The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-09-11
GETTING THEIR SHARE, TOO.


Alexander Stephens once characterlz-
ed a rush of officeseekers at some
change of administration as "a unlVer-
sal rush for the hog trough" 1t was
a homely but a forcible comparison
We are witnessing another rush, this
time for the prosperity in the trough,
and there is the same disposition to get
as much space at and in the trough as
is shown by the creatures from whom
Stephens drew his smile. We have
had occasion to note the alacrity with
which our millers advanced the price
of their sixty cent wheat -four to the
dollar wheat basis, and how jubilant
they were in their prosperity We have
also commented upon the speed with
which the lumbermen rushed for the
trough and marked up the lumber,
manufactured on free-list basis, to-
wards two dollar limit. We have
seen the glassware men hurrying to the
trough and a large portion of it mo-
nopolized by the sugar trust. And we
hilarious Republicans hailing the ad-
vent of all this prosperity under the
benign auspices of the Dingley act.
We now have to record the appro-
priation of a generous slice of this
prosperity by the line elevators which
are now receiving the wheat from the
threshers We note in several of our
up-country exchanges a more or less
emphatic protest against the spread"
the elevators are taking. A spread
is the margin taken, for the cost of
getting grain from the initial to the
terminal market 1t is designed also
to cover the reasonable profits with
which, as we all know, these interme
diaries are always content. The Lis
bon Gazette, among other papers, can
not understand why the usual spread
of from IA to Is cents at that point is
not sufficient this year, nor what war
rant there is for increasing it to 20
cents. There has been no increase in
railway charges or terminal expenses,
five or six cents a bushel out of the
men who grew the grain is not de-
feasible on any theory of fair dealing.
These complaining and protesting
papers are not up with the procession.
They have not advanced TO that point
in the general education where it be-
comes apparent that there is prosper
ity and also prosperity; that is, there
are two kinds. They are still in the
dim light where only. one kind is rec
ognizabIe. that old fashioned one
by which men worked and produc-
ed, bought and sold; were thrifty, pru-
dent. lived inside their incomes, put
something aside fer rainy days, drove
as thrifty bargains as they could and
took their chances with all others I'M
der laws giving none an advantage
over another. Then there is this later
kind that dispenses with good many
of the old requirements. If one is for
tunate enough to be in the right posi-
ton, he need not work anything eX-
cept his WITS anC tongue; ne neeu not
be thrifty, nor frugal, and yet be pros
porous. All that is necessary is for him
to manage to get the law into partner
ship with him, the law of the nation,
the state or the municipality. Law
will give him the power tC make others
nav him more for what he makes or
has than it would be worth without
the aid of the law.
This is the kind of prosperity very
mich in evidence in these days. All
who can are gathering 1t In. There is
but one way the elevators can get their
share. aside from false weights and
heavy docking. and that is by increas-
ing the spread. They have the power
to do this because they are the only
BUYERS and the farmer must sell. Given
the opportunity and the example Of so
many others it is hardly reasonable to
expect that the elevators will not make
use of their chance to reap their share
of this prosperity. And we do not see
how those who are contributing to their