The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1892-10-27
FOR THE FARMER.
What the Republican Party Has
Done for the Grain
Growers.
Free Markets and Equal Facili-
ties for Reaching
Them
Has Been the Object Aimed at
by Republican Legisla-
latureS.
Observation-Disclosures Combine
Fails to Prove This Is
Not the Case,

When the scallawag Wolcott at the bid
ding of his employers, the wheat gamblers
and Democratic managers, alleges that the
farmers of this state at the mercy of
the elevator companies, helpless victims of
a remOrseless combination of elevator men
and millers, he states what Is lot true,
and knows it is not true when be says it.
For in 1887 the Republican legislature of
this state enacted law requiring the rail
farmer demanding the same within two
days OF his application therefor, which car
when filed with wheat was required to
Wheat Delivered to any consignee d desisnated
by the owner. The law practically gave ev-
cry farmer in the state with intelligence
enough to avail himself of its provisions a
free market for his wheat. 1t emancipated
him from any dependence upon the local
buyer or elevator man. He could ship his
wheat to any consignee he wished at Min
market price for it without having any
thing to do with the local elevators. That
law, we repeat, makes the farmers of this
and this and the further fact that the lat
ter are not under the jurisdiction of the
warehouse s - commission tna knocks all Of the
1t charges the Republican party or the
state administration with being in any way
responsible for any swindling which is
practlced by the elevator companies upon
The LAW GIVES A REMEDY.
Moreover, the fact that under this Re-
publican law the farmers have a complete
remedy at hand for any attempt on the part
OF the elevator companies or their managers
to depress prices below the normal market
point, or to swindle them on grades or dock
any such combine" exists as is charged,
1t would dare to use its power OppresSively
In either of these ways. 1t may be said,
just after harvest when it would be phys
ically impossible for the railroad COM
panies to furnish every farmer with a car
hand, the reports of the warehouse commits
sion for the last two years show that the
railroad companies have cheerfully. and
seme of of thu them law gladly compiled with the
conformity thereto. If there are occasional
emergencies when it is impossible at that
time to furnish all the cars required by in
'd dpTEi farmers the latter con easily un-
deIStand why, and are usually willing to
walt till their turn comes.
A FEEBLE ATTEMPT.
It Is noteworthy fact that in all this
yoiuminous TRADE In spite Of the general
charge which is ventured upon in the single
sentence that the Republican party in the
with the wheat steals there is no attempt
to connect 1t with them except by the alb
Surd stat statement that Pillsbury and Wash
the machinery of the Republican party in
Minnesota, and farther on that the wheat
combination absolutely controls not only the
warehouse and railroad commissioners and
all the machinery of that political office,
but the legislature of the state itself. Not
one 1ota of proof is offered in support Of
believe it upon the authority of the anony-
nous author of this campaign lampoon and
the Chicago syndicate of gamblers in whose
service service he Is. But inasmuch as the ma
ch1nery of the Republican party has always
been employed to procure such legislation
and establish such agencies as would pro-
pear that the Wheat combine" has so had IT. IT.
tie influence with it. The record Of the
state warehouse commission is sufficient re-
ply to the charge that it is controlled by
any influence which seeks to rob or Cypress
the farmers. 1t has provided a system of
state inspection at the terminal elevators
at Minneapolis, st. Paul and Duluth. to
which its jurisdiction Is confined, so perfect
and affording such effectual guards against
frauds Of any sort that an investigation by
committee consisting of three Alliance
cans, which cost the state thousands Of
dollars and sonsumed months Of time-an
investigation in which the state afforded all
impeach the. integrity of the state-ended
by the admission of the attorney of the
Grain Growers association that it was COM
~ EVEN THAT Is FALSE.
The Chicago gamblers do not, and cannot
against The warehouse Commission. uS' Yes;
they make one. They say that mo prose-
cution was ever made of the firms to whom
H0lcOmD IS alleged TO nave sold the wheat
which he stole from the Minneapolis and
Northern Elevator company" 1t says the
railroad law of Minnesota provides for q
forfeiture Of a $4,000 bond given by each
elevator when such elevator mixes any
grain together, and that Holcombs testi-
mony is clearly to the effect that the Off
GERS of that elevator company ordered this
done, and yet it is shown that the ware
house commissioners never proceeded
against the Pillsburys, the Northern Eleva-
tor company, or anybody else concerned in
the alleged robbery. Now, as matter of
fact, Holcomb was prosecuted for stealing
wheat, sent to the penitentiary and long be.
fore he had served out his sentence the
Minneapolis and Northern Elevator COM
pany had surrendered it's state license and
ceased to be under the jurisdiction Of the
warehouse commission. The warehouse COM
mission had thus no opportunity to prose-
cute anybody upon HOlcOmb's testimony
even If it considered it worth anything.
The record of the warehouse commission
is one Of continued attempts to procure
legislation in the interest Of the farmer,
legislation of a character so hostile to the
interests of the elevator men as to conclu-
sively disprOve the charge that they are
under the control of any wheat-buying COM
bination. One of these measures was
pressed by them upon the Alliance and
Democratic legislature last winter. 1t pro-
yided for the condemnation of land on the
railroad right Of way, upon which any
body so disposed might erect warehouses
for the storage Of wheat. The bill was de-
feated by the Alliance and Democratic