St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-02-01
A INDICATED PLANK.

The Democratic state platform of 1888
contained grain plank which ar
raigned the present state inspection
system, charging, among other things,
that it adds another to the usual I'M
certaintieS of the market, against which
the local buyer can only guard by dimin-
ishing the price" The plank but stated
what would inevitably be the operation
of law which placed between the local
buyer and his vendor, at a distant point,
third person to pass another Judgment
on the quality of the grain bought in
the country. The grading of grain is
not an exact science. There is no
definite law by which any given
quantity Of grain can be test
ed aud indisputably said to be Of
this or that grade. The weight
established by law is only one of several
factors going into the determination Of
the grade or quality. 1t applies to
all kinds and conditions of the
grain alike. The grade depends upon
the individual Judgment of the per-
son examining it. The mere fact
OF appointment as state inspector does
not carry with it accuracy of judgment.
If no politics" enters into the selec-
ton it may carry with it the confidence
of the appointing power in the expert
ence, Skill and honesty Of the appointee,
but that does not imply certainty. In
fact, the law permitting appeals from
inspectors decisions is an acknowledge
ment that they are fallible. Being a
matter of judgment on several and va
rying conditions. it is really case of
more or less accurate guessing.
The local buyer guesseS at the grade
of the grain he buys. The man to whom
he sells or consigns guesses again. The
local buyer runs the risk that their
guesses may differ to his detriment.
This is unavoidable. The more OF these
intermediate 'guessers there are, the
greater the liability to differences. The
state inspection adds always one. often
two more gueSSers. Naturally, the local
buyer, knowing this. gives himself the
benefit of the doubt of concurring judy
ments, either by giving the grain lower
grade than he knows ii is entitled to or
by decreasing the price paid.
a recent Instance, one OF many, vindi
Gates the charge OF the Democratic
plank against the inspection system. A
Willow City (S. d. correspondent of
Farm. Stock and Home asserted that
the elevator syndicate controlling that
market had ordered that the grade of
No hard should not be given to wheat
from that point. To this Mr.. BARBER,
of the Minneapolis Il Northern Ele
vat0r company, replies that Of six
cars bought at that place as No.
l hard and inspected at Min
neapoiiS by the state only two
graded No. hard. OF sixteen bought
by another company at Willow City as
No. hard but eight were SO graded by
the inspectors, and that of nlnety-three
cars bought at that place for No. l hard
only eighty-two were so graded at the
terminals. 1t is very clear that in these
cases the state inspection but served to
add another to the usual uncertain
ties of the Market" and that, as wheat
buyers are like all men, working for
gam, they can only protect themselves
against loss by lowering grades or
prices. Just how this condition will be
relieved by the adoption OF the plan
to cover the state with more tficial
gueSserS must be left to tbs wisdO III OF
the Solons who are engaged in trying to
solv the grain question.