The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1897-01-13
FARMERS IN REVOLT.
To Stop the Leak-Farmers Want
Their Grain Weighed at Points
of Shipment.
Appeal to the State Railroad and Warehouse
Commission-TrackS Scales are Demanded
Other Grievances Aired.

The special committee appointed by the
convention of the State Farmers Alliance
to call upon the state railroad and ware
house commission and lay before that body
certain grievances of the farmers against
the railroads of the state, so fortunate
as to make special and prompt appoint
ment with the commission, and the two
bodies got together yesterday afternoon.
1t is but fair to say that the committee has
better opinion of the commission and
that the latter body is willing to admit
that even the Farmers Alliance men are
not such bad fellows after all, since the
conference.
The committee consisted of P. II. Rahil-
ly, of Lake City chairman; T. J. Meighen,
Forestville; H. " Poore Bird Island: M.
J. Costello, ST. Paul: w. G. Taylor, and
John T. Ames, Northfield; William Prem
dergast, West Concord. These gentlemen
arrived at the quarters of the commission
shortly after 3 o'clock and found all the
members of that body in waiting. Their
reception was frigid, but courteous. The
committeeman expected cool treatment,
and had chips on their shoulders, and they.
too, were studiously polite. Throughout
the proceedings there was air of
pressed hostility, which finally was openly
manifested by Gen. Becker in a cholerio
outburst of defense of the commission. Mr..
Costello, for the committee, resented the
remarks of the venerable commissioner.
and the atmosphere considerably
cleared in the mutual explanations which
followed. After that the commissioners
FASTENED to be good friends with their
visitors, and the committeeman in turn
modified their views so that their attitude
was that of men who came to ask rather
than to demand certain things.
Mr.. Rahilly, as chairman of the COM
mittee, opened the proceedings with a
statement that while the prices of farm
products had been reduced one-half what
they were a few years ago, the cost of
production and the freight rates on rail-
road lines remained unchanged. A second
grievance which the committee wished to
air was the fact that the railroads had re-
fused to weigh grain at points of shipment.
The third point was the fact that although
the scalping of railroad tickets has been
declared illegal yet the railroad companies
connive with scalpers to swindle the public
and evade the law. Mileage books were
sold to the rich at the rate of two cents
per mile, while the poor man is obliged to
pay three cents a mile for his transporta-
ton.
Mr.. Rahily spoke with experience on all
these topics. He is one of the heaviest
shippers of grain in the state. He knows
how much it costs to ship wheat to Min
neapolis and how much to Chicago. He is
familiar with the distances from Lake City
to all advantageous shipping points, and
has at his finger ends information as TO the
long and short haul and other clauses OF
the state laws regulating railroads. He
told how he had shipped a carload of grain
to Chicago, and when it was weighed at
that point he received payment for fifty
bushels less than he had shipped. This
was but one instance. He had the same
experience many times, and his neighbors
had made the same complaint. He thought
1t necessary for the protection of the farm
er that the railroads be compelled to put
scales in at the point of shipment and give
each shipper receipt for his grain before
1t left that point. Then, if there was any
loss, If the grain received at the point of
destination reported less than the
amount shipped, the railroad and not the
farmer, now would be the loser. Such
safeguard would make the railroads
more cautious, would insure the trans
mission of grain in sound cars, and the
farmers would not be the loser, as he is
under the present system. Taking up the
subject of scalpng, Mr.. Rahilly told his
personal experience in purchasing a mile
age book from Third street broker over
the st. Paul & Duluth road. Mr. Rahilly's
name was not on the book, which he had
paid $40 for. The conductor took up the
book and demanded the passengers fare:
Mr. Rahilly offered to pay his fare if tho
book should be restored to him. the con-
ductor refused and at Hinckley attempted
to procure Mr.. Rahillys arrest; this fail
ing, the conductor and the train crew at.
tempted to put the passenger from the
train, and succeeded in doing so after fif-
teen minutes tussle. Mr.. Rahilly lost the
sight of one ey and received other injuries
which cost him month in a Minneapolis
hospital and $780, He sued the railroad
company for the value of the mileage book
and defeated in the district cour of
Hennepin county. He appealed to the su-
preme court and was again defeated. To
prove that the railroad was in collusion
with the scalpers he bought a mileage book
from the same scalper for the same price,
and on it his name had been forged, so
as to legalize 1t in the eyes Of the con.
ductor to whom 1t might be presented
This book was introduced in evidence in
the trial of Mr.. Rahilly's case but the Of
Tending road and scalper have not yet been
punished for violating the state law while
Mr.. Rahilly lost his time and 5000 good
hard dollars in defending what he believed
to be his rights. Mr.. Rahilly's story was
lstenede to with great interest by the
Send 10 cents for Cat