
of fact, the actual movement of wheat
was 140 carloads less than had been es-
timated.
Mr. Aver said the information that
the issue of such circular by Alliance
men was in contemplation became pub
lie prematurely about two weeks ago,
when circular in course of preparation
was published in newspaper. A final
decision to issue the circular had not at
that time been reached, and many lead |
ing Alliance men were unaware of it,
but it had since been finally determined
upon. He explained that the executive
committee of the Alliance had not acted
ON this matter and that by the circular
no order was given to Alliance men to
hold back their crop, this being contrary
to the methods of the Alliance. What |
is done by this circular is to give the |
farmers information as to the facts in
regard to the worlds wheat crop, with |
the suggestion that wheat some weeks |
later than the present time would bring
a higher price.
President Ignatius Donnelly, of the
Minnesota Alliance, has issued circular |
to the members of the Farmers Alliance
of Minnesota in which he disclaims any
connection with the Mueller movement |
for Withholding part of the wheat crop
to raise prices. BY covert illusions to
Pillsbury wheat-ring deals, etc, he casts
cold water on the movement and leaves
the inference that it is unauthorized, at
the same time expressing his sympathy
with any move to raise the prices of
wheat.