The great West. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1889-18??, 1892-05-13
Minority Report Of the Grain Investigation,
(oRlciNAL MSS. OF AUTHoKo
CHAPTER III.

To HIS ExcELLENcY, VIM. R. MERRIAM.
Governor of the State of Minnesota.
1t must bet cannot be otherwise-that the 6h cents deducted from
the value Of every bushel of wheat tributary to Duluth is put in the pockets
OF ths great combination g elevator men, dealers ana corporations as
the betray al money exacted from the producers for the betrayal OF the
natural market at Duluth and the destruction OF our natural commerce
When it shall be seen as l shall hereinafter endeavor to show that the rail
road corporations, throughout Minnesota and the Northwest are actively
engaged in enforcing the list price of the Minneapolis markets, what power
I ask your excenency, what capital, what force can be. brought to protect
the interests of the producer unless the people summon the power of the
people in the great autonomy Of the state? Or in other words, unless the
state shall take charge OF the interests now apparently betrayed by the IL
nancal representatives of the people. The tetimonys shows that this has
been the practice. of this combine for a long period Of years, and the
strongest fnanders who wereb before the committee, Mr.. Pinsbury notably,
have confessed that they we're powaness to resist the influence of the Chca-
go market. Shall these, practced confessedly outside Of the power to regu-
late, be left to the guidance OF this is moral principle? or shall the aggre-
rescue of the laborer and producer. These considerations, it seems to me,
are OF the very highest Importance to the people of this state. Not alone
the interests of those engaged in the production of wheat, but every inter
est based upon the value of this great cereal.
The discovery of Frank H. Irons, IS agent OF the combine, wa made in
the testimony OF S.. S. Scott, who was employed by the grain growers AS
ISOLATION a s a detective to ascertain what part Mr.. Irons played in fixing
the price Of wheat in Minnesota. I quote from his testimony IS follows:
Question by Nh. Erwin. Do you know anything, Mr.. Scott, about a
combination for the purpose OF depressing the price OF wheat in this state?
Answer. l understand there is such a thing. Q. Have you been SO in
formed? Ans. Yes, sir. Q. By whom? Ans. By a young man by the
name OF Rob't l Irons. q. Who is he and where does he reside? Ans. He
is a sn of Frank H. Irons, Room II, Chamber Of Commerce, Minneapolis.
@. What did you learn from Mr. Irons on this. subject? Ans. l learned
that his father made the prices for the elevator companies and private
buyers throughout the entire Northwest, notifying them what they should
Well, did Mr.. Irons say anything further to you about it? Ans. l told
him did not see how it was that his father could have full sway. l
thought there should be a committee. asked him if there was not a COM
mtteet to instruct his father to make these prices. Well, he said there was
| a committee; but the old man would do what he had a mind to, regardless
of the committee. o. Go on. l asked who this committee was. He
gave me a number of names, that l cannot call to mind. can remember
the name of one. Q. Give his name. Ans. Chambers, agent of the North
western Elevator Co., Minnea polls, MINI. @. What more did he say to you
il anything? Ans. I asked him how he notified these people OF the change
of prices. He said he notified the elevator companies-each company-of
the reduction OF the advance in price and instructed them how they should
notify their people, by night message or by mail, a. the casem might be, and
that they themselves notified the private buyers by a postal card. said
you notify the private buyers also. He said they were notified. / said l
thought almost all these private buyers were controlled by the farming ee
ment throughout the country Is to what price they should pay the grain
to. He said that he did not know that it might have started that way or.
something to that effect, but these elevator companies If they did not come
to their terms, and pay the price that they told them to pay, they would
advance the price Of grain to such an extent that they could not buy on a
reasonable margin, and make any money at it. And furthermore he
stated that in consideration OF a certain sum of money paid to these p-
vate buyers by the elevator companies, that they would agree not o take
only a certain number of bushels each month, or that they would buy a
number of bushels of grain and let the elevator companies have tn est
In other words he says, these buyers think the elevator companies IRE CIV
ing them money but he says it is them giving money to the elevator COM
panies instead of the elevator company giving money to the private buy