The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-03-29


Northwest Is Likely to Come in
for Investigation I'm the Near
Future.
will probably hold a session at Buffalo,
". Y, some time in the future to in
vestigate the handling of the grain
products Of the Northwest on their pas
sage over the Erie canal to the sea
An editorial. published in last Sun
days G o e, called attention to the
fact that the agricultural interests Of
the states of the Northwest have been
levied upon by certain Buffalo and New
York elevator corporations. The atten-
ton of the interstate commerce COM
mission was called to the alleged high
way robbery manner with which the
Eastern interests are taking advantage
of the grain producers of the North
west. That part of the editorial which
has proved of particular interest to the
members of the Interstate commerce
commissioners, at present in st. Paul.
was as follows:
This species of highway robbery has for
years been levied upon the agricultural in
terests OF the states of the Northwest. Look
at the fgures Two hundred million bush
els of grain passed last year through Buffalo
from the Northwest. The cost of transfer
ring grain at Buffalo ranged from seven
elgnths or a cent to one and one-quarter
cents per bushel. An average reduction Of
one-half cent bushel would have meant
q saving Of $1,OO0OOO to the Northwest-a
eioy sum. representing per cent interest
major comedies in his report to the govern
ment that one-half cent rate is a sound
commercial proposition. So much for Buff
falo.
AT New York the arbitrary terminal
charges on grain amount to one and eight
tenths cents per bushel reduction in
TINS rate OF one-half cent per bushel-an-
otner sound commercial proposition-and a
saving of 49, 600 to the Northwest would
have been secured last year on the amount
OF grain passing through Buffalo, assuming
It all reached the seaboard at New York
through the Erie canal. Its natural channel
In other words, these reductions would
nave represented total saving of $780,
700 to the Northwestern states on grain
alone-a sum equivalent to an interest
charge of 4 per cent on a 500. 900 900 canal
JOB, and nearly twice that figure on the
majors improvements.
Here. then, is a situation demanding gov
ernmental attention. The states Of the
Northwest, through their railroad commits
sions, might do much if they acted in con-
cert. The interstate commerce commission
could CO DO more. Busted with the affairs
greater boon could it confer than the in
Vestigation of an evil which robs the farm
ers OF the Northwest and ruins the COM
Let the commission supplement its labors
IN this vicinity with an examination of the
lmposit1ons practiced in Buffalo and New
York
Are there any influences which would de-
ter the commission from taking step that
would prove so popular in this part Of the
Union? At least one of its members is
New York man. What is he willing to
dor IS he SO tied up. politically and 9TH
erWise, that he will do nothing?
The G b published an interview
on the foregoing editorial with Com
missioner Judson c. Clements, yester-
day, in Which he lamented the fact that
the commission was so restricted in it's
authority to punish wrong-doers, say
ing that should an investigation be
held at Buffalo nothing could be done
except to petition the United States
court to discipline the culprits, If the
charges made were proved true
A reporter for The G o b chatted
with the three commissioners, Judge
Clements, Judge Yeomans and Judge
Calhoun, last night. and was given the
following for publications:
The interstate commerce commission
is always ready to investigate any
charges made which possess some sta
bility
The commission believes that the sit
uation at Buffalo needs looking into.
There have been some complaints made
regarding the exorbitant rates charged
for passage over the canal.
That at the next meeting of the en-
tire body, consisting of Commissioners
Clements, of Georgia; Yeomans, Of
Iowa; Calhoun, of Illinois; Prouty, Of
Vermount, and Chairman Knapp, Of
New York, the subject will be brought
up AID the editorial in The Glob e
read and discussed.
From what the commissioners said
there seems to be no doubt that the
Buffalo and New York capitalists inter-
ested in the business will have to ex-
plain why they should tax the agricul-
turalists of Minnesota and her sister
states so eXOrbitantly.
The commissioners complimented The
G b e upon being the first paper, to
their knowledge, to give publicity to
the injustice perpetrated against this
section Of the country, remarking that
should an investigation take place it
will be due to The G o e's fearless
exposure of the alleged wrong being
done to Northwestern interests