The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1906-10-18
RUINED BY TRUST;
TEARS At RECITAL
Opening Of Grain Combine In
vestigation Attended by
Pathetic Scene.
IOWA ASSOCIATION IN It
Secret Letters and Circulars Astonish
the Interstate Commerce Com
mission-lmmunity for
Oil Witness.

Chicago, Oct. 17.-Testimony was
heard today before three members of
the Interstate Commerce commission
relative to h possible existence OF q
grain trust.
A. T. Aygarn. of Pontiac, Ill. who
told of his struggles against the Illinois
Grain Dealers association, broke into
tears while on the stand, and 1t was
necessary to excuse him from giving
further evidence. He declared he had
been ruined because he had dared deal
with farmers and track Shovelers. He
declared the discrimination against him
had been double because the railroads
had refused to give him cars in which
TO transport grain.
Secret letters and circulars to mem
bers Of the Iowa State Grain Dealers
association II similar documents is
sued to the Illinois association were
read to the commissioners, and the
statements We're considered SO unusual
by the commissioners that the wit
nesseS We're rigidly examined.
Friendship Not Permitted.
Witness Aygarn, When he recovered
his conlposure, resumed the stand. He
said he had $40, 600 invested in his bust
ness, but that has disappeared and he.
Is as many thousand dollars behind. He
has a crippled wife and child to sup
port. He declared all his troubles fol-
lowed his attempt to aid a friend, who
was a farmer, by purchasing his grain.
He said at n time the Illinois Central
railroad left 5000 worth of his grain on
the tracks for weeks without moving it,
this being, he declared, part of the dis
elimination against him that brought
about his ruin.
H. H. Carr, an independent grain
dealer, claimed he had been ruined by
the grain combination and by discrim-
ination of railroads. He declared that
ti,,,n n ffar, fi,,,n Io I,o1 ro1ln1 thn n ftar-
ton of the Interstate Commerce COM
mission, President Roosevelt and At
torney General Moody to the state Of
things, but nothing had ever come Of
1t.
AT h request of Commissioner
Prouty he promised to furnish the COM
mission with further information.
BlackIisted and Boycotted.
=. E. Brennan and L.. G. Dunn, grain
collectors for a Chicago house, told of
the struggle etwee farmers and or
gained commission men in Illinois and
Iowa. Both declared their firm had
been blacklisted and boycotted because
1t persists in buying grain from farm
er elevator companies and not alone
from members of the grain associa-
tons. A number Of letters We're in
PRODUCED in which members of the Ili-
nois association protested against the
firm doing business with men whom It
termed irregular. Because the firm de-
clined to obey the expressed wishes Of
the association all the members of that
organization, it was said, had refused
To do any business with it.
Dunn told of the refusal of the Chi
cago and Northwestern and Illinois
Central roailroads to farmers to build
elevators along their rights OF way.
Other witnesses told of the operation
Of the Tri-State Grain Dealers asso-
citation, which operates, they declared,
in Minnesota and the Dakotas. They
declared this organization had been re-
quested by the Iowa association to
boycott certain dealers, out had re-
fused to do this as an association. 1t
is also said the Tri-State organization
does not discriminate against track
shovelers, as do the Illinois and Iowa
associations.