The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1906-05-16

plan of admitting Canadian wheat in
bond into this country to be blended
with the local product and ground for
export, thereby destroying the market
for our own grain, and placing it in
direct competition with the Canadian
wheat which was selling on the market
at that time for little more than half
what North Dakota farmers were re-
ceiving.
Senator Hansbrough protested
against the action of the secretary and
long correspondence between the two
followed.
Under provision of the Dingley
tariff law raw material which was
necessary to the production of any ar
ticle could be admitted in bond for the
purpose of being manufactured in this
country and then shipped out as
finished product Of export.
The questions involved were whether
the amount of -four from domestic
wheat which had been blended with
the Canadian wheat could be deter
mined so that the amount of duty to
be returned when the flour was sent
out of the country as export could be
ascertained. This was the specific re-
quirement of the law. Secretary Shaw
contended that the affidavit of the man
ufacturer was a compliance with the
law. Senator Hansbrough maintained
that the imported article must be
such as could be found upon inspec-
ton or by scientific tests, and that
in practice the millers could use only
the smallest amount of domestic wheat,
or even none at all, and the govern
ment would have no means in the
world of knowing whether the state
ments of the millers were true or false.
He not only showed that this was
| opening the doors for rank frauds, but
was taking the foreign market from the
wheat growers of the northwest. which
had been largely responsible for the
higher price received by them.
Under these conditions millions of
bushels of wheat were being shipped
into the country, the duty paid when it
came in, and then ground into flour and
when shipped out to foreign markets
the duty, less an infintismal small
! amount, returned.
If this Canadian wheat were kept
out the trade would be supplied from
the domestic crop and the price would
be kept up.
Senator Hansbrough introduced a
resolution in the senate defining the
power of the secretary of the treasury
under the provision of the Dingley law,
prohibiting him from admitting in bond
raw material which could not be
specifically determined by examination
in the finished product.
The effect of this resolution would
be to absolutely prevent the importa-
ton Of wheat in bond which was
equivalent to wheat free of duty.
1t passed the senate without delay
Up to this time Mr.. Spalding had not
been concerned in the matter and had
taken no action either for or against
the robbery of the farmers by the
millers. But when the resolution
reached the house, an effort was made
to defeat it because that body claimed
it was bill to raise revenue and
could only originate in the house. The
contention was the merest sophistry,
but when the vote was taken Mr.. Spald-
ing voted against the resolution. 1t
was defeated and the farmers were left
in open competition with Canadian
frosted wheat.
The matter affected every farmer in
North Dakota, yet Mr.. Spalding choose
to cast his vote in favor of the cor
porate interests of the Minneapolis
millers rather than in favor of the peo-
pie who had elected him.
Under such circumstances has he a
genuine grievance against the party
composed exclusively of wheat growers
and those dependent upon their pros
perity, because it refused to again COM
NIT its interests which are the inter-
! ests Of the state, to his keeping? We're
he not prompted by the most selfish
motives he would admit that the party
had a grievance against him we'll
founded and just, and that his profess
sions of interest in the welfare of the
farmers of the state are base and
| sordid.
FAILED TO MAKE AN ISSUE OF 1T.