St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-08-22
GRAIN MARKETS THEN AND
NOW

Then. The farmer drove into the viii
lage with his load Of grain. Two, three,
half dozen pleasant fellows, full OF
jokes and quipS, saiuted him affably,
climbed on his wagon, cracked jokes
with him and chaffed each other, opened
the sacks, sampled his grain. The
farmer was the important parsonage in
such a crowd. Each buyer was anxious
to secure his custom. They c0urted
him; paid him attentions; called him
Mister, asked after the good wife and
the family. The farmer felt his value
to these men. He turned their jokes,
parted their chaff, and sold his grain to
the man who gave him the best price.
In all the bargaining that hateful and
oninouS word grade" now SO COM
mon, was never heard. The buyers
may have HAD it III their minds as they
sampled the grain and made up their
minds what they could give for it. but
it never passed their lips. The farmer
knew the run OF the markets and about
what his grain was worth, and when that
price was touched in the bidding he let
1t go, took his ticket and went Off to the
warehouse Or elevator and unloaded
got his check, caShed Thought his sup
plies and went home feeling that among
men he counted as an important factor.
Now. The farmer drives to the vii.
lage. No one meets him or cares to-,
except possibly the merchant who has
q chattel mortgage on his crop to secure
last years grocery bill. Up at the de-
pot are one, two, perhaps three eleva-
tors TO which ne drives. These later
day buyers sit in their doors and await
him. A spider crouched in his web
waiting for the fly typities them. He
has to pick the elevator to which he
will sell. The agents. wait his driving
onto the platform. They have to.
Their orders are to do SO; never, under
any circumstances, to go out and bid.
Why? 1t would cause competition, and
these later-day grain men hate compe-
tition as the devil is said to hate holy
water. They don't have TO come to him
he has to go to them. The only ques-
the least, and it is question lie never
answers satisfactorily to himself.
He selects one elevator and drives up
the incline to the door. If the price
doesn't suit him he can drive away.
But right here comes difficulty. The
approach to the door is up an easy in
cline. The descent from the door is a
sharp pitch. Why? 1t is a risky thing
TO do to drive heavy load OF grain
down that descent. 1t may mean run
away, a SmaSh-up, an Injured horse. He
submits ami sells. His grain is locked
for dirt. and and he can only growl if it
is too much. Then a draw is taken to
compensate for the lsan-bac!z Of his
tired horses. Then the grade is fixed,
and, if ne doubts 1.-THE deft hand of the
agent fills The brass kettle so as to make
it show the grade he wants. How much
he is cheated on weight depends on the
greed or fear of the buyer. The farmer
knows it is just the same at the other
elevators. He takes what he can get
and goes home. He is not the impor-
tant factor he was. The buyers have
turned the tables on him. They are
the fellows he must cringe to now.
The Democratic party has assumed
the mission of restoring the old Or
der of things. 1t aims to put the
farmer and the buyers back where they
were. 1t intends to re-eStablish the
open market with its competition. Do
the farmers of the state care to have
this done? Then they must help those
who would help them. They must send
Democrats to the legislature. They
must put a Democrat ia the governor S
chair who will not obey the commands
OF the elevator combine and veto, under
some gauZy plea, the bill that will do it..
Don't waste yonr votes on DoNNELLY
He won't come half as near the chair as
OWEN did. Vote for LAwLER and free
and open market.