St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-04-22
The Binding Irvine Man Gets
OFF Some Very Rasping
Remarks,
And Intimates the State Has
Had Something the g.
Worst of It. ~
He Will Sell Irvine at Sever
and the State at Eleven +
Cents.
Will Pure Patriotism Induce
Farmers to Pay the = :
Higher Price ?

FARMERS 10 ray Inc
Higher Price =?
t
Joseph G. Todd, of Patterson. N. j.,
manufacturer of binding Irvine as we'll
as machinery for manufacturing Irvine,
is stopping at the Ryan. He is the gen.
tIeman who offered to furnish machin-
cry for the manufacture of binding
Irvine at the Saltwater penltentiary at
cost of several thousand dollars less
than that paid for the machinery
procured. Mr.. Todd is an elderly
gentleman, with gray hair and
a short gray mustacne and rotund
physique. He has been manufacturing
binding Irvine and machinery tor more
than forty years, and claims to have
mastered the details of his business so
we'll as to be familiar with the best
methods of manufacturing Irvine from
the rough material found in the North
west. When seen by GLOBE reporter
last evening, Mr.. Todd was willing to
talk on the subject of his business in
the city. He stated that he had come
here in the regular course of buSi-
and it was merely coincidence that his
arrival was on the eve of the adjourn
ment of the leglSla ture. He had seen
number Of farmers and some of the
representatives of the Farmers ALI
ance had called upon him after learning
that he was in the city. He had said
to them that his business here is to sell
binding Irvine and he would sell to
them or any one else wanting TO buy his
| jute and flax binding Irvine at cents
per pound, no matter whether they
wanted 10 buy pound or a large guam
| tity.
When asked about the effect the man
ufacture of Irvine at the penitentiary
would have upon his trade, he Smilingly
| replied: ''If it costs the state III cents
a pound to manufacture Irvine, it will
be readily seen that the
State Can't Afford
to compete in seven-cent market"
'But your price this Eseason is a cut
on former prices, is it not?" he was
| asked. He replied that there had been
sharp cut in the price of Irvine this
season, but that he had sold Irvine in
| former seasons at from eight and half
| to nine cents.
"Those were prices to jobbers and
retail purchasers, and the farmer had
to pay higher prices, did they not?'
Yes, that is true. | don't know Just
what price the farmers paid. but | am
now ready TO sell to farmer or any one
else at seven cents. The binding Irvine
trust is forcing the price of binding
Irvine down, and number of concerns
had to go out of the business. One firm
in New York lost S150,0O0 last year in
the manufacture of twine" q
Mr.. Todd admitted that the price of
Irvine might go up in the future, but he
thought that the state of Minnesota can
| not afford to manufacture Irvine this
season, as he had understood that it
would cost them H. cents pound to
manufacture it, and would entail too
great loss. He was then asked as to the
character of machinery purchased for
the penitentiary. This turned out to be
theme that he was willing to express
an opinion on. He said the machinery
is not adapted to the manufacture
of the flax and flberS found
in Minnesota, and that the
cost Of procuring material from Ken
lucky or other distant points enhances
the cost of production. He had offered
TO furnish machinery for the manufact
ure of Irvine and such machinery as
could be utilized in manufacturing the
material found near at hand. His price
was about $4,000 less than the cost of
the machinery procured. He had
! offered to set 1t up in his shops and
| allow the committee toinSpect its work
| ing for week before purchasing.
when they visited my establishment
| they could not be prevailed on to stay
more than seventy minutes, and seemed
in hurry to get away. Mr.. O'Brien
said TO me when there Mr.. Hall wants
| to know what there was in it for him.
m nj HOY 10 I
| for the order. | had put the price down
| low, and told them could not afford to
pay anything for the order, but would
give them every opportunity to prove
| the advantages of my machinery"
Mr.. Todd spoke of the recent supple
mental report of the senate committee
and said, in a sarcastic tone: The
| whitewashed report of that committee
on the binder Irvine question is one
worthy of all praise to that august body
and deserves to be hung in letters of
gold in the legislative halls of the state
| OF Minnesota as a memento for their
services done for the good people of the
state in generating and
Covering Up Crime
that should place the perpetrators be-
hind the bars instead of making them
prison managers; for there need be no
PioAANh PAOOA VI SOiioPli W
the state than that which was attempted
by the prison board committee and the
representative of the other firm. The
talk about a 10 per cent rebate to the
state instead of DOODLE to the commit
tee, is so absurd that it cannot be re-
garded as anything but subterfuge to
cover up an attempt to steal, after be-
ing caught at it. How does the lar
guage OF this famous, or more properly
speaking, Infamous report compare
with the significant remark made by
Mr.. O'Brien to me. when he sail:
Mr.. Hall wants to know what there
is in it for him, meaning how much
Doodle would l give for the order. The
f1imsy preteXt that Comb, Barbour q
Comb had TO enter into asecret contract
and conceal the actual price of the ma
chinery to prevent injury to their bust
ness is by far too transparent to conceal
the untruthfulnesS of the statement In
addition to what has happened to be
saved the state by the timely exposure.
there is little doubt that there is vet
some thousand odd dollars hidden
still deeper than that which has been
brought to light, or why should some
$4,000 more have been paid for ma
chinery than it was offered at by others
with guarantee? Is it not simply pre-
posterouS to believe such statements?''