St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-04-13
1T IS A DEATH BLOW.
Continued FROM First PAGE.

tdeH StdLlOh 10 6thiiSdpOtia, anu GNItilt-
mated Minneapolis price list; aud II
was his testimony that MIR. Irons had
occupied tlAs office from the FIRST or
July, 1890. aud that pr Tor 10 that there
was man by the name OF Barber, and
prior u that Charles f. WenZell.
O. You understood from him distinctly
that the purpose of this combination WAS 10
hold down the price OF wheat and grain, did
yous Ans. Yes SIR. There IS set
OF books that opened up one
day 70 look at. and upon the left
hand side Of the page Is such language as
North Dakota Elevator company and
Minneapolis Elevator company e.e,.
page are qai;e number OF hsu7-s
! asked whsi they were and who kept that
set OF books This conversation was win
Mr. Irons himself. lie told me that those
were very private. that | had better not be
seen looking at them. that he was looking NJ
them one day when The old gentleman came
in and told him that he had better leave
them alone. and that he had better not let
the elevator companies see him looking AZ
them
Dir. Irons was afteFward examined be
fore the committee and he admitted
that he furnished the list price TO prl-
vate citizens, aud was what be termed
general utility man 10 elevator COM
panies who owned and operated an ag
=
unaisputed that Mr. Irons received ms
salary from the elevator companies
referred 10 in proportion 10 the
number of elevators operated BY
each company. The testimony OF Mr..
Scott was corroborated by the letter in
tTOdueed before the committee signed
by l.. L. Shelby, general traffic mau-
agcr of the Great Northern Railway
company. addressed 10 Mr.. Jensen, IMAM
agrr of the farmers elevator at Nelson,
Alinn.
TIE report follows out this argument
at great length. aud then takes up the
matter of the Shelby letter. showing
that IL this letter was repudiated by the
Great Northern the company did not
repudiate the action OF Agent Peabody.
whose language was almost identical
with that of the letter. Then comes
The Railroad Combine.
come now to the second great fact
which | believe 10 be fully sustained
by the testimony taken before the
committee. and without attempting
to describe the incentive or IN
terest of the railroad corporation
in lending its power 10 sustain
and enforce the list price through
out Minnesota and tie Northwest, 2nd
still more finding myself almost be-
wildered that SO great interests As are
represented by the railroad corporations
could be brought 10 actively unite In
the perpetuaIfnn OF this drspollc
price llst, yet in the presence of a con
vlction that business and financial
circles as represented by themselves III
tie stock boards. by'themselves ~ the
elevator compani Is. and 10y themselves
rous array OF forces array-d against Tie
individual producers of Minnesota
of these considerations are taken to
gether 10 move me in recommending
that the state enter into the held
against these forces, aud erect al
Duluth elevators OF sufficient ca
paci,y to preserve the individual
interest of the wheat growers OF Min
nesota against the fearful forces which
today render the citizen pOwerless as an
individual TO secure justice and fair
reward for his labors III production.
The great facts shown by the teSti-
mOny which compel belief on my part
that the railroad system of Minnesota
and the Northwest actively cooperate
in the enforcement OF the list price are
az follows: find no disagreement
or competition among the rival
systp:aS IN rates. Railroad cor
porations distinctly separate i'll their
organization and ownership and with
ind yidual special interests I'm the nat
ural order of things would be found 20
compete before the people for the car
rying trade. The evidence disclOses
the utter destruction of all forms of
competition in this state between the
different railroad corporations for the
purpose of securing the carrying trade
OF wheat and grain. Whether the raIl-
road corporations have or have not a
pool or understanding between them
selves matters not for the purpose of the
present inquiry. II is most sus-
piciOus and convincing fact that tile
carriage and transportation or wheat IN
the state of Minnesota and the North
west, is at the same rate on all rival
railroad systems. The excuse pat for
ward by the railroad corporations in the
testimony is the fear of the rate war
and disturbance in the volume OF their
individual traffic, but it seems to me
that this excuse has but little weight
TO remove the logical imputaton that
all Ot the railroad systems by their
unity of action and uniform rate
sheet, transact business to COM
mon purpose, and with an understand
ing that they Will not compete, the one
against the other, for the trade. In
fact. the testimony shows that the dis
tinct and different railway systems e9ch
employ on their own account travelling
men and agents covering the entire ter
ritory, and TO use the words of MIR
Somers, chief clerk of the traffic de-
partinent OF the Great Northern Rail
way company: Our travelling men
cover the territory and move from one
line 10 another. That Is necessary, in
order 10 watch the business that is NOV
ed and solicit business for our line and
see ii we can get proper share of the
business in the vicinity of the line; and
whenever they visit these places they
naturally inquire about the price Of
wheat as well as other commodities. so
as TO know whether that place has any
particular advantage over us in the
handling OF trade"
The testimony of all parties upon this
particular subject OF the railroad travel
ing agents supervising the traffic is to
the effect that each agent of the dis
tiuct road makes it his business TO see
that the elevator companies on all other
roads do not bay more than list price.
Thus by watching each other and
actively doing SD through the super
flSlDil vi lillo coLdDllNutu pOitCC anu
inspection self-maintained. they com
pei The elevators OH all roads to adopt
the list price.
SecOnd-The testimony shows mum
Der OF instances where the railroad
companies have directly interfered TO
enforce list price. | think this is
sustained bv reference to the following
testimony. The investigation developed
the fact that in the autumn of 1889
some buyers at Morris MINI, adj
vanced the price beyond list price.
During the disturbance of the mar
kef at Morris by reason of the ad-
vance beyond list price, certain CORE
spondence took place between represent
atiyes OF the different railroad systems
in relation 10 this trouble, which 1 here
quote as evidence compelling my Opin-
ion, as above stated, that the railroad
corporations endeayUr to enforce list
price. Bear in mind that this CORE
spondence was written during the exist
ence of the trouble in Morris, and has
direct reference 10 that trouble.
1t is impossible to give this more
completely in the narrow confines of
f,aWsnaner Svpnusis Ii iS Very pnn-