The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-04-09
THOSE ELEVATOR BONDS.
AbbOtts Measure Defeated After a
Long Debate.

The Abbott bill Oh. r. S3D to require ele-
vator companies and wheat buyers to give
bonds before they engage in the purchase and
storage of grain occupied the attention of the
house for nearly an hour. The bill had been
defeated once before but Mr. Abbott stuck
to it with all the tenacity Of fond parent.
The bill provided that every public elevator
with capacity Of 100, 900 bushels or less
should be required to give a bond of So O0O
and that the larger elevators give bonds in
proportion; but that in no case should the
bond exceed $50,0e0 which should cover ele-
yator lines, regardless of the number of
houses reported.
Mr.. Abbott argued at length for the pas
sage of his BILL citing a large number Of
cases in which farmers had been SwindIed
by elevators and individual buyers and in
justification for the bond he told how, in
North and South Dakota, where the bond is
required, these cases have practically dis
appeared. Mr.. West moved to amend MAX
ing the bonds $1,000 instead of 50, 900, which
was accepted with some reluctance by the
author, and adopted by the house. Mr.
Fosnes said he had voted against the bill be-
fore and he should do so again unless it
provided that all the elevators, big and little
were treated alike; that is, required to give
a bond Of $1,000 for each elevator. He Of
fered an amendment to this effect which was
not adopted.
Mr.. Feig opposed the bill He said when
the railroad and warehouse commission was
created, years ago he was secretary Of the
committee to which the measure had been
referred and he there saw the efforts made to
establish a system of bonds for country ele-
vators. The men who advocated it then were
the wealthy men who owned large lines and
who were anxious to drive out the independ-
ent buyers. He charged that this was the
real purpose of the bill.
Mr.. Foss also spoke against the bill. He
said its passage would lower the price Of
wheat in the country from to cents, be-
cause it would drive out the Independent
buyers and tend to further monopolze the
grain trade.
Mr.. Goss elso attacked TIE bill and said
that much had been said about small elevators
having swindled the people; he would like the
house to remember that the big elevator
companies were in the same boat. The Red
River Elevator company failed for $500, 900 and
the creditors had lost nearly every cent. Mr..
Donnelly followed with one of his homlies on
the Vaccinations of the wheat ring of Min
neapolis claiming that there had been COM
bination to tax the farmers about to 5 cents
on every bushel of wheat that is marketed
by system In which the price Of wheat was
fixed every day in Minneapolis. Mr.. Fefg
said the same system practically remained
to this day. Mr.. Donnelly said 1t would be
as reasonable to demand that every lawyer
put up a bond or that every member Of the
legislature be bonded; and the scheme would
be quite as effective.
Mr.. Jacobson defended tho bill. He said a
S.. 900 bond would cost only SO. and this any
honest man who wished to go into the wheat
buying business certainly could pay. But
the farmers were warned that 1T was a scheme
in the interest Of the big elevator companies,
and so the bill was lost by vote of 20 af-
firmative votes to GO against.