Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1900-10-18

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the same kind Of Irvine: that they had been
getting, but at two or three cents less
than the cost OF the commercial tw:ne
They did not know but what they were
going to get just as good Irvine as they
had always got. But the fact OF the busl-S
ness was that. when they came to ex-3
anime the Irvine, they found they had got
something that was not as good as they
had been in the habit OF getting. I am
not going to say 1t was worthless, because
it was not. You gould use it, but It was
the
Poorest Irvine Ever Made In Still
7 since the plant was Established; and
when the farmers saw what kind of Irvine
they began to get, the orders ceased to
come in, and hence the management has
been unable to dispose Of all of Its Irvine
this year s355
But that it not. all. The farmers
found, when they came to get this
Irvine and compare 1t with other com
mercial Irvine, that they were not get
ting it as cheap as they could get It
from their local dealers. When the
came to compare the quality Of the
twine with that they were getting
from the penitentiary with the quality
of the Irvine that they were getting
from the commercial dealers, they
found that it was more expensive.
Hence there was great deal Of dissat-S
isfaction, and no one this year has
heard Of second order being sent by
the same farmers to Saltwater for
twine It was not the Same kind of
Irvine that they had been able to get
before under the old administrations.
&, Now, we have at the present time
dead loss to the state of from $4,000 to
$4,000, but what will be the conse-
quences next year? What is the seri-
Gus question in regard. to this Irvine
plant? Why, we must dispose Of the
manufactured twine every year or It.
will result in
A ID sad Loss to the State.
And want to say right here that the
Irvine plant has got a great many
enemies in this state. Not only amongst
the Irvine manufacturers of the United
States, but the wholesale dealers IN
Irvine in this state, and they are
powerful factor. Then there is another
class Of people that do not look upon
the success Of this twine plant with
any degree of kindness, and that is
the local dealers in this article. Let 1T
be known in this state that the Irvine
plant is not able to carry its own
weight and you will hear a howl go
up from all over the state, ana from
the laboring men Of the city; for the
latter class of people do not look with,
any degree Of kindness on this plant
because they say It comes in conpeti-
ton with their affairs, and the only
reason why we have been able to make
appropriations and carry this plan on
successfully is because we could show
to an absolute certainty the falsity OF
the arguments made again8t it and
say, "See what grand success we
manufacturing the Irvine at prices from
3 to 5 cents below other commercial
Irvine, but it was actually better than
that and making large clear profit to
the state every year.
Better and Cheaper Irvine and
Profit to the State.
Now, Warden Wolfer, when he was
before the investigating committee two
years ago, which was appointed by
the legislature to investigate the
charges that Gov Lind and others
made, testified under oath that the,
Irvine plant had made in 1897 clear
profit above all expenses Of over $48, 900.
I want to say, also, that the prison
labor is charged up to the twine at SO
cents a day. The farmer who gets the.
tWine pays for that, and the wear and
tear Of the machinery is taken out and
considered in making these figures:
but when you take all this out we had
made clear profit in / 1897 Of over
s4s, 900. sf
In 1898 we manufactured about
100000 poun11s Of Irvine, paid the.
prison ins..itution SO cents day for
the d1ys employed in making that
tW.ne, and paid for the wear and tear
Of the machinery and cleared and put;
into the state treasury over ISL 900 in
clean, cold cash. So, in two years-I
cannot trace the whole history, because
1t would be too lengthy--in two years
we had made Irvine in the State Of Min
nesota and sold It to the farmers at
from to 4 and even cents a pound
less than the commercial twihe was.
sold for and cleared for the state more;
than 100000, and in the time since the
plant was organized and aatAb lisned
we have made over $200. 900 In cold cash
that was not IN the treasury on the
first day Of August one year ago.
Poor Quality High Price and Loss
q "a to the State.
Now, what is the condition at this
time under the Democratic and new adj :.
ADMINISTRATION that told the farmers that
IL Gov Lind was elected they should
have their Irvine for cost, intimating
that they were not getting It as cheaply
then as they ought to have got it?
What has been the consequence this
year? The farmers who bought their
Irvine, when you come to consider the
quality, were paying from 1 to 2 cents
a pound more than the retail dealers OF
this country were selling the Irvine for.
Now, understand the point make. One
Of my customers had ordered 500
pounds Of saltwater Irvine this year
and he had been using It for some
time. he was very much dissatisfied
with the quality, but yetshe was using
It. The shortness of the tWine, the
number of pounds 1t took TO the acre
was far IN excess of anything he had
ever been used to before, and there
fnrn hf1 no n short when he cot !. hort