The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1901-10-24
SPEAKING FOR THE NORTHWEST.
J. L. McCaull, of Minneapolis, Be
fore the Ndtiondl Grain Dealers.


fore the National Grain Dealers.
At the receEt meeting of the National |
Grain Dealers Association at Des
Moines, Mr.. j. l.. McCaull, of Minneap.
oils, one of the leading grain dealers of
the northwest, was one of the principal
speakers. He is al old Decatur county
boy, the son of Hon. Robert McCaull.
of Garden Grove, and we believe his
speech will be read with interest by
many OF our readers. He spoke as fol.
lows.
"Mr. Chairman and Gentlemen:-A
quarter of century has not yet worked
it's way through time since an Iowa
youth of scant means, desiring to add
luster to his person by the purchase of
a $40 suit of store clothes, engaged his
services to neiehboring farmer, who,
in return for each long, dreary day of
gathering corn, bestowed upon the
young man the customary and princely
sum of so cents.
"Ho secure the aforesaid half dollar,
the farmer hauled his corn four miles
and sold it to cattle feeder for 10
cents per bushel. The cattle feeder
went into bankruptcy.
''Ten cent corn, 80 cent labor and SO
clothes are all incidents taken from
early life in what is to-day one of the
garden spots of America.
snow, within the past fortnight, this
same youth that husked the corn that
filled the cribs of the man that went
broke has had the pleasure-and l
maintain that it is pleasure-of paying
Iowa farmers as much for one bushel of
corn as he himself, twenty-three years
ago the present autumn, received for an
entire days hard labor.
"At the time of which l speak grain
dealers organization was never dreamed
Of; there were but three grain dealers in
the county. The grain dealers, few as
| they were, took rank in the rural mind
next to the railroads as oppressors of
the people. The grain dealers, once SO
few and execrated at every farmers
tireside, have multiplied and as fast as
they adopted business principles and
common sense for their motto they have
prospered, until to-day we are gathered
into national organization assembled
in The capital of the very state that
three decades since witnessed privations
most appalling, but to-day boasts Of so
cent corn, So cattle, 81 hogs and farm.
ing community that has few equals and
no superiors in this land or in any
other. As the farmers have prospered
the grain dealers have increased, and /
insist that each is essential to the other.
But justification of our existence is
not demanded. Much more profitable
is the consideration of the duties we
owe to the community and ourselves.
"In the first place, we owe it to every
community in which we operate to es
tablish fair, honest market, market
based upon the very best prices obtain
able at the moment in this or any other
1 land, to be reached by reasonable rates.
whether water or rail. We owe to our.
selves to establish arbitrations for the
adjustment of differences, no matter
where arising; to establish system Of
weights and grades through the United
States at once fair and just to producer
merchant and consumer. Those things
with the eradicating of unsound and
dangerous so.called receivers and mer
chants, which infest every city of i'm
po.tance, we owe. The calm and rea
sonable consideration of transportation
rates is but one of the many matters
deserving the attention of nationa
organization.
II assert with all modesty and SINGER
ity that the grain merchant in til,
northwest is in the very front rank O
business men, and that he is leader o
all his brethren in the grain trade in thu
application of sound economic princi
pies. No class of business men ha
better credits. In the panic of '93 on
grain men were asked to assist tn
banks by the payment Of loans due
To a man they responded. Some of tn
shrewdest business men of the natiol
have developed and are to-day manag
ing the great milling properties of whic
we are so justly proud. If there ar
characteristics more distinctive tina
others which mark our successful north
western merchant they are his direc
ness, defniteness, thoroughness an
system. l will hang up prize for til
man who will discover lack of tho
oughness or system in MIR. Penny
great business from the mammoth te
minal elevators and the gigantic shor
down to the thirty foot coal shed an
the man who shoveis.
Gas business men l entertain fe
fears for our safety, as citizens many