The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1892-10-13
MEANS BUSINESS.
C. A. Pillsbury Offers Editor
Baker of the Globe,
$4,000
If the Statements Made in the
WOlcott Letter Arc
True.
He Asks Mr.. Baker to- Be Fair
and Investigate for
Himself.
Baker Shows His Fairness bv
Burning the Letter in
Gas Jet.

ing unsealed letters"
MIR. Baker then questioned the messenger
as to the contents of the letter, and when
lie received the reply that the messenger
was totally unacquainted Herewith Mr..
Baker stepped toward a gas let. remark
ing as he did so: This is the way in which
l treat letters coming to me in this way"
Mr. Baker then held the letter in the
hame of the gas jet until it was consumed,
ana, having witnessed this vindication of
the Globe editors manhood, the messenger
was delighted to escape with his life.
MIR. PILLSBURY TO MIR. BAKER
10 the Editor of the St. Paul Daily Globe:
The issue of your paper of the 18th inst.
contains IN article entitled 'Robbed by a
Ring" and emblazoncd with a number of
other lurid and glazing headlines, in a way
known to sensational journalism. In this
article are statements that the elevator and
milling companies Of Minneapolis are Joined
IN one vast conspiracy to rob the farmers of
this state, the Dakotas Washington and
Oregon, and to pay them several cents less
per bushel for their wheat than its fair val
ue to them.
You make upon me personal attack out
rageous and teeming with falsehoods and
Misrepresentation. You publish alleged let
ters OF mine, misrepresent their contents
ana suppress the facts and circumstances
connected with their subject matter. You
garble my testimony before the state legis-
lative committee, and then by unfair CON-
PARSONS you seek to make such letters and
evidence contradictory. You have not been
honorable and manly enough to publish my
entire testimony, which, If published would
explain any apparent inconsistencies. You
seek to give force to your attack by the afti-
davlt OF selfconfessed criminal, who ex-
state penitentiary. Your entire article OF de-
1amatlon, according to your own statement,
IS not based on your personal knowledge,
but purely on the hearsay statements of an
other, which you claim to have taken from
book just published.
Without waiting to investigate the facts,
or to verify these statements, you give them
W BASE AND = CoWARDLY WAY,
seek to besmirch the regulations and injure
citizens of your own state. You will fail in
this Your Infamous attack will be directed
back upon your own head.
by hearsay evidence. Especially is this true
in cases like the present, where the author
Of such ha is Of bad
ance against the objects of his attack. l
have not seen the book you refer to- but
understand its author is one c.. G. Wolcott,
q man of bad reputation in this state and
in North Dakota, and who has a pretended
personal grievance against me and the ele-
vator companies l represent, and l know
here in the grain and -four business.
pending Ing in the Unite states circuit court,
SorEern z in %SeR
largely interested. A large sum Of money
is demanded in this suit, which is wholly
Wec"tt to eiorf money o@ us and to
make political capital with the farmers of
this state for few demagogue politicians
whose base tool he has become.
It has been intimated from time to time
that many of the statements which I now
see published in your article would be
ed to compromise this suit, and submitted
to blacknlail by paying sum of money to
Wolcott, his book SO far as it concerns me
1t was eveidently the Intention that this
suit should be tried before the beginning of
the present political campaign. Failing in
matchmaking material in book, and sold it
out to the Democratic committee for CAM
paign purposes.
ment," and it must be evident to every
reader in the Northwest that such is the
object of Its present publication.
There is also another apparent object
"'i 10 CERTAIN GRAIN GAMBLERS
on the Chicago board Of trade and else
where material to Oppose the tR present anti
The material Of our article, published by
you for such objects, and coming from such
a man as Wolcott, who Is inspired with q
personal grudge against me and the ele-
vator companies, will deceive no voter.
The scandalous character OF your article.
SO far as it affects me, I shall hereafter
great length Of the. article prevents me
from answering its facts in detail at the
se w Tn &a sa he to ths
before election is whether they have been
pHs On Of saS
tne fair Prices for their grain: 'f0 get
By your article you aim either to instruct
bug them. If it is the former, 1 will make
Vol proposition which will test the Ques-
ton very quickly so far as our own ele-
made the statement. under, oath, fhat the
average net profits of our elevator company
for a series of years had not been more
much exceeding i cent bushel on the
wheat handled during rh tia that . time; no
Mimi Minneapolis and Minnesota have not for
made mad them
been over s per cent on the value Of their
output Of GS5 END o 95e the Rss
our brands Of -four are best known Of any,
and sell at the highest market prices, and
that our mills are equal to any In construc-
ton and economical manufacture.
Now, If the above statements are true
your article is very misleadins and there Is
NOT MUCH MARGIN FOR ROBBERY
BY us. If your intention Is to be fair, to
Give the facts, and not to deceive the peo-
Die, you should investigate and know
whether these statements are true. and
then tell the people the whole truth, and
nothing but the truth. To assist you In
this Investigation, will allow any and an
Of my managers and bookkeepers, includ-
ing myself, at any time to be examined BY
YOU under oath, as to whether the profits
Of our elevator and milling business for the
Dast three years, or since the organization
IF the Pillsbury- Washburn FIGURING Mills
company, limited have substantially ex-
ceeded the statements have here made.
will undertake to prove to you that the
letter referred to In your article to II. r.
Arnold of LarimOre stated the exact truth.
and that our elevator company did lose 4
large amount Of money on the wheat crop
OF that season; also that my testimony
Riyen before the legislative committee, upon
tho profits Of our past business, was sub
stanfially correct.
To prove my good faith In the matter. I
hereby undertake to pay all reasonable 11-
penses connected with your Investigation
and the taking Of testimony on the simple
! condition that you publish the true fecto
found out by you, either By Giving tie ~.
dmouy In full OF feiF Fee!me q y The