The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-09-27
R. Dunn IS SCORED AGAIN
HENDRICKS, OF BOARD OF EQUAL
IZATION, SHOWS WEAKNESSES
IN HIS SPEECH
FACTS ABOUT BINDER TW1NE
No Prison-Made Article Has Cheap
ened the Market Price, and
Thereby Justified It's
Manufacture.

Mr.. Hendricks, one of the members of
the state board of equalization, particu-
larly well qualified by experience to talk
about the workings of the prison Irvine
plant, was asked yesterday what he
| thought about the speech made by State
Auditor Dunn, at Milaca, recently. xr.
Hendricks did not hesitate to say what he
! thought, and that in very pointed lam
guage.
Yes, 1 have read the speech of the
state auditor, he said ''and I am sur
pr1sed at many of the statements he
made. As to his remarks about the prison
| tWine plant, he could do Gov Lind and
| his colleagues no better service than to
make such statements every day, for the
farmers of the state have learned long
ago, that the Republican machine has Oh
ways been opposed to the Irvine plant at
the prison.
4 have had considerable experience
with Irvine, and anyone who has had any
thing to do with it. viii bear me out in
! the statement that it is the most uncer-
| tain commodity to handle there is. In the
1lrst place it has to be bought and manu-.
featured before any idea can be formed
-
by crop conditions
when Mr.. Dunn scores the prison
! management for, not selling all its Irvine.
ne might include the hundreds of Irvine
dealers throughout the country, who
nave large quantities of Irvine on n=<L
AS to how the farmers, who bought their
Irvine early at a high price feel, I will
say they all know that if crops had been
normal, they would have been lucky to
get Irvine at the price agreed on, and for
that reason they did not, generally speak
ing, countermand their order. Of course
a number did, and that helped to swell
the stock of Irvine at the prison
The twine and raw material is all con-
troiled by the Irvine trust, which will
do anything to run down the prison
Irvine. AS to the price being lower last
harvest than 1t was in the spring, it is
the same old song that Irvine is sold
! cheaper by the trust than the state can
manufacture it, Anything to keep the
farmer away from the prison Irvine.
L remember in 1890, when I was first
connected with an alliance, I was a.
member of committee to purchase some
5000 pounds of twine The price in our
town at that time was II cents for the
best The committee offered Is cents
cash for the Irvine, but could not get it.
We bought our Irvine at Peoria ILL., and
had 1t laid down for less than IA cents
per pound. This was two weeks before
harvest. Just before harvest the same
tW1ne was offered for II cents, and the
next year 1T was up again to IA cents
II tW1ne should go down next year, the
people of this state can stand it, for if
1t is loss at one place it is a double
profit at the other end If the Irvine
plant at saltwater Is instrumental in
keeping the price of twine down 1t has
fulfilled its mission. The farmers of the
state are only glad to know that the
prison has surplus of Irvine this year
1t means that more Of them can be SUD-
piled next year, and if there is any sign
of crop by May Is next, not a pound
will be left.
Are the farmers dissatisfied with the
extra charge on grain inspection? Most
decidedly, no. Even if it is not clear to
some of them, why higher chaHSe
should be made, everyone is satisfied to
pay 10 cents per car load of 500 or 500
bushels each, and get one or two grades
better which means three to six cents per
bushef. This has been the case In our
locality the last year
IT am willing to let the Republicans
have all the comfort they can out Of
Mr.. Dunn's speech, but when the state
auditor attempts to give the Republican
party credit for our excellent school fund
I must object, for the enabling act which
gave these lands to the state, from which
the fund is derived, was passed by a.
Democratic congress, and although I am
no Democrat, I believe in giving, even
the devil his DUE