St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-04-16
THE waEaT COMBINE.
Its HeartIessness and Cruelty Ex-
posed

Its Heartie5SneSS anu (fuelt1 EN-
posed
Farm Stock and Home.
The incident related here With is true.
beyond any question, but. unfortunately
names and places cannot De given. as
our informant was party 10 the trans
action and is pledged not to diyulge it;
but rs an example or the iron-clad snd
mercileSs character OF tine wheat COM
biHe in the Northwest IL Is none the less
valuable.
Last fail. in the town of f., the price
OF wheat was. let Us say, -
cents-that was the list" price, OF
coarse-and was strictly adhered 10 by
elevator men and also by an extensive
miller ia the place. But farmers were
busy with their fail work. and. there
fore, but little wheat was coming IN. The
miller got short Of wheat. was in danger
OF having 10 shut down, but made no
effort 10 get supply from the farmers
by raising the price ever so little. The
situation becoming serious, however,
he went 10 Town thrty-iiye miles
away and bought from a wheat buyer
there SOME six thousand bush
els Of wheat. for which he
paid IS cents a bushel,
=
list price. The freight TO his town
was 81 cents per 100 pounds, about
cents bushel. and after its arrival it
had 10 be hauled nearly mile from the
track 10 the mill. which probably fur
Their Increased the cost or , cents a
bushel. IL IS reasonable assumption
that il the miller bad offered his neigh
boring farmers an advance OF two 10
four cents bushel over the list price
he wOEid have got all the wheat he
wanted. delivered at his mill. That lie
could afford TO pay his neighb0Ts six To
eight cents bushel more Is plainly evil
dent. or even more; IL is eertaily worth
something 10 the citizen and property
owner OF a town il IL has the reputation
of being All exceptionally good wheat
market.
That the miller took this indirect and
expensive method to get wheat Is the
best possible evidence that he was
bound by the combine not 10 pay farm
ers above list" though what he paid
others was a matter of 10 moment. LII
the farmers got more for wheat III the
town OF f. than they could get in e.,
H. or X. then, according TO the cele-
brated letter of Mr.Sheiby. OF the Great
Northern railroad. trouble would toll
low, and il would spread" and farm
ers generally would be tn imminent
danger or getting higher prices for
wheat. Therefore If the miller needed
i wheat badly, If ne could afford 10 pay
| farmers a higher price for II, even II lie
| was willing To do so, the bloOd-sucklng
] wheat combine stood by with club or
moose 10 prevent farmers getting any
advantage or profit ont OF the situation.
| II more Infamous conspiracy against
| honest industry ever existed hlstOry'S
| page was never befouled with record
/ OF it. That a railroad was party TO
! this scheme is proven by the fact that
| the miller was allowed 10 fill large cars
| with the wheat. but each one was billed
as containing 10000 pounds, rebate OF
| probably one-haIf the regular freight
| rate, This probably rs bride 10 the
| miller 10 recOmpense him IN part Tor his
| loyalty to the combine.
This incident is submitted TO our
good. easy-going friends of the political
| machine and press who profess TO be-
lieye that ali all the farmer wants Is
| good weather and good crops; that II
! Providence smiles on him he should be
content, and III the face of good crops to
| forsake his old political party for new
one Is treason most vile. That machine
and press would make farmers believe
that in this country every prospect
pleases, anu only God is vile" But the
farmers prefer To adhere 10 the old rem
dering, slightly paTaphraSed: Here
every prospect would be pleasing were
hot man So vile W