Little Falls herald., 1900-08-31
l|NVARNISHE,D TRUTHS.
WORK OF The STATE = RA'L.
ROAD AND WAREHOUSE
COMMlSSlOR So NEE ~

The Grain Inspection The
New Freight ScheduIes-The
Republican Bureau of Pre-
Odds and Ends
of Interest to the Reform
Forces. 50. t.. .~
st. Paul. Aug. ~, 1900.
The Republican bureau which has
been established for the purpose of
manufacturing alleged facts for use in
Che campaign in this state has succeed
ed in persuading a considerable mum.
ber OF the country papers that some
good might be done at this time by the
publication of certain falsehoods con-
cerning the present administration of
the state grain inspection department..
In effect, the statement which has been
sent out is this: When Mr. Clausen
was chief grain inspector the inspection
fee was only Is cents per car load I'm.
der the present administration the fee
was raised to 20 cents, then to rs cents,
and now it may be raised to 80 cents.
From these alleged facts the farmers
are asked to draw the Inference that
the department is managed less eco
homical]y than it was under the old
regime
The Republican campaign managers
know the charges to be false in every
essen tial feature; but some who are
publishing them may regard them as
true. 1t may, therefore, not be amiss
to give the exact facts in the case and
put the falsitiers down. The figures
are taken from the official records of
the railroad and warehouse commission
and their correctness may be verifi ed
by anyone interested III learning the
trnth.
Turing the greater part of the time
when MIR. Clausen was chief grain in
spector the fee was % cents is was
the case III 1895 and 1896. On Jan. |,
1897, the fee was reduced 70 Is cents
This reduction could be made because
there was a large amount of money
standing to the credit Of the depart
ment. On Nov. 80, 1896, this amount
was $l23, 1868 81. The fee of Is cents
was entirely inadequate to defray the
expenses. AS O. result the cash in the
grain inspection fund was reduced in
two and half years from $l23, 26S. 81
to $2l, 1856. 10. The last session of the
legislature having created a board of
appeals and thereby increased the ex-
penses OF the department. by about $780,
OCo year, it was necessary to increase
the inspection fee. It was raised to 20
cents and then, after most of the crop
OF 1899 had been marketed, to % cents.
This action had to be taken in order
that deficit might be avoided:
The salient point is that there was a
loss Of $4,000 year when the fee was
10 cents. The department. could stand
this for two years by using up more
than 100000 Of the cash standing to
its credit in the treasury. But the
drain could not go on any longer with.
out plunging the department. into debt
The actual cost of the inspection and
weighing service was, according to the
official accounts, lower in 1899 than in
any previous year except 1892 In 1896
it was $l74 80S. "A for 179, ,3O7, no bush.
els; in 1897 it was $176,22J97 for
1856, 16S,200 bushels; in 1898 it was
$191, ,6S1.12 for 158,092,60O bushels, and
in 1899 it was $213, 764.54 for 213, 133, 100
bushels.
1t will be necessary for the Republi-
can bureau to invent new story; fol
the one about the alleged extravaganza
IN the grain inspection department. is
TOO plainly at variance with the demon
strable facts.
Sept. 4 is the date fixed by the rail-
road and warehouse commission for the
tnal hearing in the matter of rates on
merchandise to be charged by the rail-
roads of this state. A proposition has
been made by the commission which
was submitted to the railroads some
days ago. Without going into details
the result of the commissioners sched.
ules, IT adopted by the railroads, will be:
First, to place all distributing or com.
petitlve merchandise and manufactur-
ing industries on the same footing
thus permitting industries in the smaller
towns to compete On fair basis with
like concerns in the larger centers; sec-
ond, to establish uniform gtadation OF
rates substantially On mileage basis,
While permitting the long lines to COM
pete with the shorter ones; third,
Imoderate and conservative reduction of
rates on all merchandise, both from ter.
'mlnals and between local stations.
1t has been the aim of the commits.
sion to abolish the shortsighted policy,
80 often adopted by railroad manage.
'ments when left to their own devices.
'of loading down the smaller towns with
unjust and prohibitive DETERMINATIONS.
These determinations, while thew