The Irish standard., 1900-09-01
UNvARN1sHED TRUTHS.
Work Of the State Railroad and Ware
house Commission.
st. Paul, Aug. 81, 1900.

manufacturing alleged facts for use in
the campaign in this state has succeed
ed in persuading Il considerable num-
Der of the country papers that some
f.! good might be done at this time by the
publication of certain falsehoods con-
corning 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 inspec-
ton fee was only Is cents per carload
Under the present administration the
fee was raised to 20 cents, then to %
cents, and now it may be raised to 80
cents. From these alleged facts the
farmers are asked to draw the infer
ence that the department is managed
less economically than it was under
the old regime.
The Republican campaign managers
know the charges to be false in every
essential 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 commits
sion and their correctness may be verl-
fed by anyone interested in learning
the truth.
During the greater part of the time
when Mr.. Clausen was chief grain in
spcctor the fee was % cents. This was
the case in 1895 and 1896. On Jan. 1,
1897, the fee was reduced to 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 $123,2GS.54. The fee of Is cents
was entirely inadequate to dcfray the
expenses. AS result the cash in the
grain inspection fund was reduced in
two and a half years from $123,26S.54
to sol ,23G.1O. The last session of the
legislature having created Il board of
appeals and thereby increased the ex.
pcnses of the department by about
100000 Il year, it was necessary to in.
crease the inspection fee. 1t was raised
to 20 cents and then, after most of
the crop il 1899 had been marketed, to
% cents. This action had to be taken
in order that Il deficit might he
avoided.
The salient point is that there was a
loss of $4,000 a 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 so 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 1890 than in
any previous year except 1892. In
1896 it was $174,SOS24 for 170, 3O7, TO
bushels; in 1897 it was SIG, 22O.97 for
1876. 1GS,2OO bushels; in 1898 it was
$191 ,GS1.12 for 5000, 600 bushels, and
in 1890 it was 1913, 7G454 for 213, 1873,
100 bushels.
1t will be necessary for the Rcpu,-
lican bureau to invent Il new story;
for the one about thc-allcged extrava.
gancc in the grain inspection depart
ment is too plainly ut variance with
the dcmonstrable facts.
Sept. 4 is the date fixed by the rail
road and warehouse commission for
the final hearing in the matter of rates
on merchandise to be charged by the
railroads 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 commission
ers' schedules, il adopted by the rail
roads, will be: First to place all dis
tributing and competitive merchandise
and manufacturing industries OH the
same footing-thus permitting indus
tries in the smaller towns to compete
on n fair basis with like concerns in
the large centers; second, to establish
a uniform graduation of rates substan-
tally on a mileage basis, while per
hitting the long lines to compete with
the shorter ones; third, Il moderate
and conservative reduction of rates on
all merchandise, both from terminals
and between local stations
1t has been the aim of the commits.
sion to abolish the short-sighted pol
icy, so often adopted by railroad man,
agements when left to their own dc.
vices, of loading down the smaller
towns with unjust and prohibitive dis
ordinations. These determinations,
while they dwarf the energies of the
smaller places, are also positive dam
age to the centers which it is attempt
ed to favor, because it dwarfs the de-
vclopment of the country upon which
they depend for support. 1t is a very
reasonable view, too, that if you
build up the country the cities will
benefit by the country's prosperity;
while If you attempt to build up the
city Mt the expense Of the country you
injure and dwarf both of them.