The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-11-25
THE ELEVATOR INQUIRY

upon the outcome OF the Interstate
commerce inquiry into grain trade and
railroad relationship. There was con-
siderable digging up of facts and fig
ures bearing upon the operations of the
elevator companies. The business Of
storing grain makes great industry.
Large investment of capital appears
and the management is conferred here.
It is one of the branches Of commerce
that has made Minneapolis. The rep
resentatives of this industry have al
ways stood among the foremost bust
ness men Of the city.
1t would be in poor taste to pre-
Judge an inquiry the summary of which
has first to be passed upon by the in
terstate commerce commission, and has
then to go before congress. It is inn
possible to forecast what Interpretation
may be put upon the collective testi-
mony by men skilled in law. Else
where there may be found a different
state OF affairs and the commissioners
have yet to carry on an inquiry in
other markets. But if anything is to
come out of it that is to prove the
existence of any standard of business
conduct or code of commercial ethics
below that maintained by business men
Of the highest type it will have to be
found somewhere, else.is * ~ Il,
Minneapolis made splendid show
ing. There was, nothing here to con-
ceal. Everything was open to- the COM
mission, The representative Of the
largest elevator interests in the north
west gave figures covering the opera
ton OF the business for a year, gave
full information bearing upon every de-
tail inquired into, and offered to throw
open all the books and records of his
firm to the commission at any time.
This certainly wasssin marked contrast
to; the conduct Of. representatives Of
large eastern businesssinterests in. past
cases. OF governmental inquiry, where
every effort to Disguise facts and throw
the inquisitors off the track appeared
Senator La Toilette, father of the
resolution that sent the. commission
about the country, On this GRAND of
inquiry, is man Of ability. He is a
radical, however, ana in many ways an
extremist. What his real motives were
one cannot tell, but there is no reason
to suppose that they were other than
honest. Mr.. La Toilette is a Wiscon-
sin man, necessarily familiar and no
doubt in sympathy with the efforts Of
Superior to become grain market.
The fight between Duluth and Superior
is something that Minneapolis has
nothing to do WITH 1T is quite. likely,
however, that from information re-
ceived from Superior by Mr.. La Fol
lette, who is a politician and not a
practical business maf,yshe honestly be-
leved that there was, conferred lin Min.
eapolls, a gigantic grain combine or
trust. 90. 4. = %ue 49,
Mr.. La Toilette has Been unfort,u,:
nate since, his election to, the senate.
When he made one of his important
speeches the senate. chamber was al
most deserted This so angered him
that in the fulfilment of threat made
at that time he afterward made things
pretty lively for some of the senators
who were so discourteous to him, by
going around the country and telling
tales on them in their own states.
Later he made another speech which
was to give him prestige, but on that
day San Francisco was stricken and the
country was so absorbed in that great
calamity that what Mr.. La Toilette
had to say became relatively unimpor-
tant and many people did not know
that he had made, a speech.
10 make good with the people for
the trouble and expense of the inquiry
just ended here there must be "nig-
GER found: Certainly no "nigger"
in the woodpile was found in Mime
apolis. Whatever the transcript of the
testimony may mean to him in it's en-
tlrety, that part covering the Mime
apolis investigation. can scarcely fail
to bring disappointment to the senator,
If he really, believed that some awful
conditions would be disclosed here.