The independent., 1905-07-27
What The Grain Trust Is

What The Grain Trust is
Wahoo Neb., July 24-To the Editor of The
Independent One hundred and fifty million
bushels of grain to be hauled to market from
the farmers of Nebraska annually. There is the
grain questionable backbone of the railway ques
tiOn in this state. There is the foundation of
Nebraska's prosperity. To handle this grain there
are dotted upon our fertile prairies 1850 eleva-
tors Each of them handles an average of 120
cars per year, making $500 freight trains of
twenty cars each to haul it to market. Upon
this vast stream of grain the railways will
act from the raisers thereof some $10,O00,000 to
haul it to the Missouri river points of market
and as much again will be paid them from these
points to the sea board outlets.
Competent judges say our 1905 wheat crop
will be 50,000,0O0 bushels Our oat crop is a
bumper one now practically matured and corn
bids fair to even outdo the wheat, in which
event these figures will be far exceeded
Think of it, An annual item of $4,000 900
in freight from grain aloLe. This is the largest
freight item here, although the stock lumber,
coal ETC.. are of much magnitude ALSO
This is why we have grain trust, paid
railway lobby, subzidized newspaper editors
through passes etc., prominent attorneys in every
town representing the railways, the prominent
doctors in the railway employ school prin-
cipals taking long summer vacation trips our
ministers riding half fare and politicians rid
ing free to the ends of the earth.
OF these 1850 elevators only 400 are owned
by dealers owning one two or three houses each
ana Dy farmers elevators In the shape OF
operative shipping stations. The other $50 ele-
vators owned by the line houses, and since
the of the line houses are to all practical
purposes owned by the railways, and since the
line houses bid for and buy fully seventy-fve
per cent of the grain handled by the single dealers
and the farmers elevators the whole question
then resolves itself into railway question, to
wit: Who shall haul this grain to market?
Then the mainstays of the grain trust are
the line house interests which work hand in
glove with the railway officials, and back of the
line house interests is the railway management
Take the railway support from the line houses
and the grain trust would fall. Take the line
house support from the railways in the steering
CT this volume of outside grain to market and
the grain trust is shattered.
Prior to the organization of the Nebraska
Grain Dealers association, the Yarg ,r grain firms
sent their representatives to Omaha Lincoln and
other Nebraska cities, and these men sent out
their bids to all grain dealers indscriminately
The only form OF restraint upon the free and
open competition then were the pools that the
local dealers entered into at their own stations
not to fight each other These were generally
disregarded when good bunch of grain came
along At that time local and ambitious grain
dealers would buy from other grain dealers in
their neighboring towns, and competition was
generally protected.
The Nebraska Grain Dealers association was
organized for the purpose of correcting abuses
in grades, weights, demurrage switching etc at
Kansas City, st. Louis Chicago and other mar
ket centers For the purpose of keeping the
grain trade posted as to bulletins, blockades and
business transactions of general interest AS
such this association had good excuse for its ex
istence.
These things corrected, it fell into the hands
of the line-house and railway interests which