St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-01-16
FARCN NUMBER TWO.

Two years ago the legislature treated
the state to farce number one. 1t ap-
pointed commission to investigate
complaints which had been gathering
for years in Increasing volume ABOUT the
methods which had grown into a control
of the grain markets of the state. With
much array of witnesses and counsel,
with constant SDarring in pretenSe of
earneStneSS; with, under it all, pur-
pose TO delude, the commission sat and
wasted poor time and good money, and
concluded its farce with general white
washing.
And now we are to have another one.
Five senators. with the unavoidable
clerk. are to sit and call witnesses, if
they wish to come. and be 'empOWered
to eXpend money!" and for what? What
needs investigating? What is COM
planned of? That there is a combination
of the buyers of grain owning the ele-
vator systems OF the state; of the mill
ers who GRIND the grain, and Of the rail-
roads which transport the grain and the
finished product. That this combination
absolutely mon0poliZes the grain mar
kets Of the state; that it fixes the prices
which shall be paid at all the stations in
the state; that that price is not made on
the natural conditions of demand and
supply regulated by competition, but by
the uncontrolled will Of the master
spirits of the combine. That the rail
roads stand behind the two other fac
tors Of the combine with their mighty
power to safeguard them from competi
ton.
These are the facts on which the COM
plants are based; in which they find
their just source. And what does Sen
ator SEVATSON'S committee of five
and the clerk-propose to inves tigate?
The resolution under which they are
appointed shows what. They "are to
Inquire into the shipping and handling
Of grain, with the object in view to
bring to the notice of the railroad COM
panies the complaint OF shippers Of
grain, and at the same time to give to
the railroads the opportunity to show to
the shippers of grain aud the people. if
they choose, that they are doing all that
is reasonable TO handle expeditiously
and with reasonable care the grain in
| trusted to them for shipment"
This is so useless, so superflu0uS, so
irrelevant to The real complaints that it
can have its motive only in purpose
to delude the farmers Of the state to
think that something is really about to
be done for them, with no intention
| whatever Of doing anything. The COM
mittee are only going to bring in the
shippers of grain and hear their COM
plants. The shippers of 50 per cent Of
| the grain of the state are the elevator
men themselves, and they are making
no complaint. The other 5 per cent
can be heard only as TO the furnishing
of cars and the handling Of their ship
ents. And the comm ittee are to bring
before the shippers the railroads.
Only "if they choose to come. And if
they come they may show that they are
doing all that they deem reasonable
now. What nonsense. We have grain
and warehouse commission now with
power, and whose duty it is to do just
this and more. Any shipper can com
plain to them, and they can cite the
roads to a hearing and make the neceS-
sary order to correct abuses. But it is
! thought that the combination can fool
all the people all the time. and SO farce
number two will be put on the boards
and played with due solemnity, and the
poor dear people will pay the cost OF it
and be fooled once more. Perhaps.