St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1896-02-15
BLUFFS DID NOT 60.
HISTORY OF THE FIGHT AGAINST
THE ELEVATOR COMBINE AT
WADENA.
RING TRIES ITS USUAL GAME.
GRADED DOWN WHEAT AND PAID
LESS THAN THE MARKET
PRICE.
RING TRIES ITS USUAL GAM
CITIZENS PUT OUT A BUYER
AS Result, After Long Fight the
Companies Are Forced to Pay
Fair Prices.
Special to the Globe.

WADENA, Mimi, Feb. 14.-The
farmers Of the country tributary to
Wadena were enabled through the ef-
forts Of the merchants Of this place
to save at least $4,000 that would
otherwise have been swallowed by the
combine. That is not all, for the mer-
chants know what they can do, and the
farmers will stand with them in the
future, so it is settled for all time that
the market at Wadena will be free and
open.
At the commencement Of the season
the market was fair and the difference
between the local prices paid for wheat
and the prices at the terminal markets
was only about two cents busheI be-
sides freight, commissions, inspection
and weighing fees. Then the rush of
the wheat came and the grades and
prices were knocked down here so that
the wheat went to other places and
business in the town was at a stand
still. In order to protect their own in
terests the citizens called a mass meet
ing and the result was that all the
business men joined in guaranteeing
to keep the market open and to stand
their share of the loss in case there
was any. They employed buyer and
men to load the wheat into cars and
the banks furnished the money to pay
for the wheat as fast as it was de-
livered by the farmers. At that time
the elevators were buying on a margin
of from four to six cents a bushel, and
the day the citizens buyer began to
buy the prices advanced three or four
cents hushel, besides the rise in
grades. Before the citizens buyer
went on the street the elevators were
grading very little of the wheat higher
than No. 2 northern and after that the
wheat was nearly all graded No. 1
northern. The citizens paid about
all there was in 1t for the wheat and
the elevators followed their lead, but
the farmers would not sell to the
agents Of the barons even when they
offered more than the market would
stand. Next year the citizens will
either have an elevator Of their own or
they will have loading platform
which will serve the purpose if Suf-
ficient supply Of cars is available for
track loading. The usual methods of
the wheat barons were brought into
play to whip the merchants into line,
but they had gone on record and stood
by their agreement. They would neith-
er be led astray by the cajolery nor
WOulQ Cn6y De SWSTV6u Dy the
THREATS OF THE BARONs.
First the elevator people offered to
keep the market fair and "leveI' with
the markets at the neighboripg towns
If the citizens would only let up and
stop compelling them to do business for
fun. When they found this would not
carry they tried the bluff method and
threatened to put in a store and to sell
goods below the prices that the mer-
chants could meet and realize a profit
upon. The merchants were willing to
meet the barons on any terms they
chose to name and were satisfied that
they would be doing business at the
old stand when the elevator people
were ready to call quits and retire
from the field.
AS soon as the wheat began to move
the elevators paid fair prices and gave
grades that were satisfactory, but as
the threshing progressed and the vol
ume of wheat increased the prices
were lowered and grade was cut
out There was competition at Deer
Creek, Bluffton and Henning, and the
wheat that should have been marketed
in Wadena was hauled to those points.
The farmers claimed that they could
get grade better at any of the three
more distant markets besides making
from one to four cents on even grades.
Then, instead of the town being full
of teams and the stores crowded with
customers, the streets were deserted
and the merchants and their clerks
were idle. This appalled, the merchants
and public meeting was called, to
be held in the court house on the
evening of Sept 25. The whole town
turned out to the meeting and many
farmers were in attendance. Col. G.
A.Whitney presided, and speeches were
made by Louis Erickson and M. j.
Katzky, who had been prime movers
in the scheme. J. J. Meyer, Frank