The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1893-06-07
THE GOVERNORS BILL.
A Letter From Mr.. HOdesOn in
Reply to Ex-senator Dodge.
HERMAN. June %. '93,
EDITOR REPRESENTATIVE:

EDITOR REPRESENTATIVES,:
Dear Sir:-I notice the article in
your last issue from the pen of ex-
Senator Dodge in which he attacks
me personally on account of some
articles l am writing in Farm, Stock
and Home on the wheat question.
Had it not been for the quasi invita-
ton extended by the editor for me
to reply, l should not have noticed
this article. 1t does not attack a
single argument have made, and
have no time for personalities. Sena-
tor Dodge can attack me to his
hearts content. But if he will write
in dead earnest an article to prove
that any system of license and regu-
latiOn will make a free market, [
will either answer him or "acknOw-
ledge the corn" / have little respect
for any critic who can't rise above
mere verbal quipS, and argue fair. [
think my language is plain enough
and | write nothing "between the
lines" When any man distorts my
meaning by any sort of verbal Jug
glery he can have the middle of the
road. Senator Dodge's article does
not answer single argument | have
made. l called senate file 81 the
Governors bill on good authority and
/ still believe it in good faith. 1
stay by all have said in that series
and do not believe l have stopped
over" as the ex-senator has in con-
Since this erroneous impression may
be honestly entertained by him, |
will take the trouble to deny that l
am in the remOteSt way interested
either in the elevator business or
elevator men. If there is a single
elevator man in this state who agrees
with me on this wheat question, l
do not know it, | have not met or
consulted any of them or had any
correspondence with them. How
they can be anything but hostile to
my theories, | cannot see. What the
ex-senator says about the rapacity of
these men is very true, but it is also
true of storekeeper, horse dealer,
lumber dealer, coal dealer, clOthier,
farm machinery dealer, and all the
rest of them. Why not make the
law put them all under license
and supervision. Elevator men are
neither better nor worse than all
classes of men-even farmers. For
the benefit of your many readers l
will say that my whole effort in
Farm, Stock and Home is an argu-
ment to show that the whole evil of
the wheat market lies in the system
of grading wheat: that before this
system was practiced we had free
market; that as soon as that system
was adopted that free market was
abolished; that grading of wheat
makes gambling possible, in that it
enables the combines to exist and
control prices; that it is responsible
for the nefarious price list which
goes forth almost daily, like Caesars
proclamation, that all the world
should be taxed. This whole system
was built up by millers and elevator
men and, infamous as it is, it has
been legalized and sanctioned by this
bill. 1t is an infamous bill and be-
came a law in an infamous manner if
the reports of it's passage as printed
in the daily papers were correct.
| believe the whole grading system
should be abolished by law, and that
it should be a criminal offenSe for
any one outside the terminal cities
to put a grade on wheat. This would
compel all buyers to get on the
farmers load and bid for the wheat
on it's merits. 1t would kill the
"price list" as dead as door nail.
| believe that the identity of every
owners wheat should be preserved,
and no two owners property should
be mixed without their consent.
Finally. / believe the state should
erect elevators at Duluth and ST.
Paul of such capacity as will enable
all separate owners to store their
wheat unmixed When this is done
then grading should be abolished. |
believe thatsuch system would pro-
duce an open market. 1t would at
tract buyers or their agents from all
the wheat buying world to this state
where they could get what they buy
and know what they are doing. 1t
would establish the worlds market
inside of this state.
All this l have published in f. S. &
II. Now read ex-senator DOdge's
letter and see how he has answered
it. Is there man who could read
his diatribe and have the least con-
ception therefrom of my position? If
| were inclined to indulge in sarcasm
and invectlve this would be glori-
Gus opportunity. But [ am opposed
to using the great power OF the press
in that way; and let me say right
here, Mr.. Editor, that [ fear your
nvDf q