The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1898-11-09

OF september, I hardly believe. as
those who are at all familiar with 1t would
nave known the contrary to be true. II
you are disposed to be fair in your state
ments. I trust after investigating the mat
ter and finding that this statement Is cor
rect that You will publish a correction .of
your statements In as conspicuous a man
ner as your original statement which is
wholly false
would say further that any station where
we are operating elevators we would be
only too glad If the grades which We give
In the country would hold out at terminals.
Yours truly,
c. A. MAGNUsoN.
Vice President N. W. Elevator Co.,
Minneapolis, MINI.
st. Paul, MIMI, Oct. 81, 1893.
c. A Magnuson, Esq.,
Vice President N. w. Elevator Co.,
Minneapolis, Mimi,
Dear Sir
Your favor Of the oath inst received dur
ing my absence from the state, which ex-
plains the'tardiness of this reply.
1t Is certainly the mission and business of
my office to deal fair with all interests in
volved in the question of locating the trouble
Qf any exists and placing the blame just
where it belongs.
If an injustice has been done your firm of
elevators it is more your misfortune than
our fault.
But 1 am frank to admit that your state
ments made a month after the investiga-
tions were made, has not been of sufficient
weight to change my notion of the correct
ness of the investigation at the time.
THEN WAS THE TIME for you to deny
the statement of the farmer, who made the
statement that 'all wheat marketed at
Browns Valley was bought as No. 2" Then
II there was any dispute it would be a ques-
| ton of veracity between you and the farm
ers OF that locality. But as you allowed
that statement to go unchallenged then, you
| Ston hafo x,;%x,
| which you could have if you exercised ordi-
nary business caution and prudence, to
! watch with jealous eye the reputation of
your business interests, when this whole
| question had aroused the entire farming
| community of three states and was being
adjusted by an official investigation Ordi-
| nary business methods would suggest that
! your house be represented at the meeting
! Gf 1t was not), and defend your position and
interests in the matters under investiga-
! ton.
! l still adhere to the statements made in
my published statements as being substan.
| TALLY correct.
| AS to the statements made by farmer
! before the railway and warehouse commits
! sioners, who represented the farmers at
Browns Valley at the investigation, 1 am
| frank to admit that 1 do not know whether
! they are correct or not; but that part of
| the controversy will be a matter of veracity
! between you and him, and is a matter of
proof, which you must furnish to dsprove.
l will publish your letter and nv reply
| with comments on same i'll the next issue
of the Representative, and accord you all
the fair treatment at my disposal l have
the honor to remain.
Yours Respectfully,
JNO. C. HANLEY
Sec. of F. A. e. 1. U. of Mimi.
1.-The struck bird futters.'' Developments
have shown that the results of the investi-
! cation recently held in st. Paul are begin
ming to bear fruit already. The line ele-
vators' are beginning to feel the effect of
track shipments" all over the wheat belt
and as a result the line elevators are reg
istering a kick. The probabilities are that
| the farmers are learning a lesson of wis
| dom by their experience They find that
| they can load their own cars and ship direct
| to terminal points and be sure they save
| four cents per bushel on the difference in
| grades, and save two cents per bushe1 for
| elevator charges which they contributed
| to the line elevators, and save the six cents
| per bushel for himself AS result of this
new method of farmers doing track ship
ping it threatens to revolutonze the old
method Of doing business. The elevators
look upon this idea with alarm and
dismay, as it threatens to wipe out their
business and destroy the value of their ele-
vatOr property all over the country. We
do not blame the above named elevator for
making a protest against a plan that, if
successfully carried out, will wipe them out
We cannot permit this opportunity to pass
to call attention to condition which even
the vice president of the Northwestern Ele
vatOr company admits exists He said that
the facts were that "72 per cent of the
wheat that was marketed at Browns Valley
was bought for No. l." The investigation
showed that of SO cars shipped from Browns
Valley, so graded No. l and three cars less
than No. l, or per cent did not grade No.
l. while "a per cent did grade No. l. Where,
then. did the difference come in between
the Y per cent which he says was bought
for No l and the "a per cent which was
proven to be No /? There is a discrepancy
at this one station of % per cent, corrobor-
ating the assertions and statements of the
farmers from that station, according to the
elevators own admission.
We wish to be perfectly fair in this mat
ter, and will leave to our readers to judge.
Let the farmers who sold wheat before
| Sept. rs report to this office, who sold their
wheat for No l, with the amount of bushels
that was marketed at Browns Valley, and
we will publish these facts.
The line elevators are invited to contribute
to this fund of information, and we will be
pleased to verify the statements by a rep
| resentative from this office, who will in
vestigate the correctness of the statement
Of facts thus furnished.
Yours respectfully,
JNO. c. HANLEY,
Business Agent, F. A. & 1. u.