St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-03-11

$ 3:,s 4. + :; 81, e s.: !:
l. .SEFA'S0N' now. however,
as though the
people will demand that the neXt legis-
lature cloth committee with power to
20 to the bottom of the deal and dis
cover whether. as charged. 1.-The wheat
ring has been robb ng the farmers"
The COMMITTEE got to work at IL
O'Clock yesterday morning, with Capt.
A. II. Reed, of Glencoe, on the stand.
Gen. Barrett took the place of Attorney
Erwin. while John +. McGee kept
sharp lockout for the interests of the
Minneapolis and Northern Elevator
company. it was Attorney McGhee
who eXcitedIy protested against going
beyond the strict letter of the resolution
creating the committee. He objected
to Capt. Reed telling anything Of
affairs at Glencoe. but the committee
decided to hear them. Capt. Reed, in
answer to Gen. Barrett'S question as TO
what led to the trouble al Glencoe, said
that the buyers there, himself included,
bad been making grade of No. hard.
The agent of the Minneapolis Millers'
association, one Anderson, came up one
day and told Reed that he would not be
DPllliitltU ~ iIluhC Itldl ~ dhO'
"What did you tell him?'
81 said | was an independent buyer
ana WnS going to make any grade l
chose Anderson SAID that if [ did the
association would pay five cents higher
Rt Plato. FIVE miles away, and drive me
Dut OF he field. / told him to go ahead
and | would try and stay with him."
Ibid they raise the price at Plato as
threatened ?'2
Yes. We rot hucking until the
price paid was l. cents higher than the
market. Then Anderson came back
and wanted to know If the thing could
net be settled, told him it could if
the.aSsociation would allow us to make
RNo / grade at Glencoe and get the
others 10 conform to It, This was
agreed to.n
WAS everything smooth after that?"
asked Gen. Barrett.
"Oh yes, all harmonious from that
time"
Now, Capt. Reed" said Gen. Barrett
Impressively, who fixed the prices
after the agreements"
Il object to that" roared the repre-
sentative of the Minneapolis Northern
company. There is nothing in the res
OiutiOn that breathed life into this board.
giving it power 10 90 into this matter of
liking prices. IL is an unwarrantabie
piece of presumption. and, Mr.. Chair
man, ] OBJECT to it on the grounds
stated"
II hope" said Gen. Barrett, ''that the
commission will not, bv sustaining this
objection, diScredit its past action.
This is merely recounting of teStmo-
ny already on record, and to take cog
hizance Of such an objection now would
be TO simply knock out half the work
this committee has done"
Argument on the objection was car
ried on for fifteen minutes. Gen. Bar
rett jumped ali over the herculean
frame of Lawyer McGhee in his argu'
ment, and the Minneapolis man, raising
his hand with superb dignity, brought
matters 10 close.
Stop, sir" he SAID, "Irefuse to stand
your impudence. Confine yourself to
the argument"
Chairman Giessel was afraid the OBJ
lection was good.
My idea Of law" he SAID, sis to fol-
low the letter, and, if there are mis-
takes CT omissions, they must be
changed by law and not by this COM
mittee."
"Mr. Chairman" said Senator Sevat-
son. Il move that the objection be over
rule d."
Il second that said Mr.. Barrett, and
once more Mr.. Reed, of Glencoe, be-
came the object OF interest.
How did you receive prices from the
RsSociatiOn?'
"They telegraphed to the station
agents and sent Slips by mail to be
handed round to all the Dealers"
Mr.. Reed" began Lawyer McGhee,
''dO You mean to say that you were
bound to pay the prices indicated on
those slipS-that you could not have paid
more if you wished?'
NO. | could have paid more if |
wanted to accept the responsibility"
You think that the Minneapolis
Millers' association went out of eX-
iStence three years ago, don't yOu?'
"Some years ago, yes"
"Oh. well, that's all | want to know"
said the Minneapolis attorney.
THAT'S all right, gentlemen" said
Gen. Barrett, eXcitedly, 1--WE will show
that the millers' association only died
to give place to the more powerful,
more far-reaching combine of the pres
ent. There is more r0guery and rob-
berry of the farmer now by heavy per-
centagP, and" cried the general in
shrll voice, sit is done through grad
ing, inspection and the elevators" But
before anything further could trans
pire. the committee took a recess.
@The first witness on the stand in the
afternoon was q. o. SomerS, the Great
Northern clerk who wrote the Shelby
letter to the Nelson Union Store COM
pany, in which it was intimated that it
would be desirable for them to cease
paying higher than 'list prices'' for
wheat. He admitted having written
the letter during Mr.. Shelby's absence,
but upon submitting il TO his superior
upon the latterS return was "aalled
down" for it. Mr.. Shelby had told him
that the letter should not have been
written, as it was not the province of
the company TO interfere in such mat
tiers. Mr.. Shelby had said that
the company was interested in
seeing that all was paid for the wheat
that the market would allow. Mr.. Som
ers said that the company frequently
insisted on buyers on their lines paving
higher prices " hen they were below the
market, but they never interfered when
prices were higher. In this case he did
so because it had been charged by mer-
chants and others in surrounding towns
that the price which was being paid at
Nelson was drawing trade 10 that place
to the detriment Of the rival towns, and
they contended that the Nelson price
was higher than the market would war
rant, and the intimation was made that
If the price paid was more than the
market would stand, the buyer must
make mn for if some other WaV-the in