The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1893-05-10
A TERRIBLE AFFAIR.
THE STATE ELEVATOR LAW DEFEATED!
The Wheat Ring Triumphant! An Extra Ses-
sion of the Legislature Demanded.
Let the Farmers Read.

The Minneapolis Tribune of the
I'd inst. contains an OpOiniOn, given
by the Attorney General, in answer
to a request of certain members of
the Minnesota State Elevator Ring,
in which they protested against an
increased fee being charged on the
inspection of all wheat passing
through Minneapolis, St. Paul and
Duluth.
The Minneapolis Tribune says OF
the Wheat Ring:
The prospect therefore that they
would be called upon to furnish the
funds for the erection of a competing
state elevator, has set the grain
trade fairly wild, and many indignant
protests have resulted therefrOm. A
delegation of grain men representing
all branches of the trade, called on
the commission "a few days ago to
board placed upon the law.
We publish the act in question in
fuN, in another column, and ask our
readers to carefully examine it. 1t
will be seen that the sum of two hun
dred thousand dollars is appropriated
by the law for the erection of state
elevator or warehouse at Duluth,
"out of any money in the state treas
ury belonging to the acoreho,rse fund, or
out Of any money coming into said
treasury belonging to said fund" So
that the appropriation is not, as has
been claimed by some. to be drawn
from the general revenue fund, but
for specific fund raised, or to be
raised from the inspection of grain.
Sec. II provides that the Board of
Railroad and Warehouse Commits
sioners shall fix the charges for in
specting and weighing grain, not the
grain going into the state warehouse
alone, but all grain; and the lowest
inspection fee shall be $50 cts per
thousand bushels or car load lot and
% cents for weighing a like guam
tity." Formerly these were the fees
charged, but as they yielded more
revenue than was needed for the sup
port of the grain and warehouse de-
partment, they were gradually re-
duced, until the inspection fee was
fixed at fifteen cents per car, and
the weighing fee at like amount.
But even at these low figures they
yielded surplus of about $4,000.
The purpose of the committee of the
Senate, that framed the bill, ION the
basis of the two bills of Senators
Hompe and Canestorpe,] was, that
by increasing the inspection fees to
80 cents and 25 cents on all grain, the
fund would, in year or two, furn-
ish enough, with the $40, 900 on hand,
to build the state elevator without
taking a dollar out of the tax
revenues Of the state.
But it seems that the Elevator
Ring were red-hOt with rage; they
saw that if that warehouse was built
their grip on the farmers was gone
forever, and with devilish cunning
they proceeded to destroy the work of
the Legislature and prevent the con-
structiOn of the state elevator. They
appealed to the AttOrey General of
the state, and he decides that no
change in the fee for state
inspection of grain is contem-
plated in the. new law except
upon that ,chich goes into the state elera-
tor at DAluthl AS the grain cannot 90
into the elevator until it is built,
and as 1t cannot be built atntl the grain
goes into 1t, the result will be, that
the elevator will never be built, nor
the inspection fees collected.
This is the Attorney Generals opin-
ion: u 5al
Hon. A. K. Teisberg, Secretary
Railroad and Warehouse Commits
sion: Sir-in your communication of
the 9th inst., you inquire whether
the fees prescribed by section 19 of
chapter 80 of the General Laws of
1893, for the weighing and inspection
OF grain, apply to all grain weighed
and inspected by your department,
or are restricted to grain received at
the elevator to be erected under the
provisions of the law referred to.
AS evidence of its title, the provis-
ions of the said law apply only to the
regulation of the handling of grain
within said elevator, and to matters
incidental thereto. I am unable tC
discover any provision of the saiC
law which repeals or modifies the
powers and duties of your commits
sion conferred by the pre-existine
law. Additional duties are certainly
thereby conferred; but there is nc
provision which expressly or implied.
~ contemplated REIMBURSEMENT OF
supervision over public elevators, as
contemplated by law prior to the pas.