Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1900-10-11

I for verifcation. The fact of the mat
! ter is that, as Auditor Dunn says. tho
| prison Irvine plant has been badly
| misrnanaged, and Mr.. Nelson himself
admitted that fact In Mr.. Dunn's Office,
| when he said to that official that "the
board was running behind in its a,c-
| counts and that the farmers had to be
held to their contracts. or else the
board would have to face q deficit OF
500, 900 at the end of the fiscal year.
The more the public learns about the
reform" in the management OF the
prison Irvine plant the more 1t begins
to dawn upon the mind Of the taxpay-
er that Democratic reform is always
Expensive The prison twine manufact-l
uring plant was established by Re-
publican legislature, and has been OPP
Grated for years under Republican aus
pieces, to the incalculable benefit Of the
farmer and the consumer of twine. It
is not that the prison plant could pro-
duce Irvine so much cheaper than the
trust manufacturers, but the fact that
the maintenance of the Irvine factory
operated by prison labor and conduct
ed as state institution, furnished
Irvine at the actual cost of material
and labor and served as a constant
check upon the operations Of the trust,
and enforced a lower rule of prices.
The trust has been compelled, ever
since the establishment of the prison
Irvine plant. up to the time the Demo-
Gratis got control of it, to sell tw1ne In
this state at a figure far below that
ruling in other states where they had
no such competition as that furnished
by the state plant. It was in response
to the demand for some kind Of en-
ployment for prison labor that would
not conflict with free labor, and for the
installation of a plant to protect the
farmers from the voracity of the
trust that the prison Irvine plant was
esta blished. Almost from the very
beginning of the production of Irvine at
the plant it was self sustaining, and by
careful and business-like methods in
the purchase Of supplies and the en-
ployment of labor, it was possible to
turn out Irvine without loss to the.
state at price ranging from 2 cents
to 3 cents below that charged by the
cordage trust. Almost Immediately at
ter the Democrats got into control Of
the plant the conditions were diamet-
rically reversed, and the twine began
to sell at from cents to 3 cents more
than the price charged by the trust,
and the quality deteriorated so that,
even at the same price, the farmers
would prefer the trust Irvine. The
prison Irvine produced since the re-
form" took effect has been short in
measurement, bunchy, uneven, and OF
generally a very poor quality. Where
as, under former auspices, It compared
favorably, as to length and quality.
with the best grade of Irvine produced
by the trust manufacturers.
The great evil Of the Democratic fatl-t
ure in the management Of the tWine
plant Is not in the mere loss Of the
thousands Of dollars, which will be.
shown In the deficit necessary to be
suing year, but in the fact that the
trust no longer has in this state oppo-.
sition that will compel It to produce
and sell Irvine at q fair price to the
farmers. Soy 92 5s5ts3
y It was the foresight and thoughtful
care Of a Republican administration
that established the Irvine plant and
built up an institution at Saltwater
that was expected to stand forever be-
tween the consumer and the rapacity
of the Irvine trust. It was a Demo
cratic administration which inaugural
ed at the prison management which
resulted in the almost complete de-
struction of the admirable system
which had held the trusts at bay in the
matter Of binding twine. It was. the
same Republican party which, IN the
national congress. presented 9 bill for
q constitutio amendment to restrain
the trusts, and 1t was the same Demo
cratic party which, In the same cons
gress stood as a unit and voted Ia OBJ,