St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-08-25
Stetson's New Hats, Price 81.
Not So, but 81. at The Plymouth"
WANT THE EARTH.

Elevator Companies Make Novel
Request to Warehouse Commits
siOners.
Col. c. II. Graves, of Duluth, and A.
j. Sawyer, of Minneapolis, the two
principal elevator magnates of the
Northwest, are quite WrOth over the
treatment melted out to their industry
by the inquIsitive legislative committee,
Eric Olson and Col. w. W. Erwin. as
has been related in these columns, they
have made application to the state rail-
way and warehouse commission to
have their elevators at West
Superior, Wis, deliver up their
licenses as public elevators and con-
tinue the business as private lnStItu-
tons. The two gentlemen and the COM
mission had an interesting and pro-
tracted session at the capitol yesterday.
The case Is severely technical, and 1t
would take a Philadelphia lawyer TO
comprehend it in its entirety. Judge
Williams, Of the commission, and Mir.
SAWYER entered into the spirit of The
controversy with Zest and animation.
They spent the major portion Of the
day in arguments, but the commission
has not decided the problem. A meet
ing will be held at 10 O'Clock to-day for
that purpose.
The commission objects to permit
these elevator companies 10 conduct
private business and still revel in the
protection of our inspection laws. They
would not agree TO inspect wheat out OF
the Duluth elevators for shipment to
private West Superior elevators.
One of the questions at variance is
the right of the elevator men to main
tain a monopoly. They do not want TO
permit the farmers whoa are establishing
public elevators everywhere to secure
right of way for track privileges along
the different railroads. And they want
the right to close their houses whenever
they please, and not TO remain open Tor
the reception Of gain twelve months in
the year. They claim that the railway
companies dictate 10 them just how
their business shall be conducted, Just
what they shall pay for grain,
and the like, but II the farmers can CLUB
together and establish elevator systems
it will ruin the credit OF the elevator
companies in the Eastern money mar
ket. They asseYerate that there are
some 15O.0OO,CO0 bushels OF wheat to be
reared and that they have both the
means and the facilities to accomplish
this prodigiOuS feat if not bound and
tettered hand and foot by the iron clad
inspection laws regulating public ele-
VatOrS.
The farmers. on the other hand, are
protesting long and loud because they
are Derempt0TilY refused right of way
along the railway lines. In reply tC
this Mr.. Sawyer AYERS that under his
agreement with the railway companies
he has to pay within four cents buShe
as much for wheat as the Minneapolis
quotations show, and report all trans
actions to the railroad daily. If these
restrictions are removed, they say, they
would be perfectly willing TO be open
and run public elevators in tull cOmpe
tition with the farmers or anybody else
That is, if they could buy wheat fol
what they can get it, they will TAKE
even chances on playing even.
In the course of the heated debate
Judge Williams cited the Battle Lake
episode. where competing elevator
was run by hardware merchant. ID
paid two or three cents more bushe
for wheat than Sawyer Il Co. did, and
as a result, had the market by th'
breecheS To play even with him Saw
yer established 4 hardware store ant
undersold the other man. The reSul
was the latter bought the wheat and tn
SAWYER company sold the hard
ware. Through this shreWd bi
of strategem the hardware mer
chant was speedily brought t
terms, and Sawyer 81 Co. have Undis
puted sway over the wheat realm, Will
the hardware merchant confines his en-
terprise and sagscity exclusively to tina
industry. Judge Williams was dis
pleased with this style Of monopolisti
management and expressed the fac
thar he thought the SAWYER coup III