St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-10-06
HARD TO RECONCILE
c. A. Pillsbury Writes Another
Letter Attempting to Ex-
plain Matters.
His Famous Bluff Aired by
Outside Papers Who Speak
for Farmers.
Terrible Arraignment OF the
Wheat Ring by the Mar
shall Banner.
Local Conditions Analyzed
Show the Existence of
the Combine.

The farmers have "sneaking'' opinion of
Pillsbury, but their $4,000 betting money
cannot be found. Pillsbury and the farmers
have been in the wheat business the same
length Of time in Minnesota; now Charley
has the money and the farmers have the ex-
perience e.-Ortonville Headlight.
Neither the many explanations made
by the defenders of the wheat ring nor
the bluff made in the interests of the
combine by Charles A. .Pillsbury have
been able to deceive the wheat growers
of this state. AS Col. Foss, the editor of
the Ortonville Headlight, well expresses
it, "Pillsbury and the farmers have
been in the wheat business the same
length of time in Minnesota; now Char
ley has the money, and the farmers the
eXperience.'
The Republican state central commit
tee has adopted new way of meeting
the damaging exposure that has been
made on this wheat question. 1t has
come at last to see that it cannot per-
suade the farmers that there is and has
been no combine. and it has ceased try
ing. Ii is now lnstructing it's speakers
to shout "Chicago grain gamblers''
whenever they are asked regarding The.
wheat deal. MIR. Pillsbury, VINO en-
tered upon the task of defending him
self and the Republican party of Minne-'
sofa with such ardor, has evidently not
yet learned that the party managers
have dumped him overheard, for yes
terday he made another attempt to ex-
plain the Arnold and Stuart letters.
All reasonable men, Whatever their
politics, must have but one opinion as
regards those two letters. If one is true
the other must be false. In discussing
these two remarkable letters the Duluth
Daily Commonwealth, paper that as
sumeS to be entirely independent in
politics. i'll a late issue said:
lone unpleasant fact there is that
cannot be disposed of. Mr.Pillsbury did
write to farmer that the elevator
business is not paving business, and
to French capitalist the same season
that the elevator business is enormously
profitable. He has given an eXplana-
ton of these TWO letters that does not at
all reconcile the discrepany between
them
"There is furthermore good ground to
suppose that the elevator companies
agree on the daily price for wheat, and
are careful not to bid up the price on
each other. 1t is a natural and simple
arrangement that is, up to a certain
point, entirely lawful and proper.
but if the Wolcott testimony is true,
the agreement is carried far beyond the
point of fairness. If he tells the truth
the elevator combination works by vari-
Gus crafty devices to suppress compete
ton, to ruin any competitive buyer, to
discourage forwarding by the farmers
TO principal markets, to swell
their own profits until profit
becomes robbery. Wolcotts story un-
supported would be entitled to little re-
spect, since Wolcott is himself several
kinds of a rascal. And it is not sup
ported by any evidence that makes it
conclusive. There is, however, circum-
stantial confederation that forbids
throwing out his evidence altogether.
There is enough color of proof to de-
mand the most rigid investigation.
For the sake of Mr.. Pillsbury and his
friends If the accusations are false, for
the sake OF the wheat growers if the
accusations have one degree of tr nth,
such investigation ought to be mad e. If
the charges are false, Mr.. Pillsbury has
been most unjustly assailed; if the
charges are true, the farmers have been
most infamOusly swindled.''
Is the great British milling syndicate
to be allowed 10 fix the price OF the
wheat produced by the farmers of Min
nesota?
This is the great issue of the CAM
pagn now being fought in Minnesota.
1t is an issue that means much to the
farmers, much to the merchants and
much to the prosperity of the entire
Northwest. Where does the money that
is taken awav from the farmers by this
elevator combine go?
1t does not even drop into the pockets
Of nf I'm cfatn h,,f
across the ocean in steady current
into the Golfers of the foreign syndicate
that now owns and operates nine
of the great Touring mills at
Minneapolis. This syndicate Is
now looking forward to TIE day when
it will be able to take twice as great a
sum out OF, and away from the farmers
as it has in the past. On this issue the
Democracy of Minnesota had the
courage in a convention held within
sight of the great mills of the British
syndicate at Minneapolis, to take a
bold stand in the interests Of the people.
The state platform adopted at that time
said:
We denounce the rapacious and con-
scienceless combination which has
grown up in this state with the conni-
vance of Republican legislatures be-
tween the elevator companies, the miller
aud the railroads, by which our grain
markets have been monopoliZed and our
farmers robbed of the fruits of their
hard labors. We reafirm our belief that
this combination rests upon the fact that
the railroads of this state have abjured
one of their primary functions, the pro-
vision of suitable means for handling
grain. and have given the same over to
the control of private persons; and we
again declare our belief that the rem
edy, simple but efficaclous, lies in legis-
lation requiring the roads to resume
their proper function, thus giving to
every station free and open market.
But, as the Duluth sun said in late
issue. ''the attack on the wheat combine
now is not a new thing with the DemO-
cratic party of this state. The platforms
of that party in 1888. and again in 1890,
and again in 1892, denounced the CON-
in vigorous language. 1t now
protfers proof Of its allegations"
Two years ago the Minnesota DemOc-
racy took a strong stand on this great
state issue, saying in the state platform
adopted at st. Paul:
We again impeach the Republican
party with incapacity to deal with the
problem of ''free and open" grain
market. We repeat our denunciation of
its grain inspection law as stupid if