Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1906-10-16
TATE ASSOCIATIONS ARE BLAMED
Witnesses Say Men Who Buy from Co
Operative Concerns Are BOycOttsd.
RAILWAYS SAID TO Be PARTIES TO DEAL
Instances Of Refusal TO Furnish Cars or
Msvs Grain for Independents
ONE WITNESS CRIES WHILE ON THE STAND
Illinois Man TELLS of Business Ruined
Because He Dealt with Farmers
Direct-secret Letters
shown.

shown.
CHICAGO oct. 15-Testinonv was heard
today before members OF the Interstate
Commerce commission relative 10 the pos
stble existence of a Grain trust.
The first witness was A. r. Aygarn OF
Pontiac, Ill.,. who told OF his struggles
against the Illinois Grain Dealers associa-
tion. Mr.. Aygarn broke into tears on this
witness stand and it was necessary To eA-
cuse him from giving further evidence. lie
declared as he left the stand. tears stream
| ing down his face and his voice broken ~
his grief, that he had been ruined because
he had dared to deal with the farm aud
with the track shoveers. He declared tile
discrimination against him had been
| doubled because the railroads had refused
to give him cars in which to transport his
grain.
secret Letters shown
| Secret letters and circulars TO members
| of the Iowa State Grain Dealers associa-
! tion and similar documents issued to menu
! hers of the Illinois association were read
| to the commissioners and the statements
were considered so unusual ny the COM
| missioners that the witnesses were rigidiy
! examined.
| J. T.. Brennan and j. O. Dunn. grain So
| lictors for Chicago house, told of the
struggle between the farmers and the OF
| yanized commission men in Illinois ami
| Iowa. Both men declared that their 1rn
had been blacklisted and boycotted because
| it persists I'm buying grain from farmer
! elevator companies and not alone from
! members of the grain associations.
| A number OF letters were introduced In
! which members OF the Illinois association
protested against the firm doing business
! with men whom It termed irregular.
Because the firm declined to obey the eN-
! pressed wishes of the Illinois association
all the members OF that organization, 1t
was said, had refused to do any business
with II.
/ Road Refuses tn Move Grain.
Witness Argarn, when he had recovered
his composure resumed the stand. lio
! said that he had $4,000 invested in his
business, but that has disappeared and he
| is many thousands of dollars behind. He
| has a crippled child and wife to sup
port, ne declared and all his troubles fol-
lowed his attempt TO aid a friend who was
a farmer, by purchasing his grain. lie
| said that ut one time the Illinois Central
railroad left $500 worth of his grain on
the tracks for weeks without moving it,
| this being, he declared, a part of the dis
elimination against him that brought about
! his ruin.
| H. II. Carr an independent dealer in
| grain, also claimed that he had been ruined
! by the grain combination and by the dis
| elimination Of the railroads, He declared
that time after time he had called the
| attention of the Interstate Commerce COM
! mission, OF President Roosevelt and of At
torney General Moody to the state of af
fairs, but nothing had ever come OF IT,
Can you give an instance of where
man has been ruined by the conditions
which you describe?" asked Commissioner
Prouty
Il certainly can" replied the witness.
IT am an instance myself. L have been
ruined by these things"
Promises More Information.
The witness than broke into a TRADE
against the president attorney general and
the members of the commission for having
paid no attention TO statements which. no
declared. had been submitted to them in
the past At the request OF Commissioner
Prouty he promised TO furnish the commits
sion with further information.
| Witness Dunn told of the refusal of the
Chicago & Northwestern railroad TO give
an independent dealer In grain site for
an elevator along it's right-of-way until "a
bill was presented to the legislature pro-
viding for the compulsory allowance of
Elevator sites by the railroads TO anyone
who wished to build. lie also declared that
five weeks ago the Illinois Central road re-
fused farmers the right to build an ele-
vator along It's right-of-way at Richards
la. The matter taken last week be-
fore the Iowa railroad commissioners.
where the secretary OF the Iowa Grain
Dealers associa tion declared, according To-
the witness. that farmers should not be
allowed to erect elevators because It COM
81 -
prices for their grain.
other witnesses told of the efforts to
divert business away from r. NJ. Terry OF
River Sioux, Ia. who was said to he 'dr-
regular" Secretary Wells OF the Iowa as
sociation was active In this work. Il was
said.
Farmers shut Out of Memphis
j. A. McGreery. manager Of the Farmers
Elevator company at Mason City. Ia. was
the first witness OF the afternoon. He de-
clared that it il diflcult for the Farmers
Elevator company to find market for It's
grain and that when a commission man
bids he must do so under cover. He said:
. We have been shut out of Memphis.
Tenn, as a market by reason OF tho boy
colt Of the Illinois Grain Dealers asEocLa =
ton. We have received letters from
brokers in Memphis saving that they. were
afraid TO buy from US because they feared
a boycott Of the Illinois association II they
did so.
/, ]. J. Stream, president of the South Chi
cago Elevator company, WAS questioned re-
garding the manner IN which the thres
| elevators formerly owned by Charles Coun-
selman of this city. who died recently.
came into the possession Of the Rock Island
| road He declared that j. G. Shaffer OF
this city had charge Of the matter. and
Mr.. Shafer was then called to the stand.
He said that he purchased the elevators
> from the Counselman estate and organized
the Chicago q Rock Island Elevator COM
pany. TO which ne transferred the eleva-
? tors.
b Charged with Discrimination.
Il went 10 tell this commission soms-
thing about the farmers said j. Roson-
baum OF the j. Rosenbaum Grain cons
pany of Chicago, who was the next wit
, ness.
The farmers who are organized refuse
tS sell grain to any but their own elevd
! tors. Part Of their agreement is that II
any member sells to anyone else he shall