The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-10-11

that they had the same kind of simple conf
dence in the Minnesota inspector of wheat.
Complaint is made to the consignee. In re-
ply he shows you how hard he is trying to
have the grade increased; had ordered re-
inspection and first inspection sustained. OF
course this settles it, and the consgnee
meekly submits. The king rules, and the
king can do no wrong. This is the way it
appears on PAPER.
If we concede that all men are not strictly
honest, a suspicion may arise unbidingly that
the inspector graded the wheat precisely as
the consignee told him to grade It, OF course
the wheat is the same wheat after 1t is
graded, and has the same actual value for
milling purposes, but the farmer gets less
for it. The chief inspector claims credit for
impI owing the reputation of wheat and
improving our system of farming; that he Is
in fact public benefactor Year after year
our wheat Is graded lower with more dock (
age This does not improve the reputation Of
our wheat, nor does it indicate better farming
under Mr.. Claussen's tutelage. Before the
state inspection law was passed the same kind
of wheat we have raised this year wauld
have graded No. 1 hard, and 1T will this year
after 1t leaves Duluth 1t is the quality Of
the wheat and the value Of it for milling
purposes that will establish the price and rep
utation rather than what some young man in
Duluth may grade it.
Grain men in Buffalo tell US that they get
very little of our wheat that is not mixed
with soft wheat. The truth is, wheat graded
No. 2 northern and below at Duluth is No.
1 hard In Buffalo. The great wrong comes In
under our system of grading. There will be
no relief Of a permanent character until the
inspection law is repealed. Under this law
the farmers of the Northwest have been
robbed of millions of dollars annually.
WHERE WRONG WAS DONE,
AS an example see the af1davits hereto at
tached in the case of A. G. Kassenhorg. We
select this not because the wrong done is
greater or even as great as in innumerable
other cases reported to US, but on account of
the fact that Mr.. Kassenborg is more gener-
ally known. Mr.. Kassenborg shipped in three
cars, 1900 bushels. Scotch Fife No. 1 hard
wheat, about an equal amount In each car.
Two of the cars graded No. 2 northern and
one car No. 1 northern One car docked
forty-fve bushels, one car thirty nine bushels
and the other car sixteen bushels. Note the
accuracy of docking wheat.
A sample of this wheat was sent to Me-
Kindly & Nichols and Van Dusen Harring-
ton Co., and the chief deputy INSPECTOR
graded it No. 1 hard and one pound dockage.
A representative of the Van Dusen Harring-
ton company has been spending some tins
with US the past week trying to convince
us that the inspection Of wheat at Duluth is
honestly, fairly and intelligently done.
Let us lock a little further into
the Kassenborg case: The wheat
would net Mr.. Kassenoorg so cents
per bushel; 1900 bushels at so cents per bushel
amouns to $3.50; 100 bushels dockage at so
cents amounts to $50 There was taken from
his wheat over cents per bushel by wrong
grade which amounts to 500, add $47.50 dock
age makes s147.5O. This is over Is per cent
on the $3.50 taken from him under the Min
nesota inspection law without consideration.
This is not an extreme case, but suppose
but 10 per cent of the value of our wheat
is taken under this law, and the states of
Minnesota and North Dakota market fifty
millions of dollars worth of wheat this year;
10 Der cent on $50, ,O00,O ,OC0 is S., ,000, 900.
1t is the experience of farmers who have
cleaned part of their wheat and shipped q
part without cleaning that the dockage re-
mains the same, often greater on the cleaned
than the uncleaned. Why? Because the
dockage furnishes a very important part of
the profits to the buyer. In this connection
we ask who gave the state inspector the
power to say how many pounds make one
bushel? The inspection law gives him no
such authority. The farmer does not know
when he ships his wheat how many pounds
of it will make one busheI but leaves 1t with
the inspector to say. 1t may be g. e5 n
or any other number of pounds The law
gives the inspector autocratic power as In
price and he assumes the same autocratic
power to the number of pounds it takes IN
make one bushel. The Pioneer Press renort
! of the recent meeting of the railroad and
warehouse commissioners. says that c. A.