Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1898-12-10

It was soon found that all grain Of the
same grade is not equally good-there
will be No. 2 wheat almost equal to No.
1. and there will be No. 2 wheat falling
close to No. 3. And in all those cases
where wheat Is sold. not by the grading,
but rather by sample-as for milling
purpOses-thc best quality sometimes
brings several cents bushcl more than
the poorer quality, though of the same
grade. The warehouse men saw that
they could sell by sample the best quail.
ity of a particular grade and supply its
place by lower quality of the same
grade and pocket the difference. This
would reduce the average quality of the
whole pile, and In case the owners of
any of the pile should wish to sell by
sample they would suffer in conse-
quence. The elevator owners went into
the business of buying and selling grain
and mixing It with that of their custom
ers. A suit was brought to enjOin them
from doing this. Much evidence was
tnken, and after a full hearing Judge
Tuley, the Nestor Of the bench of Chi.
cagO. granted the injunction on the
grounds, among others, that the clcva.
tor owners were trustees or custodians
Of other peoples property. that the in
terests Of the public demanded that
these custOdians should be dlsintercst.
ed. and that 1t would be contrary to
public morals to permit them to stand
In n position where there would bc n
constant temptation for them to change
the character Of the property they thus
held In trust; and, second, that IL the
elevator men were permitted to act in
the dual capacity Of trustees and deal
ers In grain they would possess such
advantages as would enable them TO
soon drive all other buyers out of the
market and thus give to themselves n
monopoly of the grain trade of Chicago.
and enable them, to a certain extent. TO
fix the price Of grain In the Chicago
market; for they could then, by cOmbi-
nation, agree on the price. and by rea-
son Of their enormous storage capacity
they could withhold or throw on TO the
market at any time vast quantities of
wheat, and thus depress or raise the
market at pleasure, which would not
be SO II there were many owners. The
case was appealed to the Supreme
Court, and that court sustained Judge
Tuley. and, In long and able opinion,
expressly held that It would be against
public morals and against public pol.
Icy to permit the public warehouse men
Of this State to carry on a grain bust
ness In the same warehouse In which
they keep their customers grain.
But In the meantime the warehouse
men secured the passage Of law
which permits them to do the very
things which the courts had held to be
/ against public morals and against pub.
lie policy. The elevator people stand
together. They have an agreement no,
to Interfere with each others business,
The moment q bushcl Of wheat goes
into their warehouses they are entitled
buyer offers 20 cents bushel 1t will
cost him 72 cents. The warehouse men,
by giving up little of their storage
charge, can Offer Il cents, and thus
drive the outside buyers out Of tho
market. This done. the market Is a,
the mercy Of the warehouse men. The
effect Of this legislation. therefore. Is tC
create n monopoly ana place all that
section Of country which In grain mat
ters Is tributary to this city mt the mcr
cy Of combination Of elevator owners
In Chicago. This combination can eas
lily combine with others elsewhere. 81
that this legislation lays the founda
tiOn for grain trust that will draw
blood from every farmer In America
The question now Is. members of thu
Illinois Legislature. "Does 1t meet you,
approval? VIII You vote to sustain II
or will you vote for Its rcpeal?'
~e@
During the session Of the Thirty. init
General Assembly In 1925 certain Chi
cagO lawyer. who resides In the sub
urbs and has since been elcctc,
Circuit Judge. went to Springfield
for the purpose. as he put It, o
killing certain legislation then pend
Ing In the Senate "dcadcr than hell.
With the assistance of u noted Chicag
corporation attorney, the aforc.mel
toned bill was killed 'dcadcr tina
hell" But n hurried trip out of tow
recently proves tlint the ghost of thl
same legislation stlll haunts the note
corporation lawyer, ana also the Juda
on the bench. Interesting and startlin
developments regarding this matte
may be looked for soon.
%6A
Hon. Julius SalOmOn will make
model North Town Collector. He
q man OF whom the Democrats hay
treason to be proud. Able ana homes
60