The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1894-05-09
GETTING EXCITED.
the Proposed Grain Convention
Charles A. Pillsbury'S Views.

Wepublish, in another column, an in
9erview with Hon. Chas. A. Pillsbury,
of this city. anent the coming conVen-
tion of Grain Growers. Charley is a
little perturbed and discOurses foollshly
about ''demagogues," etc. We shall
ngt retort by talking, in the same
Strain, about "thieves." 1t isn't nice;
and Charley is jovial, pleasant gen
tleman, whom everybody likes: and we
should be sorry to hurt his feelings.
We wish he was as tender of our sus-
capabilities. Moreover if he is not
one Of those who have been robbing
the grain-growers then the grain
growers movement is not aimed at
him: and there is no use of his tearing
his shirt.
We believe he tells the truth when he
says that of late years the Minneapolis
millerS have not been making much
money. Why? They buy the farmers
wheat at the going price, and then the
rascals, from Liverpool to Minneapolis,
unite to break down the price of the
cereal, and the price of flour neceS-
sarily falls, to some extent, with the
price of wheat; and the millerS are left
lin the SOUP"
Milling is a legitimate business, like
farming: the two are associated and
nece sSary to each other. There is no
farmer who desires to deny the millers
reasonable profit: or to reduce them
to bankruptcy: and the millerS should,
in the same spirit, fight to keep the
farmers from falling into like con-
dition. If things go on as they have
been going wheat raising will practi-
cally cease in the Northwest, and mill
ing will end with it. Already the acre
age of wheat has decreased 10 to 10 per
cent. We hear of numerous instances
where farmers, with their land
pic ughed, and the seed wheat in their
granerieS, are heSitating to SOW it,.
L present prices prevail next fall the
damage to the state will be incalcul-
able;-whole sections will be deserted
or wiped out by mortgages; and Min
neapolis and st. Paul will receive stag
gering blows, from which they will not
recover in twenty years time. This
struggle for better prices therefore
concerns the whole state, and the
tornspeople as much rs the farmers.
Mr.. Pillsbury says there are plenty
of men who would be glad to cooper
ate with the farmers to help the situ-
alton" That's right. That's the true
spirit. We shall be happy TO have
them do so. When the Grain Growers
Convention is organized we have no
doubt it will be glad to hear from Mr..
Pillsbury, Mr.. Joel b. Bassett, and 9th
er representatives. of the great milling
interest. We want to dispassionately
consider the whole question: including
elevator charges: the compare tive
9 IN tor
loans on wheat: switching charges:
railroad rates; false weights: false
grades: unjust dockage; and every
thing. else that has any effect on the
price. We want to act with the
millers to put an end to "option-deal-
ingS" in Chicago,-a most pernicious
and deadly influence. When the con-
yention adjOurns it will leave behind
it committee, with whom the men
Mr.. Pillsbury refers to can confer from
time to time: and be assured that if
they can give us any suggestions that
will tend to tighten the burdens which
now oppress the farmers we will be
most grateful for them.
Something must DC done and at once, or
Minnesota must fall behind in the
race Of empire. In southeastern Min
neSota during the last ten years, the
uS ullS NCicuo cIoNo, uuS
been decreasing rapidly; and it has on
ly been kept up, in other parts of the
state by immigration. Even the Pio-
neer-Press,- the Dcvils-Advocate of
Minnesota a.-stated in 1892, and gdre the
figures to prore 1t, that between the
Liverpool price and the Red River
price of wheat, after counting in all
legitimate charges. of all kinds, there
was still difference of from ten to
thirteen cents bushel, which went
into somebody's pocket-presumab
into that Of the elevator men and the
buyers. If we can put even that ten
or thirteen cents into the pockets of
the farmers the whole state will be
lifted up. and the honest millers will
not be a cent the poorer.
Let all true men work together to
save the farmer, the miller, the manu-
facturer, the laborer, and every legiti-
mate industry, from being destroyed
and eaten up by the thieves. Ameri-
can prosperity to-day, all over this
broad land, is descending into the gull
lets of robbers. What we want is to
put string around their thrOats. as
the Chinese fisherman does with his
cormorant, to keep it from swallowing
the fish it captures. Can we choke
them off and let honest industry keep
what it creates? That is the ques-
tion. l. D.