The San Francisco call., 1898-01-15

out as intended, and the unanimous voice of the tillers of the soil here de- mands an investigation.
 EVANSVILLE, Jan. IA. To the charge of harboring interruptions mid dlemen or bankers who are in league with the directors of the San Quentin Prison in the violation of the Ostrom act Marysville is one city that can plead not guilty This for the reason that the dealers here have never taken kindly to nor admired the red tape fea- lures of the purchase or jute bags frort the prison. They are modest in their confession that they never have yield ed to the temptation to make false af- fidavit that the amount of goods In the order were for individual and per sonal use of the applicant"
 Instead they have been and are now handling the Calcutta sacks, supply ing for the most part the farmers or Tuba and Sutter counties, whom they carry on their books from year to year. One of these merchants said to your correspondent that he knows or scarcely any San Quentin bags having been used by the ranchers hereabouts last season. When the San Quentin bag was from an eighth to quarter cheaper than the Calcutta article few of the farmers found themselves financially able to purchase the prison bags. But as the prison directors re- quire cash down for the goods few farmers in this section heve been in position to deal with them in three sea sons past. Hence the sway of the Cal cutta bag, which is this season quoted lower than the San Quentin article
 NAPA, Jan. 14.-During the year 1897 very few prison made sacks were pur- chased by our farmers, though in 1S94- 95-96 the quantity was quite large. A. Halt, one of the largest grain men here, says:
 'The reason that last season Calcut- ta sacks were almost exclusively bought in this county was that they were cheaper than those made at the prison. I think, too that they were better and stronger, for the prison | sacks brought here the year before were miserable quality, breaking often in the seams.
 The Ostrom law was supposed to have been enacted in the interest of the farmers, to enable them to get at a minimum cost bags made at an in Stitution which they help to keep up, but the good obtained from it amounts to near nothing. At least such would seem the case when farmers cannot afford the extortionate prices at the prison and must buy for a trif1e less, but still high, of a private corporation.
 T don't charge the Prison Directors with corruption. I know nothing of the allegations, and have given the matter no attention, but I do know 1t does not appear that the jute department of San Quentin Prison is run much in the in 1 terest of the farmers of California. r The prices of Calcutta are high yet | they are lower than San Quentin. Why | is it?'
 l F. F. Johnston, one of Napas most prominent attorneys and owner of one | of the largest farms in the county, | thinks much as does MT. Hiatt. Since the passage of the Ostrom law in 1893 MT. Johnston has purchased only one seasons sacks at the prison. That was in 1894, when he paid 514 cents for five
 thousand sacks. The following year
 he bought none, but in 1896 preferred | Calcuttas. Also in 1897. In 1896 a
 thousand Calcuttas cost him 41-5 and in 1897 two thousand cents each. This was better than he could do at San Quentin. The Calls probing of | this matter is attracting much atten- tion in Napa.