The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-10-19

With-If Any Wrong Has Been
Done 1t Was the Fault of the
Law, They Say, and Not OF the
State Grain Inspectors.
After several weeks of elaboration
the railroad and warehouse commits
sioners have at last issued a report in
regard to the charges recently made
against the grain inspection depart
ment of the commission. Beyond eX-
pressing a confidence in the work or
its employees and a determination to
conduct the inspection OF grain in &C
coIdance with law, there is little of
tangible nature in it. There is nothing
in it to which the most sensitive grain
inspector can take exception. The re-
port is as follows:
1t having been alleged in the public press
in some portions Of the state, particularly at
Moorhead, in the Red river valley. that the
inspectors of grain at the terminal points
of Duluth and Minneapolis were unfairly
and unjuSty fixing grades on wheat below the
grade to which it was entitled and such COM
plants having been brought to the atten-
ton of this commission determined to call
a public meeting for tAe purpose Of giving
everybody who had any complaints to alege
of the character mentioned, an opportunity 10
be heard and to ascertain, so far as possible,
whether such complaints were we'll founded
or otherwise, and If well founded, to take
such steps as were necessary to correct the
abuse. hearing was, therefore, ordered by
the commission, to be had on "Wednesday,
Of which was published in the st. Paul Pho
neer Press, st. Paul Dispatch, ST. Paul
Globe Minneapolis Tribune, Minneapolis
Journal and the Minneapolis Times, also in
the Duluth Tribune and Duluth Evening
Herald, TO the end that all persons desiring
to be heard or having any grievance to allege
against the inspection department. might have
notice of such meeting.
On Sept. "a there being in session at Moor
head a meeting of farmers, called for the
purpose Of considering the alleged unfair
inspection Of wheat, a Geographic message
was sent to the Hon. w. B. Douglas to be
presented by him to said meeting, requesting
said meeting TO appoint committee to at
tend a hearing before this commission on
the 2Sth where a full opportunity would be
given them to be heard upon the subject The
message was read to the meeting, during its
session. by Mr.. Douglas.
On the 28th there were present, and took
part in the hearing Ignatius Donnelly, P.A {.
Rahilly, Messrs. J. T. Hanley and Eric Olson,
as representatives of the Farmers Alliance
and Industrial Union Of Minnesota. E. T.
Young, Of Appleton; c. A. Pillsbury and A.
OF Willmar; J. L. Grandin Jr., of Mayvile,
n. D.; George Spencer, of the board of trade
Of Duluth, and J. T. Schain Esq, of Browns
Valley. Several other gentlemen were pres
emit but did not take part in the proceedings.
MOORHEAD FOLKS ABSENT.
There was no one present representing the
Moorhead meeting, which Is deeply to be re-
CREATED by this commission, and by the
public, for the reason that the basis of the
complaints, which resulted in the calling of
such meeting not being laid before this COM
mission, could not be effectually inquired
into.
With the exception of J. T. schain and Hon.
E. T. Young there no one present who
specified any particular complaints of unjust
inspection, but expressed their opinion in
general way of the present system and the
advantages or disadvantages of having an
inspection system at all.
Senator Young stated that there was vide
dissatisfaction in his locality among the
farmers, but could not say who to blame
for the conditions what was the cause.
In his opinion the wheat looked like good
No. l northern, but seven-eighths of it was
being graded as No. northern, and the local
elevator men claimed they could not give It
a higher grade for the reason that that was
all they could get at the terminals.
Mr.: Rahilly did not ship to Minnesota
terminals TO any extent, but had no reason
to suppose that the inspection system was in
efficient or that grades wer unjust. He was
opposed to an inspection system at all, and
believed that grain should be sold on its
merits both at country and terminal points
Mr.. Olson had travelled extensively through
the northern and western part of the state,
and had visited many towns, and he did MT
think the dissatisfaction was due improper
inspection and grading at the terminal points,
and so far his observation extended at
country points where they had Independent
and that the complaints came from those
points where they had no Independent buyers.
He thought that, owing to the large guam
titles Of grain to be handled and disposed
of eXpeditiously at the terminal points some
system of inspection might be necessary, but
the less interference Of any kind in the coun-
try the more satisfactory and agreeable would
be the result.
Mr.. Donneliy thought the inspection system
should be extended to all country elevators
and that it would be wise to have a COM
mission appointed representing all interests
whose duty it would be to meet just before
each new crop was ready for market and de-
termine the standards which should govern
for that crop and that all buyers and sellers
should be required to conform to such stand
ards.
Mr.. PILLSBURY'S IDEAS.
Mr. Pillsbury said that, so far as the mill
ing interests were concerned they could get
along without an inspection system, but he
thought one necessary in order to dispose of
our surplus grain to advantage in the East
and foreign markets In his opinion the
grades were not so rigid they ought to
he, and If they were more rigid 1t would
be better for the farmers In the enhanced
prices which would result.
J. T. Hanley thought that the inspection
Of grain should at all times favor the farmer
wherever there was doubt as to the proper
grade; that the inspection was more salts
factory at the present time than on the early
deliveries. He was willing to admit that the
early deliveries of shock threshed wheat
might nave been IN a condition to Justify in
part the apparently rigid inspection. If the
present standards were continued ne thought
farmers would not find fault The chief
reason for the dissatisfaction now was the
wide difference in value between the grades
Of No. and No. northern, amounting to
four or five cents per bushel. If this could
not be remedied by the commission he sug-
gested there ought to be an intermediate
grade established between these grades
When Mr.. Hanley was informed nv Tho
chief inspector that the rules of the denart
ment required inspectors in all cases of
doubt as to the grade of any particular lot
of grain arriving at the terminal points to
give the benefit of the doubt to the shin
per, Mr. Hanley was of opinion that an oh
servance of such a rule would do away with
the necessity of an intermediate grade be-
tween No. l northern and No. 2 northern
Mr.. Grandin said that some cars of wheat
which he had shipped lost grade on account
of cookie, but after thoroughly Investigating
the work at the terminal points, he was
forced to the conclusion that it was being
fairy and conscientiously performed, and that
the farmers, if they would investigate SO as
TO understand the system, would have little
fault to find with 1t.
Mr.. Spencer, an extensive shipper of grain
70 Eastern markets, expressed the conviction
mat the present rules of inspection were fair
ana sufficiently comprehensive to properly
classify the wheat Of the Northwest. He en-
ployed a wheat expert to follow the state in
spector on all grains shipped to him. with in