The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1898-07-27
BOEN on THE THYME STEAL.

Hon. Haldor E. Boon, editor of the
Fergus Globe, has this to say upon the
Irvine question in his last issue:
The states output of Irvine was sold to
the jobbers in May and June. The prison
managers knew that the farmers in this
state had put In the largest area of small
grain ever seeded in the state. They also
knew that at the time they sold the Irvine
to 5obbers the crop prospects were uncom-
monty good all over the state. They knew
that there never was a crop failure in Min
nesota, and there was every reason in the
world for them to believe that there would
be an uncommonly large demand for Irvine
this year IN this state. There was, there
fore. no reason for them to believe or to
fear that they would have to carry any
of the state Irvine over. On the contrary,
they knew from statistics that the state
did not have one quarter of the amount of
tWine which the farmers in the state would
need to bind their grain this year.
The prison managers also knew that not
a cent of their money was in that Irvine
that whatever it cost the state had been
contributed by the farmers-the very men
who had right to expect that the Irvine
would be held by the state until they should
call for 1t.
There was, say 100000 pounds of Irvine
on hand. At cents pound as the cost
to the state, the money tied up in the Irvine
was only $4,000, which is less than one
months stealngs from the Red river val
ley farmers by the railroads through this
region alone. At cents Il pound that
amount of Irvine was worth only $500 600.
But these rascally Republicans, these po-
litical scoundrels, saw chance to enrich
themselves and a few henchmen and to add
to the enormous campaign funds, all at the
expense Of the farmers And they did ii
by selling the Irvine to the jobbers
True, for appearance sake, carload of
twine was sold here and there to farmers,
but individual farmers could not, so far as
We know, get pound.
AS the Irvine is being sold at from II
cents per pound and up, it is safe to say
that the average gain per pound to the
dealers Is cents a pound or about double
the legitimate price. which means that the
farmer has to pay that much more to the
fellows who constitute the gang.
The state Irvine factory was started for
two purposes namely: to employ convict
labor so as to least interfere with free la
Dor, and to break the twine trust. For a
time it did both. But this new wrinkle on
the face of it has made the state plant a
part OF the Irvine trust, and 1t is likely that
it will remain so.
Inc writer has no desire to enter politics
again, but he doth confess that he should
like to be in the next legislature to help
give these twine smarties shaking up. A
meaner trick was never played on one class
by another, and the whole Republican
Doodle gang should suffer for it.
Mr.. Boon was one of the first and
ablest advocates of the establishment of
the Irvine factory at Saltwater.
We hope the voters of Otter Tail coun-
ty, without distinction of party, will
unite to send him to the legislature.
There will be a tremendous fight next
winter to break the game of the Irvine
trust, and release the farmers from it's
grip, and we will need just such a man
there as Hon. H. E. Boen.
The farmers must not be fooled again.
The Irvine question is one of the great
issues of the day. Hon. H. E. Boen has
large legislative experience; and he is
| one of the ablest Scandinavians in the
Northwest. You must not send a boy to
do mans work I'D.