The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-10-16
GRAIN TRUST
 PROSECUTION Sensational Charges Are
 Made. RAILROADS AID THE COMBINE Independent Dealers Tell How They
 Were Ruined.
RAILROADS AID THE COMBINE
Interstate Commerce Commission Hears Evidence in Which Presi- dent and Attorney General Were
 Roasted to Turn.

Chicago, Oct. 15.-Testimony was heard today before three members or the Inter States Commerce Commission relative to the possible existence or grain trust.
 The first witness was A. T. Aygarn, of Pontiac, Ill.,. who told of his strug- gle against the Illinois Grain Dealers Association. Aygarn broke into tears while on the stand and it was neces- sary to excuse him from giving further evidence.
 He declared as he left the stand. tears streaming down his face and hls voice broken by his grief. that he had been fined because had had dared to track shovelers. He declared that tho discrimination against him had beci' doubled because the railroads refused to give him cars in which to trans port his grain.
 Secret letters and circulars to mem- bers of the Iowa State Grain Dealers Association and similar documents Is eued to members of the Illinois Assoct- ation were read to the commissioners and the statements were considered <" unusual by the commissioners that the witnesses were rigidly examined.
 J. p. Brennan and I. G. Dunn. grain solicitors for a Chicago house told of rho struggle between the farmers and the organized commission men In H. iinois and Iowa. Both men declared that their firm had been blacklisted and bo?cotted because it persisted m buying grain from farmer elevator the grain associations.
 A number of letters were introduc- ed 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 expressed wishes of the Illinois Association. all the members of thas organization. it was said. had refused to do any business with 1t.
 Bucking Against Trust.
 Witness Aygarn. when he had re. covered his. composure resumed the stand. He said that he had $1O,100 in. vested in his business, but that has disappeared and hs is many thousands of dollars behind. He has a crippled child and a wife to support. he declar. ed, and all his troubles followed his attempt to aid a friend who was a. farmer, by purchasing his grain.
 He said that at one time the Illinois Central left $500 worth of his grain on the tracks for weeks without moving it; this being. he declared. part of the discrimination against him that brought about his ruin.
 H. H Carr. an independent dealer in grain. also claimed that he had been ruined by the grain combination and hy the discrimination of the railroads. He declared that time after time he had called the attention of the Interstate Commerce Commission, of President Roosevelt. and of Attorney Gereral Moody to the state of things. but noth- 'ng mad ever come of 1t.
 Can you give an instance where man has been ruined by the combina- ton which you describe?" asked Com missioner Prouty.
 T certainly can replied the wit ness. T am an instance. I have been ruined by these things
 Tirade Against President.
 The witness broke into a tirade against the President, Attorney Gen eral and members of the Commission for having paid no attention to the statements which he declared had been submitted to them in the East. At the request of Commissioner Prouty. he promised to furnish the Commission with further information.
 Witness Dunn told of the refusal of the Chicago and Northwestern Rail way to give an independent dealer in grain a site for an elevator along its right of way until a bill was presented to the Legislature providing for the compulsion of allowing elevator sites by the railroads to any one who wished to build.
 He also declared that four weeks ago the Illinois Central road refused farm- CTS the right to build an elevator along it's right of way at Richards, Iowa The matter was taken last week before the Iowa Railroad Commission, where the Secretary of the Iowa Grain Dealers Association declared, according to the witness that farmers should not De allowed to erect elevators because it compelled the payment to them of too high prices for their grain.
 Other witnesses told of the efforts to divert business away from r. M. Terry of River Sioux, Iowa, who was said to be Irregular" Secretary Wells of the Iowa Association. was active in this work, 1t was said. E.
 Other witnesses told of the operation of the Tri-State Grain Dealers Asso- citation which operates. they declare in Minnesota and the Dakotas. They de- clared that this organization has been requested by the Iowa Association to boycott certain dealers, but had refus- ed to do this as an association. It was also said that the Tri-State organiza- tion does not discriminate against track.
 J. A. McCreery. Manager of the Farmers Elevator at Mason City la, declared that 1t is difficult for the farmers elevator to find a market for its grain and that when a commission man bids he must do so under cover. He said:
 shut Out of Memphis.
 "We have been shut out of Memphis Tenn. as a market by reason of boy colt of the Illinois Grain Dealers As sociation. We have received letters from brokers in Memphis saying that they were afraid to buy from us be- cause they feared boycott of the nli- nois Association If they did so.'
 "I want to tell this commission something about the farmers" said J. Josenbaum of the J. Rosenbaum Grain Company of Chicago, who was the next witness.
 .'The farmers who are organized re- fuse to sell grain to any but their own elevators. Part of their agreement is that if any member sells to any one else he shall be fined l cent a bushel for every bushel sold. You can see that the grain dealers are being dis criminated against by the farmers. The farmers are closely allied and they discriminate against others more than they are discriminated against"
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