Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1892-10-06
ROBBED BY Rings.
Railroads Are In Ii.
They Help the Elevator Com
panies in Various and Pc
culiar Ways,
Some of Which an Active and
Vlgilant Railway Commits
sion Could Prevent.
Discrimination In Rates

of the great wheat ring has shown that
the great elevator companies are not
and have not been alone in the work
OF cornering the wheat market of the |
northwest. They would in fact, be
shorn of Il great deal of their power for
evil were the laws of the state enforced
and cars furnished individual shippers
by the railroad companies. \ great
deal of evidence on this point has been
brought out. The interests OF the
farmers of the state demand that the
present unholy combination Of the ele-
vators and the railroads be broken up.
The part the railroads play in throt-
Ting competition and controlling the
grain market is interesting. Their in
terests are identical with that Of the
trust. The advantage to the railroads
of permitting the farmer to do his own
shipping is not great. 1t is greater ii
the railroads work in harmony with
the trust. The railroads, although re-
strained by the interstate commerce
law from pooling, pool, nevertheless.
but by means Which are so sliilltul us
to escape the laws provisions.
How It Is Done
There are two trust elevators at and
near Paynesyille, Mimi, Il town which
is on the line Of the 500 road. One is
on the Great Northern, while the
other is directly on Senator Washburns
n'l,n,- ,I n1jln
An independent buyer starts another
elevator adjoining the one on the 500
line. If the independent buyer were
broken Up at Paynesville, the farmer
the Great Northern road as well as to
the combine elevator on the 500 road,
because the combine elevator on the
Great Northern road is closer to some
of the farmers chan the independent
elevator or the 500 road. The Great
Nolthern.is deprived Of SO many car
loads Of wheat. therefore, because the
farmer drives out of his way to Paynes-
VILE to sell to the trusts rival, who
pays Il higher price for wheat than the
trust does. as Il consequence, the
Great Northern says to Washburn and
the latter road:
''You tear down this fellows elevator
at Payllesville, or we will lower rates
and wipe you cut of existence
This is permissible under the inter
state commerce law, and the 500 rOaC
lnSt ~ ,tGn1F cnmDpt il j0I
that will destroy it. 1t refused VOL
colt cars through orders given Genera
Manager [ Underwood by 1. S. Senator
Wasbburn. Wolcott was told by I'm
derwood that this was done because he
did not buy ut list prices made by the
trust.
The railroads have plenty of cars
When wheat first. begins to move, but
no farmer can get them. The farmer
finds empty cars idle on the sidetrack
He demands them. The railroad says
to him:
The elevator is full, and its wheat
must be moved. You would take two
OF three days, while the elevator cal
Shoot wheat into them in few min
utes. We can't stand that delay. You
see now it is YOURSELF
Perhaps the farmer declares the ele
vator is not full and is told to go W
and see for himself. He finds it ap
parently full. The elevator agent ha
adriotly placed boards over the top o
f1a hnr i,,t tnr of tho n1ovotor ~
has Sprinkled few inches Cf wheat CT
them. AS a matter of fact. there is NJ
wheat underneath the boards at all
The farmer is ignorant Of these tricks
as he is of others. lie knows he ha
been robbed. but he cannot explain
how it has been done. This expos
will show him. and taking the fact
here given lie can run back in his mine
one of them.
In othe ways the farmer is deceived
by the railroads. If they have no Cal
at a station where the farmers ar
storing their wheat and don't car
themselves to ship, the railroads will
send the cars there from the station
where the farmers demand the cars
They will also sidetrack cars in North
ern Minnesota among the pine wood
where there is no wheat grown. If b
refusing to furnish cars to farmers. tn
railroad needs less cars, it does nc
have to supply so much rolling stock
1t saved the expense Of leyeling ditche
beside it's tracks so that the farmer ca,
drive up to the cars. It extends no az
commodation whatever to the farmer
In this way it is saved expense, an
can pay SO much larger dividends o
it's watered stock. Most railroads al
laid in the Northwest OIL the surfac
Of the ground. The roadbed is smoot
. - r..