St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-09-26
RING ROBBERY.
No One With Courage Enough
to Defend the Great
Raseality.
Country Papers Too Keenly
Alive to the Steal to At
tempt a Shield.
fhe Grip Of the Octopus on
the Throat Of the Repub-
lican Party,
And the Very Laws Manipu-
lated to Serve the Rings
Tricks.
North Dakota No More Free
From the NefaPiOus
Wheat Steals.
How the Elevator Ring Has
for Years Fleeced the
Farmer.
9illsbury's Statement Called
Down by a Hutchinson
Dealer.
North Dakota No More Free
From the NefaPious
Wheat Steals.
How the Elevator Ring Has
for Years Fleeced the
Farmer.
eillsbury's Statement Called
Down by a Hutchinson
Dealer.

L he hepuOllcdn party Oh MlHneSOUd
Is clearly responsible for the shameful
manner in which the great wheat ring
has defrauded the farmers of this state.
If any evidence were needed to convince
the people of this state of this fact it
has already been furnished by the ac-
tions of the Republican state central
committee and the leading organs of
the party. Few of the local Republican
papers have published Il word Of de-
fense against these grave charges, and
many of them will not do so.
And why has all this defensive work
been left to the Pioneer Press and the
Minneapolis organs? Why do not the
loval country papers denounce the
charges that have been made against
their party on this question?
The answer to both these questions
is, "simply because they know of
the existence of this combine; they
know that their readers know it, and
they further know that they cannot
be deceived in regard to it," But there
is another reason why the local Repub-
Hcan papers will say nothing, or as near
nothing as possible on this question.
There is not a county paper pub
lishPd in this state that is not
directly dependent for prosperity
upon the prosperity of the farmers. If
the latter are doing well. ali branches of
business in the smaller towns and
cities flourish. and If the reverse is
the case, all branches of business must
be dull.
If the Republican party of Minnesota
is not to blame for the present condition
of things as well as the crimes, that
have been committed in the past why
did the Pioneer Press devote nine
columns of space TO an attempted
answer to the great wheat ring expos
ure? Less than six months ago this
same Pioneer Press said:
The indubltable fact seems to be that
prices do not rise here as freely as they
do where our produce is sold, and that
the farmer of the United States has
something more than dumb and un-
reasoning sense of injustice-has fact
on his side when lie complains that he
does not receive the iull benefit which
the worlds demand should bring to
him, i'll better prices for his products" :"
This conclusion was reached by the
Pioneer after the following statement,
which shows that the big profits on
Wheat are made before it is shipped
from Duluth and Minneapolis:
This Es From tlse Pioneer Press.
Beginning with Crookston as pri-
mary market, the price of wheat there
for October 1889, is given as 81 cents
per bushel. By the time the wheat
reaches Minneapolis it sells for II cents,
and at Duluth for IS cents, allowing for
r
price is therefore from 16 to II cents
less than the Duluth and Mlnnea polls
price. But the freight rate from Crook
ston to Duluth or Minneapolis is 1715
cents per hundred, or 1917 cents per
DuShel. A similar difference of about
II cents prevailed in 1890, and of 16 cents
in 1891. The margin over and above the
freight rate in other years seems to be
in excess of all reasonable charges for
handling. For November the differ
ence was ID cents i'll 1889. 16 in 1890 and
ID III 1891. and III December the Crooks
ton and Minneapolis prices varied by
20 cents, 25 cents and 20 cents iii the
three years respectively.
''As these are not daily prices which
are compared, but average prices for
months, this difference is practically a
Stable one. And why it should thus in
crease with the season, rising to from
20 TO 25 cents in December, or more
than double the freight rate between
the two points, is question for some
one to answer. 1t is a scaling down of
values upon the farmer that cuts heay-
lily into his profits.
1.-The bushel of wheat is now at Du.
luth, and was worth there, in the pres
ent season, deducting an average of g
cents per bushel, to cover the difference
between the grades Of No. hard and
No l northern, 9l13 ceutS in September.
1t was worth in that month Sl.04 in New
York, or 13 cents more. But the freight
rate Oh wheat from Duluth to Buffalo
averaged 3 IL 10 cents, and from Buffalo
to New York the canal rate averaged
about AZ cents. The total freight
charge to tidewater was, therefore,
approximately s cents per bushel; and
the remaining 5 cents difference IN
price goes to the account of insurance
and other charges and to the expense of
handling in Buffalo. The difference be-
tween the New York, which was Sl.O4,
and the Liverpool price, which was
81. 10. for the same month was IL cents.
while the cost of ocean carriage was 8
cents and small fraction. The differ
ence between the Minneapolis and the
Liverpool price was % cents. To cover
this we have freightS. lake, canal and
ocean, aggregating about II cents. Ele-
vator and loading charges at Duluth
run from IA to ~ cents per bushel.
Transhipment and eleyating charges on
the way would amount to about 2 cents
per buShel additional. Adding deliy-
cry charges at Liverpool, incidentals
and losses. we have total of everything
covering the whole journey from Du-
luth to Liverpool of, say, not more than
q cents per bushel at the most liberal
estimate. With a difference of % cents
per bushel in the average market price