The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1896-03-11
SOME PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS.
The Present Condition of the Wheat Market
The Farmers Tied Hand and Foot.

Inc PRESENT COnoltlOn OF the wheat Market
The Farmers Tied Hand and Foot.
Editor Representative:
1t is to. be hoped that all the Independent
elevators and Independent shippers of
wheat can now combine and secure ter
minal elevator at Duluth and such other
points as will enable them to have a full
and free independent market.
If prices remain as they are or go lower,
thus surely it will be essential for the
wheat growers to secure to themselves all
there is in wheat.
At Bird Island there are four elevators
supposed to represent many different
wheat buying companies; they all keep
man the year round yet there does not
seem to be any competition or strife to
secure patronage; if the wheat seems to
go more to one elevator than to another
the buyer at the idle elevator can sit down
and whistle as complacently as though his
job would go on if he never took in any
wheat
1t occurred to me that if we have free
and open market and farmer decided he
could afford to do all the work of loading
car he at least should expect the per-
centage per bushel that would go as ele-
vator charges were it shipped through the
elevators, but after sending down samples
and obtaining prices 1 found If shipped
my own wheat I would have to work for
nothing and board himself; besides my
wheat would grade No. l northern, same
as at local elevators, although it was 80
per cent pure fife and weighed 60 pounds
to the measured bushel
While at the state meeting in January
l met Chief Inspector Clauson on the
train; he tild me if I had shipped my
wheat so it would come under state in
spection and the wheat was of the variety
and quality claimed it to be, it would be
graded No. l hard. asked him what
good that would do me when the commits
sion men I dealt with sold it by sample
and his fiat was it would not grade No. l
hard. l also asked what combination ex-
listed that prevented me receiving for my
wheat, if 1 shipped it myself, the percent
age the local elevators got if they shipped
it. 1 received no satisfactory answer to
either of the above inquiries.
When wheat was "a cents in MINNEAPOLIS
local buyers here paid 46 cents. the COM
mission men l sent samples to said if I
shipped a car to them, if wheat was 81
cents in Minneapolis. they could sell so it
would net me not quite 46 cents; so 1
would be working for little less than moth
ing and board myself
My view of the wheat situation is, there
is no free and open market until any and
every one who raises wheat can sell it to
the common market and receive all there
is in it. Now it looks as if any wheat
shipped independent. the local elevators
get their regular "divy'' and as long as
present conditions exist I for one advo-
cate the complete doing away with the
state inspection and weighing crew, and
let it be complete game of every fellow
for himself, and the devil take us all if
we cannot better the conditions of wheat
selling. and not pay tribute to a gang of
state appointees. who must have deep
personal interest in continuing existing
conditions, politically and otherwise, and
if necessary contributing funds taken as
tribute from orr wheat for ga 1arieS RI &C.
sist in keeping in power those who are
bound to continue existing conditions, be-
cause it is pap to them.
While railroads have power to take
about one-eighth of our wheat as toll for
hauling it 80 miles, and we raise enor-
nous crops. they can continue to pay in
terest on the million of dollars worth of
bonds held by foreigners. and pay in $33,
900 to a Republican campaign committee
Think Of it, farmers. Jim" Mill hob
nobbing and blue fishing with Cleveland;
as the big Democratic mogul in Mime
sofa, giving a personal check to q Re-