The sun. [volume] (Morris, Stevens County, Minn.) 1882-1895, 1893-01-12

of the weighing, grading and inspection
provisions OF the law, as NIL grain con.
weighed, graded and inspected by state
officers, and thus while enjoying the Dene-
fits, they decline to share the burdens OF the
law. This is q condition which, to my
mind calls for immediate and emectlye leg.
islative remedy. That you have ample ana
plenary jurisdiction in the premises Is mace
plain by the supreme court of the United
States In the case of Mum vs. Illinois, TO
which call your attention.
Under existing law the weighing, gradlnS
and under state supervision, Is limited to
the terminal points have mentioned, ana
the city of st. Cloud. The grain, when Il
reaches these points Is IN eneF Fan or 6S by
farmers, who can ship direct from wagon, III
car load lots TO the terminal dealers. 1t Is
these men therefore VINO, IN thelf oeai pc
tween each other, have the state as umpire,
both as to weights and grades. But the Or
dinary farmer, he who Is unable to snip In
car load lots, and is obliged to sell his grain
by the wagon load to the local dealeHs-and
most farmers belong to this class-he has no
state umpire, either as to weight, grade or
dockage. No state weigher, or state inspect
or, is at hand, or can be invoked to right his
wrong IL any, but he Is RENTED to the
vague and dilatory remedy of the common
law. This discrimination In legislative pro-
lection and legislative relief, has always
struck me anomalous and unjust. And
therefore i have always favored, and still
favor some plan, neither restrictive nor
UuTuEuoOluGp pluCIuS dAl 6Lulu OlCNuIoAc
warehouses, doing a public business, under
state inspection, and state supervision, to
the end that the state may effectively, and
benefeially mediate between the warehouse
what the Farmer Needs.
But, in addition to this, the farmer needs
prompt and unrestricted facilities for the
erection and maintenance of grain elevators
and warehouses at all stations and sidings,
with necessary side track and switching &C.
commOdationS for the same. Years ago IL
UoS q railroad cOmDln1eS
to give exclusive privileges to or to dis
criminate in favor of particular elevator or
warehousemen. While in most cases the
railroads have now abandoned this policy,
yet there are still traces of the old evil IN
some quarters. A notable instance is that OF
the Farmers Warehouse Association OF Lar Ear
g. Sanlt Ste Marie Railway Company, de-
scribcd in the report of the railroad and
warehouse commission OF 1871 on page 10.
This ! association, having first applied foT
leavet to erect Il grain warehouse ON the
right of way at the station of FarWell, which
application the company without just cause
denied, then erected the warehouse on their
own land contiguous to the right OF way,
and have ever since-now more than three
years-been vainly endeayoring to obtain the
necessary side track facilities for the same:
Such fconduct on the part of the railroad
company, aside from mere technical law, Is
unjust anI irritating in the extreme and tends
to keep up a state of feeling between the
producing and carrying interests of the coun-
try that ought not to exist. The railroad
company, in thus obstructing and de idefylag
structs and deties the state, for back OF the
humbtest farmer, in a case of this kind,
ought to Stand the whole dignity. and power
of the state. 1t is not for railroad companies
to say who ought or who ought not to have
warehouse and sidetrack facilities. All
discrimination should be eliminated to the
end, that untramelled competition---one OF
the best regulators and protectors----may be
secured and maintained. To entail the duty
of maintaining grain elevators upon the
railroad companies, as has been contended
for in some quarters, would tend to give
stifie competition, which is far from desir-
able in view of all these facts, to which
have called your attention, | cannot forbeaE
to earnestly recommend that you devise and
enact legislation that will promptly and ef;
fectiyely furnish the necessary relief ana
redreSs IN all cases j. Of this ndtGrs
vast mineral resources, and is fast becoming
great manufacturing state it is still In
the pursuit of agriculture that 3 large & plq,
rality of her people are engaged, In those
sections where dairy and diversified farming
prevails, fair profits, as q rule, are secured,
and the farmers s.! are g quite M prosperous. But But
reliance. there, owing in part 10 the dimin.
ished and inferior yield of 1852, and in part
to the sualiy low price superindueed by
glut in the wheat market, arising from the
large surplus of the great crop of 1891, and
the generous winter wheat crop of 1892,
some depression, though none of serious
exceeding eleven bushels per acre, and an
average price, not exceeding 55 cents per
bushel, it is evident that our farmers are to |
some extent laboring under more than ordi- |
nary disadvantages, and deserve more than
ordinary attention at our hands. Under |
these circumstances, it is our duty, and
should be our ambition, to keep the expenses |
of our state government, in all its branches, |
at as low level as the needs Of |
fhe public service will justify. And we |
should repreSs and eliminate, as far as we |
can, all that savors Of sinecurism, wherever |
it occurs, or wherever 1t may be invoked. |
And above all, we should, at this juncture, |
refrain, except in cases of urgent necessi- |
ty, from inaugurating or entering upon new |
plans or new enterprises involving the ex- |
penditure of public money. We cannot give |
our farmers better yield, nor better prices, |
but we can at least, aid them to make the |
burdens Of government rest more lightly on |
their shoulders.
My predecessor has administered the af- |
fairs of state economically and with great |
tact and wisdom, and has placed the public |
service on a sound and legitimate business |
footing, for which he deserves the graft |
tude of all friends Of good government. l |
hope may be ablet to approximate the high |
standard of public administration which he |
has placed before us.
And now. as you and are about to enter |
uEon the discharge of the duties assigned to |
ts. may we be imbued with that wisdom
which Is from on high, and may our labors |
under the blessings Of a benign providence
rebound to the greatness and the goodness
of our state and common country.