The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1899-04-05
(EDTrRD BY J. c. HANLEy.)

Farmers Alliance and Industrial Union
it was decided to introduce the business
agency feature of the organization into
the Northwest. ]. c. Hanley, who has
been state secretary, was elected general
business agent, with headquarters in St.
Paul. Seen by Globe reporter last
night he said in explanation of this fea-
ture:
Here is the great wheat field of the
world. We raise in round numbers 2oo,-
100000 bushels of wheat in Minnesota,
the two Dakotas and tributary states.
This vast volume of wheat the farmers
pay commission of I cent per bushel
to the board of trade of terminal points.
whether Chicago, Duluth or Minneapolis,
or in round numbers $4,000, 900 annually
to commission men to whom they must
contribute. This substantial commission,
if paid into the Alliance treasury, would
build and sustain an organization that
would break every combine or trust in
the country.
This saving would be small item as
compared to the immense saving that the
establishment and maintenance of COM
petition at local stations, which are now
controlled by the large line elevators,
who, by being able to control the wheat
market at shipping stations, the exac-
tons levied on the farmers amount from
this source to millions of dollars per year,
which, with the losses on grades and
dockages, amount to millions more per
annum. This brief and transitory view OF
some of the conditions which the farmers
have to endure on the one item of wheat
Now the Alliance offers through the bust
ness agency means to overcome these
sources of loss to the farmers.
We have secured the assistance of some
of the commission firms on the board OF
trade of Chicago, Minneapolis and Du-
lutf, who, to secure the active and sub
stantial support of the Alliance in direct
ing trade to their firm, instead of other
firms, will enter into agreement with the
business agency to pay in certain pro-
portion of their commission to the al
lance treasury, which will be made up
by the increased business which they will
secure from this source.
What does this mean to the farmers7
1t means that with this fund we could
send lecturers and organizers into every
section of the Northwest and visit the
stations and establish farmers elevators
and cooperative enterprises, and get the
farmers to haul their grain and milk to
their own local and cooperative or indie
pendent elevator or creamery and by the
very volume of the business that the gen
erai patronage of those enterprises would
bring would furnish fund that would
enable the Alliance to build and equip
terminal elevators and cold storage
houses, and that would give better prices
for the products Of the farmer of several
cents per bushel. This fund could keep
organizers in the field and pay them
stated salary and secure the enrolment
of the agricultural class into one great
society that would establish and maintain
those conditions that would give the
farmer better prices for his products, and
create fund that would sustain and op-
crate society that would not cost those
enterprises nor the farmers a cent.
Some idea of the effectiveness of this
plan can be given by an illustration
which can be seen at many stations in this
state A station with FIVE elevators. re-
ceiving say 100000 bushels of wheat an
nually, pays $1,000 in commissions to
commission men at terminal boards of
trade Out of those five elevators there
may be farmers elevator which re-
ceives one-ffth Of the grain marketed, or
100000 bushels year, and pays in to
some commission man $1,000 for selling
his grain at terminal points. If the al
lance plan was adopted by the farmers
elevator a revenue of $500 could be p1ac-
ed in the alliance treasury, which would
enable us to send an organizer into that
section for ten months at $50 per month
to organize and secure the other farmers
who hauled 100000 bushels of wheat to
the other four elevators to give portion
Of it to their own farmers or independent
house their share OF their trade or all
their trade.
This would give the farmers elevator
an increase of 10000 bushels more out
of the locality. if they secured one-third
of the farmers to haul their grain to their
own independent elevator, as result OF
the ten months work which our organ
izer put in at that station.
Often we find that so-called farmers
elevators are operating under this name
who are not farmers elevators at all. but
who are owned or controlled by some in
dividual. generally local banker mer
chant or individual who operates what
has been a farmers, elevator, but who
Joins with the local line elevators in a
Combine" to divide the receipts and keep
down prices for that locality. Such en-
terprises are a curse to the community
and serve to cast discredit and distrust
on those cooperative enterprises. If this
plan was adopted it would clean out all
this kind of institutions and reveal the
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