The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-03-05
NELSON'S BURST OF WIND
MINNESOTA SENATOR'S G. p. A.
SPEECH CAUSES SURPRISE
st. Paul Railroad Official Points
Out How the North Star States
man Trified With Facts and Fig
ures--Canadian Pacific Has No
Effect on Wheat Rates.

The speech of Senator Knute Nelson
the other day, in reply to Senator Elk
ms, of West Virginia, in which the
former openly defended the practices
of the Canadian Pacific Railroad COM
pany in skinning the American roads
In the matter of freights, led a we'll
known railroad official of ST. Paul,
familiar with northwestern traffic af-
1alrs generally, to remark yesterday
that the senator's tongue seemed to be
composed of India rubber, and from the
elastic manner in which he talked about
statistics, his friends had reason to
dread that a considera BILE section of 1t
was rooted in his lungs.
According to the telegraphic dis
patches said this official, Senator
Nelson stated that the Canadian Pa
cine saved 10 cents a buShel on grain
10 five or six millions of farmers in the
Northwest located at the farther end
or Lake Superior. Senator Nelson is
supposed to represent the state of Min
nesota. According to the census taken
In 1885 by authority of the state, the
number of farmers, market gardeners,
etc. in Minnesota was approximately
l500 000
1T would be an extravagant stretch
OF the imagination to say that there
were half million farmers tributary to
the head of Lake Superior. But, allow
ing that burst Of wind to pass I'M
noticed, the only way the Canadian Pa
citic could save this amount, or any
other sum, would be by carrying a por-
ton of this grain to the Atlantic coast
at lower rates than could be obtained
elsewhere. Over one-half the grain 60
ing to Lake Superior on its way to the
Atlanuc coast, goes from North Da-
kota. In the mornings news dispatches
appears statement prepared by the
treasury department at Washington,
giving the figures on all business car
ried In bond from North Dakota, as 3l9
tons. 1t is only fair to assume that
some of this business was carried by
the Grand Trunk road.
If North Dakota shipped 10000 900
bushels of wheat the aggregate weight
would be 100000 tons, and at 20 tons
to the car. $4,000 carloads If the Can
adian Pacific had carried the whole of
the 3l9 tons, 1t would amount to sixteen
carloads out Of 10000 carloads. But. It
is we'll known that the most of the
business carried in bond by the Cam
adam Pacific is merchandise. mainly,
tea and silk from Asia to American
cities. 1t may safely be said, in a gen.
eral way, that the Canadian Pacific
carried no American wheat; nor does
That road have the slightest effect on
the rates charged for carrying wheat
In the Northwestern states
The average rate on wheat, from the
Red River valley in North Dakota and
Minnesota to Lake Superior, is from IA
10 lS cents per hundred pounds. while
the Canadian Pacific rates from the
northern end of the valley in Mime
sofa. are from II to 20 cents per one
hundred pounds.
The bulk of the wheat shipped from
Manitoba goes over the Canadian Pa
cltlc to Port Arthur. on Lake Superior.
and is thence carried by boat to diff
ferent lake ports. This proves that
Just as soon as the grain can reach
the water the Canadian Pacific ceases
to be factor IN carrying even the
grain raised on its own line. How. then,
can 1t save 10 cents bushel to Ameri-
can farmers in the Northwest when it
does not carry any of this grain. or
the grain raised on its own line further
than the shippers are compelled to use
that line in order to reach water trans
portation?
The average rate paid by the farm
ers of the Northwest from the grain
fields to Lake Superior is from to 10
cents per buShel"