The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1892-04-07
WHEAT. INVESTIGATION y !:!!
sunnazy OF the Testimony Taken by the
~ CommittssSat ths Reosat Grain In &
@# aa veetlgatlon.E

II Committesat ths Reesat Grain In
u ~ vestigatios.F
Hon. George Geissel, chairman Of the
Grain Investigating Committee: Sir
The resolutions pursuant to which this
communication is addressed, although
expressive of the utmost confidence in
myself, nevertheless imposes duty
upon me which 1 might with propriety
decline. 1t is only upon the assump-
ton that my communication will be re-
ceived in the same spirit in which it
was requested that have been induced
to express to the committee my indi-
vidual views as to what has been fairly
proven or established by the record.
A strict Interpretation Of the Ian
guage Of the legislature, from which
the authority of this committee is de-
rived, would have restricted the inves-
tigation to the following subjects:
/. Whether or not 10000 bushels of
wheat was taken out without inspection
from a public elevator in Duluth, and if
the same condition prevails in other
elevators in this state.
2. Inquiry into all matters pertain
ing to the weighing and inspection Of
grain.
After the committee had been en-
ployed for some weeks in the investi-
CATION of matters german to the above
named subjects, it was represented to
the committee by gentlemen represent
ing the Grain Growers association that
combination of interests existed in
the state for the purpose of depressing
the prices of grain, necessarily result
! ing from natural competition in the
business of handling the grain products
of the state. and such representations
were followed with the request that
the committee make the investigation
of that subject part of it's work. Hes
itating at first to assume authority in a
case SO plainly at variance with the
plain letter of the law, the subject was
finally deemed of so much gravity that
the committee at last yielded to such
request and caused an investigation to
be conducted in that direction with as
much thoroughness as the occasion and
the opportunities enjoyed by the COM
mittee permit.
AS the committee is we'll aware, its
record is largely made up of a mass of
hearsay testimony, which is entitled to
but slight if any consideration by the
committee in the preparation of its f.
nal report. This condition was neces-
sarily consequent upon the liberal poll
cy adopted by the committee as to the
reception of testimony.
In framing my views with reference
to the facts established by the evidence
I shall consider separately, what may
be termed the several charges which
have been preferred by the Grain Crow
ers' Association.
sNEEPINGs.
No inconsiderable part of the time of
the committee has been devoted to an
investigation of the charge that the
grossly negligent in cleaning out cars
in which grain had been shipped to
their houses, aud that thereby serious
loss had resulted to shippers. The evil
dence fully establishes the fact that as
soon as the attention of the elevator
companies was called to this subject, it
took prompt measures to correct the
evil
ILLICIT SHIPMENT OF WHEAT
from the Duluth elevators. This was
by far the most serious charge which
confronted the committee at the time
its investigation began. There is no
question but what in 1886 and subse-
quent years the two elevator compa-
MES named did ship in round numbers
from their houses at night, without the
knowledge of the employees of the state
inspection or state weighing depart
ments, 259, 900 bushels of wheat.
After the fact of such shipment had
been substantially established by the
testimony of witnesses, the elevator
companies admitted that large vol
ume of wheat had been secretly shipped
from their houses without either in
spection or weighing. The only ques-
ton, therefore, which now concerns the
committee touching the shipment of
wheat from the houses in question is
the sufficiency of the justification urged
on the part of the elevator companies.
1t is needless for me to enter at length
upon a discussion of that question.
The evidence sufficiently establishes
OLO AdSo OAdV a AdA buOuAU VI "ucdU
became heated in the bins and almost
totally ru'n ned. l see no way whereby
the committee can escape from the
conclusion that the action of the eleva-
tor companies in disposing of the in
jured grain is, at this late day, placed
beyond all criticism.
ovERAGE.
Tl,o ~ -
nesses unexplained tends to prove that
a much larger volume of wheat than
the amount so injured was shipped in
an illicit manner from the public ware
houses ut Duluth. 1t is no reflection
upon the integrity of those witnesses
to say that the charge is not sustained
by the proofs. Again it is charged that
| some $4,000 bushels of wheat was
shipped from those houses as average
and without state inspection or weigh
ing. This charge is unquestionably
we'll founded; indeed the elevator com
panies admitted that such shipment
was made and have attempted to justi-
fy the shipment. It seems that when
the companies first began to operate
under the provisions of the grain and
warehouse law they had in their houses
as the natural accretions to their busi-
ness and denominated average, $4,000
bushels or Whereabouts, of wheat. It is
undoubtedly true that the elevator COM
panies were justified in assuming that
the wheat had become their property,
and the only criticism which can now
he placed upon their action is that they
did not have it inspected and weighed
into the houses in the usual and regu.
lar manner.
STATE INSPECTION AND WEIGHING DE-
PARrMENT.
1t is matter of congratulation to
the people of the whole state that the
integrity and efficiency of the state
I.>t ~ 4