The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1894-07-18
THEY WILL TRY 1T.
Grain Growers of the State Decide
to Form an AssOciatiOn-Plan
of the Organization.

The grain growers convention met at
Harmonic Hall, Minneapolis, Mimi, July
II, 1884, at 10 o'clock a. M The meeting
was called to order by Hon. Ignatius Don
| nelly, president of the State Farmers Al
lance of Minnesota. The call for said con-
vention, which has been published in The
Representative, was read by Secretary A.
H. Hendrickson, Of the Minnesota State
Farmers Alliance. The number present
was small compared with the Peoples
party state convention in the same place
the previous day and upon inquiry it was
learned that the chief cause of the nom
appearance of the farmer members Of the
said state convention at this meeting, was
that the rebate certificates on most If Lot
all the railroads except the Great Northern
expired this day, and the holders of such
certificates had to start for home the
early trains this morning or pay full fare;
and worse yet, in cases where return
tickets Were held, as they would have to
pay full fare on top of the one-third fare
paid already. 1t was also learned that the
hall was not opened before the hour adj
vertised for calling the meeting, and all
who arrived earlier were promptly inform
ed by employees around the building that
no meeting would be held and many went
away on that account.
Mr.. Donnelly spoke of the state elevator
scheme and stated that Chief Justice Gil
filan, who had given the decision against
it, had been turned down by his party
and they expect to turn down an
other, L. w. Collins, in the COM
ing election. The elevator business
was great ROBBERY so much so that he was
informed that one man In that business had
made more than $1,0OO0OO, which had vir-
made more million dollars. which had vir-
tually been filched from the farmers. The
speaker advised the election Of secretary
and also the appointment of a committee to
so to Duluth and investigate the matter.
They had letters from great railroad
porations offering to lend assistance, for if
the scheme carried, the committee could
send large amount of freight over GER
tain lines
He advised the renting Of an elevator
at Duluth which should be run by the new
association and the farmers to ship to
that elevator Then have man in Chica-
go who would receive the wheat make a
small charge, find the best markets for the
wheat and sell 1t. He didn't want it un-
derstood that he intended any discrimina-
ton against Minneapolis and st. Paul. If
| the milers here would give as much as the
best market they could get for he would
rather have the wheat milled here. If
this done it could not be reported that
one man Of a combine had put $125, 900 in
his pocket in one year. while some of the
farmers could not get enough money to buy
a postage stamp.
OTHER OPINIONS.
The speaker stated that the farmer had
been arrested, cheated and tricked, and it
he had ing
nuity enough to get around them.
Eric Olsen, of Martin county, thought
that the better way was to have the farm
ers' elevator companies have an agent at
Duluth. In his opinion. the English syn,
dictate needed $4,000 bushels a day to USE
and if the farmers could establish their
own office the milers would be forced to
come to them to make the. purchases.
They had organized a Grain Growers AS
social ton once before, but nothing had been
done since 1891. The troubla-was that in
some way the big companies forced the
farmers companies to burst, but there We're
enough live ones left to form nucleus for
| a successful association.
w. ]. Bodkin, Of Moorhead was elected
chairman, and Mr.. Hendricksen permanent
secretary. L. c. Long spoke in favor of
farmers elevators. They had a right to
build elevators when and where they
pleased, regardless of supreme courts. He
had been informed that in a little fiat ele-
| were TO get elevators all over the state
| ana run them as a combine, the same as
| the plutocrats had organized He could
| bulld an elevator, and pack it to the peak
win wheat, without one dollar advanced
| large enough to hold 10000 bushels
Mr. Perrine gave his experience in nm
| ming an elevator and mill in Martin coun-
| ty for the benefit of the farmers, the stock
| being owned by them, and said that the
| scheme was paying we'll
Mr.. L. A. Paddock, of Duluth, who
has several farms in Wadena county,
! told how the elevators would cut
| down the weight on his wheat several
| bushels per wagon load. He made a plea
| in favor of shipping wheat to Duluth His
| experience had been that when elevators
| raised the price to shut out some farmers
| elevator, they would cut down the weight
more than enough to make it up They
| made their money by stealing from the
| farmers.
He advised that farmers load their wheat
| into cars, and ship either to Duluth or Min
| neapols to a commission man, and keen
| away from the corporation elevators Right
at home was the place to look out for the
steal. The weighmasters and inspectors
were honest, and would do the fair thing
ANOTHER SUGGESTION.
The most favorable proposition was for
| the erecting of warehouses at every local
| point, and one large terminal elevator
where it might be stored to await market
| The main object was to escape the big ele-
| vator margin which the farmer lost
Mr.. Donhelly favored the above but
| thought that there was more to it, for even
| at Buffalo there was q controlling combine.
| There should be an agent to watch the
| market, and escape all those combines He
said that the society could rent an elevator
| at Duluth at astonishingly low rent for
| an offer had been made
Several of the speakers stated that they
| had been forced out of the grain business
and had taken up diversified farming. They
were heartily in favor of the new idea,
however because in the future the farmer
| of all sorts of products would be in the
| same boat, and would be driven out of that
! Andrew STEVENSON, of Polk county was
| in favor of organization When such an
| controlled then they would have the buy
| ers under their thumbs. His idea was to
| load wheat directly cars, and telegraph
| for it's sale 10 the market. In that way the
| entire wheat crop could be handled. with
| a price of several cents above elevator
market prices. He figured a profit of five
cents per bushel.
Mr. Arnson, of Chippewa, favored Mr..
| Steenerson's idea. He wanted a state ele-
vator, built by the farmers themselves.
Eric Olsen said that the purchasers should
| go to the farmers to buy. The boards of
| trade, constituted, should be put
| down.
THE biggest fools I ever saw on Gods
| green earth,' he cried, ARE the farmers
| who store their wheat. Just as soon as they
| make it go I'M few cents they sell ii ont