The representative., 1899-07-27


sion, of which Senator Kyle is chair
man, will sit in Minneapolis about the
middle of August for the purpose of in
vestigating matters pertaining to the
agricultural industries of the North
west. The sub-cOmmission consists of
Senator Kyle, ex-Gov. A. L. Harris, of
Ohio, and E. D. Conger, of Michigan.
The regular session of the commission
sitting as committee of the whole in
Washington, adjourned the first of the
present month, to reconvene in that city
the first Tuesday in September, and dur
Ing the interim the members divided
into sub-commissions, and will visit
various parts of the country for the pur-
pose of gathering information at first
hand relative to the various matters on
which they are required to report. Dur
ing this time the sub-commission on
manufactures will visit the Eastern
states, the sub-commission on mines
and mining will visit Pennsylvania,
Ohio, Illinois and other mining centers
in the Middle West, one branch of the
sub-commission on agriculture will
visit the South under direction of Con-
gresham L. F. Livingstone, of Georgia,
while the other branch, under Senator
Kyle, will visit Minneapolis, ST. Paul,
Duluth, Chicago, Aberdeen and, possi-
bly,, other cities central to that industry
The session in Minneapolis will proba-
bly, last week. The exact date will not
be fixed until the first Tuesday in Au-
gust, when Messrs. Kyle, Harris and
Conger will meet in Cleveland to ar
range the details.
The investigation will be conducted in
Minneapolis, and other cities named
will be made in it's scope. Scores of wit
nesses will be examined on numerous
subjects, and of these John C. Hanley,
of st. Paul, of the National Farmers
Alliance and Industrial Union, will be
the principal witness at the Minneapo-
lis session on behalf of the farmers. al
though Mr.. Hanley is preparing list of
others who will be subpoenaed on the
same side. Mr.. Hanley has written sew
eral exhaustive letters to Senator Kyle
touching these matters, and is deeply
interested in opening a market in the
Orient for American wheat. He be-
lieves market can be found in the East
that will ultimately consume $4,000, 900
bushels of that cereal, and increase the
price in the Northwest 20 cents a bushel
or over. With this object in view. he
advocates subsidizing the merchant ma
rine. He will also testify as to the cost
OF growing grain in the Northwest, the
alleged elevator combines, transporta-
t1on charges, milling tolls, dealing in
futures and the like After all the eyi-
dence has been taken on the farmers
side of these questions, and complaints
have been heard from all who have any
to present, witnesses will be subpoenaed
from among the leading elevator, mill
ing, railroad and chamber of commerce
men, and the report of the commission
will contain everything of interest that
has been adduced.
The whole inquiry which the SUBJ
commission has undertaken will con-
sumo the month of August, and the find
lngs will be used as the basis for such
state and national legislation as may be
suggested by whatever injustices are
Paul Globe.
we nave sent out numerous notices to
practical and actual farmers all over the
United States, and they are made up of
rich and poor farmers, bonanza and
small farmers, Republicans, Populists,
Democrats, Socialists, Goldites, Silver
ties, prairie and timber land farmers.
wheat, corn and diversified farming. cot
ton, sugar and tobacco, live stock and
dairying farmers. We have aimed to
secure every phase of farm interest in
this list of witnesses. We have asked
each section to cover the interest of
agriculture from the standpoint of their
own special section.
We have asked each locality to desig-
nate what influence and effect on agri-'
culture it would have if we secured and
our Foreign markets." also
the Building of American ships to
carry our products to market" "The
effects on prices of farm products by
such combinations as the -four combine.
the elevator combine, the sugar trust,
the cotton trust, the dressed meat COM
bine,' ETC., the Cost of raising a bushel
OF wheat or pound of cotton, the Cost
of working an acre of land on an aver
age 160-acre farm" etc.
AS the last two questions, the Cost OF
raising bushel of wheat and cost of
farming an acre of land'' will pe among
the most important items to come be-
fore the commission, as on this finding
only can we demonstrate that farming
is profitable or improbable. l have
contended that it costs at least so cents
to raise a bushel of wheat, and not less
than 50 per acre to work an acre of
wheat. l believe that the actual ex-
peridbce of practical farmers will DEM
onstrate that these figures are too low.
Since I sent out those invitations. I
have been besieged By those farmers
asking for information as to how they
were to make up their estimate OF this
cost etc