Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1899-12-06
Total to date,
.....34 columns,

Total to date, columns.
GAS we explain in the editorial col
umns, this is the last installment of
Feig's rebuttal that the TRIBUNE will
publish.
RAYMOND, Nov. 20, 1899.
EDITOR MISUNDERSTANDING:
My article on the grain inspection
reform huMbug seems to have COM
pletely exasperated my friend Law
son. He had already forestalled its
contents, but. alas, poor Vicky is a
false prophet. He has my profound
sympathy III his latest predicament.
As 4 student Of the past he knows
but little, and as u prophet he is
about the most dismal failure this
side Of Mars. With that peculiar in
tuition characteristic with fake re-
formers, he imagines he discovers a
fake in rythtDg else. People ELL
gagged In u fake business usually view
their surroundings through fake
glasses. They usually Judge Others
by themselves. So, MIR. Editor, it
didn't surprise me to catch Vicky
''smelling a rat" when the Elevator
agent article appeared in the RE-
PUBLlcAN-GAzETTE. That kind Of
business would jibe precisely with
the conscience of Lind reformer.
Everyone who has watched the
career of Gov. Lind, his apologists,
sponsors and cOmpatriOts, will un.
hesitatingly agree that his admins
tration is the most stupendOus fake
in the history vi Minnesota. Small
wonder, then, when Reform Law
sou gets onto the fake racket. Since
you, Mr. Editor, have disa vowed any
knowledge ON my part of elevator
Agent article, it is not necessary for
me to enter Il denial. only want to
say this, in all kindness to nv friend
Lawson, and l hope he'll paste it in
his hat: What | write in this cOntro-
versy appears over my signature;
don't stOOp to anonymous fake pro-
auctions and accusations, as some
of our alleged reformers are wont to
do. Now please remember this, dear
Victor.
At a later date l will give you a
little more grain and grades to d.
gest. You harp on local satisfaction
with grading. Well, perhaps you
might fluid in Willmar q buyer or
two who, blinded by partisan bias.
profess HI improvement. They would
perhaps claim likewise if the Lind
administration opened the peniten-
tiary to find inspectors. The fact Of
the matter is that there has been no
improvement, except in the imagins,-
ton Of fake reformers. The inspec-
ton service has never been 50 COM
pletely demOralized as at present.
And this all in the great name of re-
form and to further the political am
bition Of one man.
Last fall you, Victor Lawson, and
your crowd Of political malcontents
howle'1, "Itelntnl,er+ the grades; re-
member the tWife!" You hOwled
till you grew red in the face. Now,
canditlly, what Improvement can
you point to. None! Not one! In
your article of July 5th you called
my attention to the new law provid-
ing for a board of appeal. 1t is Just
! about as useful as the fifth wheel in a
wagon. would he. 1t simply puts an
additional expense IF fifteen or TWEEN
ty Thousand dollars on the grain
rslisers Of the state. That's the re-
form you and John Lind are giving
Us. You shouted for economy, and
just as soon as you can you sock on
another fifteen thousand. Oh, you
are dandies, not only in the reform
line. but also OH retrenchinent. Last
year the fee for inspection was Is
cents per car; now it is 25 cents,
Only 66 per cent. more. That's all
Reform administrations come high,
| but we've got to have them. And
| then, my dear farmer friend, these re-
formers must provide Tor a. re-elec-
ton Of their lord and master. How
could they hold their jobs If Governor
Lind should fail Of Il reelection in
1900? And it will require something
else than sentiment to re-elect "HOn-
est john" With u stupendous fail
ure as a refOrnler to his credit, he
will find it different than in 1893.
The simple cry Of ixteen to one and
imperialism WON'T do it, either. It
| will require O. gOOdly amount of the
! "sineWs OF war; land ali addition of
66 per cent. to the inspection fee may
not perceptib]y hurt the farmer and
still he great help to our la tier day
refOrmers. The great complaint of
the fusionists was that the grain in
spection department was subverted
to politics. Now, what has the Lind
administration done in this respect?
Every appointment made il a politi-
cal one. You can't point out one
that is not. And this would be all
right II the appointees were compe-
tent. But, to the most casual Oh
server, the conviction occurs that
competency Is a secondary qualifica-
tlon OF LIMBS appointees. Were it
not for the few old men left in the in
spectiOn department.; the service
would be completely and totally de-
mOralized. They kept these old men
because they couldn't get along with
out them. Otherwise they would
have made room long ago for some
fellow with a forty-year appetite.
But their days nre numbered! Just
as soon as the "helpers'' appointed
ct Ltnd's request can distinguish
wheat from succo fash, they will
have to go. This grain inspection
department has got tn he reformed
from cellar to garnet. These hungry
ward heelers from Minneapolis. st.
Paul and Duluth must be provided
with good paying jobs. How can
we hold them In line ii we don't give
them something tangible during this
reform regime? 1t may be. tough on
the real farmers to have their grain
graded by these city Farmers, hut
didn't TREY vote for Lind and Il
change? SO the "change' must lie,
and they the real furmers) can enjoy
the fun Stf furnishing tile change 60
pay the ti.ldler Co.. Isl. BE-. Be d III I.
s. We're 1t not for the serious aspect
OF this matteH Mr.. Editor, the petD-