St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-04-07

QulcG duu IlOG tcll lllopCCtol3 olid
that the character of the wheat was the
very best, or, in his own words. 1t
seemed to me to be good wheat. as good
as could be got" Mr.. Ario's testimony
is conclusive that none of this wheat
was bin-burned wheat.
No Contra Testimony.
The elevator companies have intro
duced no testimony and have advanced
no theory to explain these various lar
cenies against the inspection law other
than in the testimony of Mr.. Murdoch,
who was railroad and warehouse COM
missioner in 1885. In Mr.. Murdock's
testimony it appears that as. early as
June II, 1886, Commissioner Becker Of
tered preamble and resolution to the
effect that.it having come to the knowl-
edge of the commission by the oral re-
Fort of Chief Inspector Burdick, made
this day, that portion of the grain i'll
elevator ''E'' belonging to the Inl-
provement and Elevator company,
is out of order or becoming so,
ETC., and resolving that the
attention of the president and secretary,
ETC., be called to the law 10 the end that
the requirements of the laws or the state
concerning grain in public warehouses
may be carefully observed by such rail
IOdu duu IL dlSO tHoU
a communication was addressed by the
president of the Union improvement
and Elevator company, c. Ii. Graves, to
the railroad and warehouse commission.
dated June IS, 1886. acknowledging the
receipt of such resolution, and saying,
I'VE will endeavOr to obey the law and
conserve the interests Of grain IN our
warehouse, and will accept the. full re-
spOnSibility for any and all ofouracts."
MIR. Murdoch also testified that about
this time Mr.. Graves proposed. on be-
half of the elevator company, that such
companies would produce warehouse
receipts to cover such damaged grain If
the commission would allow them to
ship it out without posting and without
making known the fact that the.spOiled
wheat existed; that there was great
deal of discussion among the commits
sioners, but that they finally came to
the conclusion that if the elevator COM
pany would assume the responsibility
Tor outstanding receipts, and would
turn in uncanceled receipts to cover the
spoiled grain and protect the owners
from loss. they should be allowed to do
it; that Mr.. Burdick reported that there
was not less than 100000 and not
more than 100000 bushels of the
damaged wheat; that they instructed
Mir. Burdick that as fast as the elevator
company turned over to him uncan-
celed warehouse receipts he would let
them ship ont that amount of grain.
There has never been any evidence in-
troduceI OH the part Of the elevator
companies showing what receipts were
cancelled under this permission. nor
have the elevator companies explained
in any way how they disposed of the
,.,i, ~ r. hi n
price was paid for ii, or in what market
it. was sold. On the other hand. the
testimony Of MI. Ario, ami many other
witnesses. employesOf.the elevator COM
pany. shows that large portion OF the
biIl-burned wheat was thrown into the
lake. 20 ~
Only Explanation. =
The only explanation or theory adj
vanced by the elevator companies in re-
lation to- the damaged wheat disposed of
under this permission is contained in
the report of the experts appointed to
examine the books of the, Union I'm
provement and Elevator company and
the Lake Superior Elevator company,
in which books ftdIstinctly appears that
on Oct. Is, 1886, the elevator company
shipped 13l, 500 bushels of wheat which
was uninSpected and unweighed; that
on Oct. 10 the same elevator company
shipped s., 22orbushels and 10 pounds of
wheat which was uninspected; that on
Oct. 30 the same elevator company
shipped 1900 bushels of wheat which
was uninspected: that on Nov. 9 the
same elevator company shipped $4,000
bushels of uninspected wheat, and that
on Nov. 16 the same elevator company
shipped 1866 bushels and 40 pounds,
l.; of hal nd
pounds shipped between Oct. 10 and
Nov. 16. 1886. of which there is no rec
ord of weight or inspection.
Now the last shipment discovered
from the books OF 1tIe transit company
or the testimony of the witnesses, the
items of which shipments have been
fully given. was on Oct. 3, 1856. We
are, therefore, driven by the testimony
to find that prior to Oct. 5, 1856, the ele-
vator companies shipped @Out 2l0,220
bushels of No. haFdfwheat without
inspection. and that between Oct Is
and Nov. TO, 1885,: 259,0S6 bushels and
fifty pounds, making total of 400, 800
bushels and thirty pounds of wheat
shipped from Duluth between July 20
and Nov. 16, 1886, without inspection or
weight.
There is no evidence before the COM
mttee as to how much wheat was in
fact bin-burned in the elevator in 1886.
There has been no evidence OF the
items of loss to the elevator company
or to the holders of wheat receipts by
reason of such burned wheat, and
it is but fair to say that had the elevator
companies been able to have accounted
for any considerable number Of thou
sand bushels they would have produced
thelI evidence before the committee
and before the public.
The Summary.
The evidence, therefore, SUMMARIZES
the larcenies from the elevators, against
the inspection law, as follows: In 1856,
469.306 bushels and 80 pounds; i'll 1883,
1900 bushels: in 1889, 1925 bushels
and 40 pounds; making total Of 5aS,543
bushels and 30 pounds.
The foregoing are the specific items
in the proof. There is another prllna
facie case Of abstraction from the ele-
vatorS which summarizes as follows:
The old schedules prepared by the
house committee show the shipment of
some 500 cars from the Duluth elevators
billed as screenings. All the discoveries
of distractions by rail have been billed
as screenings. 1t was admitted by the
attorney general that strong prfma
1acle case naQ Deen made against the
elevator companies that these cars con-
tanned wheat. and. when the question
came before the committee as to call
ing Mr.. Ripley with his screening ac-
counts, the committee concluded to
await the defense of the elevator COM
panies. Mr.. Severance, on behalf of the
elevator companies. distinctly agreed
to explain every shipment in the
old schedules. An examination of the
explanation of the old schedules made
by MIR. Severance will show upwards of
600 cars of screenings of which no ac-
count and no explanation is given.
Averaging these cars at 500 bushels OF
wheat each, it will amount to 800, 600
bushels.
An examination of the record puts
the attorney general as conceding that
prima facie case was made out, and the
attorney for the elevator companies as
agreeing to explain these shipments,
which latter has never been attempted
to be done. This would make an vag-
gregate of larcenies from the Duluth
elevators, as made up from the -testi-