Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1898-09-28

fast as threshed. Then followed 81,
600 bushels of the same grain which !
was loaded into a chain OF cars from
the wagons just as it came from the
thresher in this lot. The inspectors
gave him No. I hard, althOu gh it was
just the same wheat as that Wh len naa
been so graded a few days before but
was returned as follows: Ten cars
No. northern, Il cars No. north
ern.
Two special cars loaded out of the
same bin by Mr.. Benedict, containing
/ 900 bushels each, shipped together,
we're graded No. l northern, selling
at 63{ cents per bushe]; the other grad
ing No. 2 northern, selling at SO cents
per bushel. The average dockage
was 5 per cent of the whole.
Mr.. Benedict could find no excuse
for the variation. Reinspection
ordered by wire only resulted in a
charge being made for the same and
no satisfaction.
! Mr.. Benedict declared that the fault
was in the law; that the state grain
| inspection department. is and by its
political machine and that no matter
what party is in power it will, as long
it is allowed to exist, be an autocratic,
arbitrary political dictator of prices
which compels the farmers to submit
to being robbed out of their products.
Twenty five hundred dollars would
not make him whole on what this sys-
TEN had cost him this year on the pOr-
| ton Of his crop already sold.
Mr.. Benedict proposed that the
farmers build granaries and hold their
wheat until the buyers should come to
them, and an agreement be made as to
the price to be paid for sixty-pound
bushel of it as it was in the bin, and
not permit it to go into the hands of
the dictator-the state inspector-and
allow him to say: ''Weil, the grain is
tirst-class No. l hard or northern, but
it has a little dirt, or is knockneed
and must dock it one-ffth, and be-
Of this dirt, I can't grade it better than
No. northern, thus taking out IL to
Is cents per bushel. Not one bushel,
the speaker declared, would he ever
again ship to our state markets under
this rule. No other state had ever
undertaken to thus legislate the farmer
out Of the legitimate return for his
labor. His agents had wr itten to him
and buyers at Duluth had told him
that his grain was worth more money
and if it was given it's proper grade
they would gladly pay more, but the
Inspector would not let them pay
more. He had refused to change the
grade and the price was fixed for the
grade, that settled it. Mr.. Benedict
urged that the state government do
away with state inspection and re-
move the temptation from the men in
that department and whose judgments
we're susceptible to being warped by
the acquaintance and friendship of
the great grain buying interests, if not
Sell the grain by sample, make it il
legal for any combination to agree to
post a fixed grade on any car of grain,
but let each buyer stand on his own
Judgment and bid the price he could
afford to pay for that grain for the
purpose for which he may want to use
it, just as man buys or sells a
horse Or any other thing of value.
James Holes, a prominent grain
raiser of Cass county. N. D., said
that his experience was the same as
: Mr.. Benedict's. He exhibited samples
that had been graded down because of
a few blighted grains and locked six
pounds for the same cause. It was
agreed that one Or the other was
wrong.
: Ex-senator Probsfeld said that for
years he had had the same experience
and had fought until he had been cal
led an anarchist, but no good result
had ever came out of his efforts. It
was a hard case. He did not agree
with chairman Benedict as to the re-
peal Of the law, for he was afraid that
the old ways Of board of trade grades
would be again adopted and make a
bad matter worse.
f Sheriff Bodkin, Mr.. Hountoun, DR..
Wilson, James Withroe, S. J. Comp
stock, Patrick Kennedy and many 9TH
ers all spoke to the same effect. All
| declared that wrong was bein g done.
! W. B. Douglas being called upon
stated that he had shipped wheat this
; year and with the same general result.
In answering two questions that had
been asked him, he said he was glad
to state that either in private or pub
\ lie life his best efforts were at the SER
vice OF the producer who gets at best
} no more than he deserves out of his
labor, and that he would be glad to
put forth any necessary effort to de-
tect and punish any person Or COM
bination of persons who might be de-
frauding the farmers and to assist in
securing any legislation necessary to
protect their rights.
= Chairman Benedict was instructed
to appoint a committee Of seven to
carry on the work and find a remedy
, minneapolis Times.