The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1904-02-02
FARMERS MEET TO
PROMOTE COMBINE
Plan to Bring Whole State
Within Their Organization to
Control Their Products.

Farmers from all parts of Minnesota
arrived in st. Paul last night to at
tend the meeting of the Minnesota
Farmers exchange, which will meet in
the senate chamber at the capitol this
forenoon. The mornings trains are ex-
pected to bring to the city many more
delegates. and when the first session
Of the meeting is called to order this
forenoon it is expected that 200 farm
ers will be present
The Minnesota Farmers exchange
was first organized in st. Paul last
October but at the present meeting 1t
IS expected to extend the organization
to every county in the state. Sixteen
counties are now represented in the or
ganization.
Delegates from thirteen other states.
having similar organizations, will be in
st. Paul to assist in enlarging the
Minnesota branch and placing it upon
more substantial basis.
If the objects of the organization are
carried out the business of the country
VIII undergo a small revolution So
broad and so radical are some of the
plans that the farmers have been
charged with attempting to form
trust more autocratic and powerful
than any Of the Industrial trusts in
existence.
Build Their Own Elevators.
One of the plans of the organization
is to have the farmers build their own
elevators in every locality. thus doing
away with all elevator charges and
profits which now go to the middle
men.
Direct from the farmer to the con-
sumner. Is the motto of the Farmers
exchange.
None but bona f1de farmers are eligi-
BILE to membership in the organization,
and If their plans are carried out sue
cesSfully they will have much more to
say regarding the price of their prod
ucts than they have at the present.
The farmers say they are working
for an open market, to be governed by
the supply and demand. They want to
maintain their own elevators and their
own stock yards and market their
grain and meat products without pay
ing profit to mfddlemen.
1t Is planned to have elevators in
every community. and these elevators
will be governed by board of directors
made up of farmers. Eventually it is
planned to extend the organization to
every state In the Union. and national
officers will be selected TO look after
the affairs of the organization.
Have Stock Yards Also.
Instead of shipping their stock to the
stock yards the farmers want to main
tain their own stock yards. At some
point Of vantage a larger stock yards
Is to be maintained, just the same as
they plan here in Minnesota to main
tain terminal elevator at some point
near the head waters, this elevator to
be owned by the stockholders of the
smaller elevators.
The farmers who are promoting the
plan in Minnesota declare that it is
bound to be successful. and they say
the profit to the farmer when the plan
becomes general will be almost beyond
belief. 1t is stated that the vicinity
elevators are already being maintained
at Faribault, Owatonna. Mortified,
Cannon Falls, Zumbrota. Waseca, Ell
lingdale, West Concord and a number
Of other places.
AS in the case of elevators and stock
yards, the farmers plan to care for
their dairy products by operating
their own creameries and cheese fac
tories.
The present officers of the Minneso-
ia Farmers exchange are: c. E. Jack
son, Buchanan, president; J. P. Cary,
Glencoe. vice president; ]. S. McDon-
aid, Rush City. secretary. and w. S.
WaSf Concord