The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1894-05-09
GRAIN GROWERS CONVENTION,
P1Ilsbury ON Wheat-He Does Not APP
prove of the Proposed Gathering
of Farmers ON July IL,
From the St. Paul GlobeD

F'rom the St. Paul Globe)
In speaking of the scheme Of Ignatius
Donneily, which has in view the forma-
ton of a Western association of farmers
OF Minnesota and Dakota to handle the
crops and obtain better prices for grain,
Z. H. Pillsbury yesterday said
III Mr.. Donnelly or any one else can
get up any scheme whereby the North
western farmers can get better price
Tor their wheat, / wish him god speed in
MS work. But he is commencing atsthe
wrong end. He should get up some scheme
that would raise the price of wheat in
Liverpool and New York. 1t is an unde-
nlable fact that the millers of Minneapolis
and Lake Superior have been paying sew
erai cents bushel more for wheat of late
than 1T was worth to ship out of the city.
think the present quotations of wheat
are about SO cents in Chicago and So cents
In Minneapolis, Duluth and New York city
The sooner the farmers get rid of the
idea that combinations in the Northwest
are responsible in any way for the low
prices of wheat that have prevailed lately,
the soonsr there may be some intelligent,
successful work done in the way of bet
ter prices. The very ones whom the. dema-
gogues have been condemning and abusing
nave been putting millions of dollars an
nually into the hands of the farmers of
the Northwest
Notwithstanding this. however, the
farmers have not been getting a decent
living price for their wheat. 1 think it
could be truthfufly stated that, take the
mills of the Northwest during the past
three years, they have paid the farmers
more money for wheat than they have re-
ceived for it, If you could take the bal
ance sheets of all the Northwestern mills
and consolidate them, the profit and loss
account would show d big balance on the
wrong side.
Now, certainly men who average a
1alr amount of brains cannot be robbing
the farmers if they paying them more
money for wheat than they getting out
OF 1T. The reasons of low prices of wheat
are many, and include several crops where
the world over-produced supply of wheat
but this probably has not cut anywhere
near so much of a figure short selling
ana the decentralization of silver.
1ncre are plenty of men who would be
glad to cooperate with the farmers of the
Northwest in any intelligent way to help
the situation, but long as they will be
influenced more by demagogical and So
phltical pleas and arguments than by sgenu-
Inc ones it is no use for anyone to try to
interfere.
Some say that the elevator companies
are making undue profits. Now, outside of
the profit there is in what is called carry
ing charges, by which an elevator company
can buy cash wheat, pay for it and sell it
Tor future delivery and insure good carry
ing charges, l say, outside of this, I do not
peEeVe there is an elevator company in the
IT,
bushel on it's purchases over and above
what it has actually cost them to handle
the wheat. SO, If one goes on the theory
that an elevator company is not entitled to
make any profit, they have not defrauded
the farmers more than cent bushel
Ii they are entitled to make one cent a
bushel profit they have not defrauded the
farmers at all
Such schemes as Mr. Donnelly proposes
Will do the farmers no good. The only harm
they will do will be to draw the farmers
attention from the real causes of present
low prices. instead of turning it to the act
ual cause of the depression. l wish Mr.
Donnelly could see all these matters in
their proper light, he seems to have more
influence with the farmers than with any
one else and he could become a great
power for good, as he has brains and good
nature
Il am too good a friend of the farmers to
want to them cropping around in the
dark after legisati ton and plans that will
do them no earthly good and not devote
their attention to some of the crying evils
Of the times"