The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1899-04-26

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ing to this department as the cause OF
all the trouble and hope to use this same
means to defeat the party now in charge
of this department 1t is the evident in
tention of the party out Of power now
and who is in great measure responsible
for establishing and maintaining this de-
partmcnt all these years, to turn agains;
it now and seek to discredit and degrade
it while it is in the control of the oppo-
sition party and thus rob the opposition
of the political advantage it enjoyed from
this source
Other agencies were at work also. Re-
port has it that Mr.. Jacobson identified
himself strongly in pushing this matter,
with other K. X. legislation, and using
this means to boost himself into the r. R.
and Warehouse commission as repre-
sentative of his party who is SO intensely
a reformer that he is willing to sacrafce
the whele grain inspection department to
land this plum
And who is this man Senator Geo. P.
Wilson? If my memory serves me. right
lie is the lawyer who as attorney repre-
sented the Terminal Elevator Association
in its fight against the state to knock out
the Farmers Terminal Elevator" at Du-
luth? He it was who pushed this litiga
ton through all its successive stages un-
til he secured decision from the SUI
preme court, declaring the law uncon
stitutional and knocking out the whole
enterprise. 1t seems to me that this rep
resentative of the Terminal and Line Ele-
vators was on this committee for the spe-
cial purpose of guarding the interests OF
these corporations, in keeping from the
eyes of the public the real cause OF the,
LII. A. ~ h. fo~s
complained about AS indicated above
we can not see where the remedy OF build
ing farmers elevators would remove the
above Findings" but if it was intended
to do away with the exactions and COM
binations of the line elevators and coun
try buyers it would have some merits. AS
it is VIGOROUSLY known that these par
ties join in a combination at stations
where they can control matters and run
them to suit themselves. and enjoy all the
profit of "undergrading" and lover dock
age" on the farmers and then when the
farmers kick, they naively say Il would
like to give you better grades than this
but the inspection department wont give
us the grades
have given a great deal Of time and
attention to this subject, and while not
endorsing the evils complained about in
the Department, and believe that every
effort should be made to remedy any de-
feet, it is but fair to say that most of the
evils which are laid at the door of the
Inspection Department are due to other
causes, and are deliberately done by in
terested parties to hide their own villainy
and peculiar methods of doing business
Either the department is good or bad 1t
is either necessity or farce. II certain
rules are laid down for inspection and
grades are established that are known in
the markets of the world and have a GER
tain commercitl value. it is Of the utmost
importance to maintain those grades at
fixed standard that is absolutely certain.
If any attempt is made to degrade or dis
credit those grades either to satisfy polit-
cal expediency or popular clamor, the
whole business becomes farce.
And when we contemplate that de-
partment whose connection with the great
source of wealth and greatness of the
Northwest is made the football of war
ring politicians and designing business
interests, that largely affect the values of
the crops of the Northwest. it is time to
call a halt and stop monkeying with these
grades.
1t is easy enough to pass rule to call
all wheat grown in this state No. I, and
all farmers will rejoice to know that his
grain is such. But degradation will not
bring any better price than if it were
given proper grade, but it would serve to
destroy the value of the higher grade
grain 1t would be much better for farm
ers to have rigid inspection than they who
had superior grades could enjoy the pre-
miums of such grades, while those who
would get lower grades would receive in
fact as much for the lower grades than
they were receiving for the loose or lib
eral' grades We are pleased to say,
however, that the conclusions of the COM
mittee are an endorsement of just what
the Alliance has advocated for the past
three years. And we hope that the adj
vice of the committee will be generally
put into effect AS it will remedy many
of the evils which are complained of and
place the blame, if any exist, where it
belongs.