The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-05-28
DISTRIBUTING THE
GRAIN TRADE.
UNWARRANTED ATTACKS ON
MINNEAPOLIS DEALERS.

UNWARRANTED ATTACKS ON
/ MINNEAPOLIS DEALERS.
Secretary of the North Dakota Grain
Growers Association Is Answered
by Member of the Minneapolis
Chamber of Commerce-Report of
the Secretary of the Railroad and
Warehouse Commission Completely
Exonerates Minneapolis Commission
Houses.
The Grain Growers Protective associa-
ton of North Dakota, by It's secretary, j.
D.. Freeman, Of Valley City, N. D., is
sending out circular of several pages
reproducing the reports Of the trial of
grain firm at Duluth on the charge of
having made false reports Of sales. The.
purpose of this circular appears to be to.
discredit the entire grain trade and create
the impression that grain dealers gen
orally are unreliable and not dealing hon
estly with their customers. >Notwithstand-
ing the rank injustice of the general Inn
plication that because the transactions of
one firm may have seemed to require ex-.
lily follow that all grain firms are un-
trustworthy, not much attention has been
given by the grain trade to this pamphlet.
One member of the Minneapolis Chamber
Of Commerce, however, has written quite
lengthy reply, from which extracts are
made below. In that reply the writer says:
One paragraph of your circular contains
the following language: IF In other words,
every grain commission concern in Duluth
and Minneapolis makes false reports on
the sales of grain (being at less price
than it was actually sold for), ETC.. An
other paragraph contains the following
language: while 1t Is hard to believe that
| all, or great many Of these firms, are
| thus guilty, it shows that there is enough
! smoke to Justify the suspicion that the
| fire of dishonest practice has been smoul-
| dering so generally that the only course
| for the grain shipper to take is to assume
| that every one of the grain commission
houses may be dishonest, and make them
! show u.s." In another portion of your
| pamphlet you assume arbitrarily that
certain percentage Of fraudulent practices
are carried on, and upon such suspicion
make the calculation that such fraud
plent transactions amount to 100000 in
| two years, altho you follow such state
ment and figures with the language: 1--WE
have no definite knowledge of this short
age and do not pretend to have"
| Now, the only basis of justificatio for
| the language and suspicious above quoted
| from your pamphlet is the report of a
case against certain commission house
! in Duluth, and a statement of sundry
complaints against this same commission
house filed with the railroad. and ware
house commission but not yet tried And
| the record shows that even in the case
| tried, in which the commission house was
found guilty, an appeal has been taken,
which is not as yet determined.
| I submit to You and to your association
that such facts are not a sufficient basis
| for a wholesale denunciation of the men
| engaged in the grain commission business
in Minneapolis, and say to you, that in
reprinting this pamphlet you should cut
out of 1t all such language. as above
quoted. Very little thought and investi-
cation should show you that you are act
ing entirely on a wrong theory when you
propose to: ask all of your membership to
regard the grain commission houses of
! Minneapolis as guilty until they prove that
i they are innocent. Would it not be better
i and fairer to your fellow citizens and to
your membership to simply confine your
! pamphlet to the facts as shown, and to
deduce therefrom simply what you can de-
j duce, and not indulge in surmises based
on a theory that all men are depraved?
i Then, too, would it not be fairer to your
| membership to tell them the story and
| history of other complaints against other
4 concerns in Minneapolis = complaints
lodged during the last five months with
and investigated honestly and fairly by
them? You certainly should know that
during the past Ave months, and since the
, publication in the newspapers of the his
:. tory Of the case referred to in your pam.
ii phlet, the railroad and warehouse com.
:. mission Of Minnesota has received
, commission houses in Duluth and Mime
: apolis, and, combining ourselves to Mime.
4 apolfs, that they have investigated eacf
Of these complaints most fully and care.
fully, and have in each case made full anG
complete reports to the compliments.
. Now, what is the history and story o.
these complaints against Minneapolis
commission houses? am not personally
familiar with them, but in talking abou
a month ago with Mr.. Clausen, secretary
of the railroad and warehouse commission
of Minnesota, he stated to me that, since
the publication Of the case in Duluth, the
railroad and warehouse commission haC
! received a great number of complaints
/ against the Minneapolis commission:
houses (about 1885, I think. was the mum
'ber); that all of these cases had beer
carefully investigated, and that the com
! mission had yet to find a single instance
, of any action of any Of the commission
!, houses of Minneapolis which even Dor
j dered on dishonesty.
i Now, I submit to you that your mem
!. bership is entitled to this information, a.
! we'll as to the information which you give
them in your pamphlet My own opinion
IS that no greater compliment could b.
paid to the Minneapolis grain commission
, houses and no more striking evidence O.
fairness of their transactions could be Civ
en- than the above statement by Mr. Clau
sen, and it seems to me that ordinary
fairness requires that you should cut ou
from your pamphlet the language quoted
Q above and insert in lieu thereof the testf
. mony of Mr.. Clausen in relation to tn.
. methods and practices of the grain com
mission houses in Minneapolis. Were I {
grain grower and q member Of your asso
citation, I would hardly feel justified il
contributing to it's support or in continu
, ing my membership were you to assume
to keep me informed by giving me sucl
one-sided information as this pamphle
purports to give, and were you to suppl!
containing only an insignificant portion o
the general evidence in relation to tn,
methods employed by grain commission
houses; nor would deem you a very wis,
counselor were YOU to expect me to form
:. an adverse opinion of all the grain com
s mission houses in Minneapolis, on tn,
strength Of such evidence as you hay,
!. lplaced in this pamphlet; nor would
thank you to instill in my mind distrus
a and suspicion of all transactions of al
0 grain commission houses in Minneapolis
; upon the single showing of a case agains
one commission house in Duluth.
81 BY Incorporating in your circular thes
assertions and innuendoes and suspicious