The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1906-02-23
MAY PE j J. D
PRODUCTS
OF Farms in Minnesota II Proposed
Bill Becomes Law-Effoft Being
Made to Assist the Farmer as
Against the Grocers' Association.

The attention of the voters Is called
to the following act passed at the last
session of the legislature. namely, an
act proposing an amendment to the
constitution of the state. to be voted
on by the people at the general cleo
tion in November, 1906:
Chapter 2SS.
An Ast sate d A4e Act ope
Constitution Of the State Of Minne-
s e or or psade the Of the
license therefor.
state Of Minnesota ny eta es'sia'ufe Oh 'he
Section i. The following amendment
to article one 81 of the constitution Of
posed to the legal voters Of said state
for their approval or rejection, which
amendment when so approved shall be
arcie a ane aed sha a a1 1919 fo
lows:
Section IS. Any person may sell or
garden occupied and cultivated by him
without hs.3t,; attaining Ming q license therefor.
said state for their approval or rejec-
year 1905, as it Is now provided by law
Constitution Of this state, and each OF of
the legal voters of said state may at
said election vote by ballot for or
appear therefrom that majority Of the
amendment, yes or "No." have voted
days after the resuit shs SaHa been sen
ascertained the governor shall make
p msnt ma Il thereof and said amend
IN full force as part of the constitution
as ses sa =, g. 3 This act sha! take effect
age.
Approved April 10, 1905.
Said amendment is for the purpose
of preventing any municipal corpora
ton imposing any license or fee on
any farmer, or gardener, selling pro-
duce grown on land occupied and Gull
tivated b yhimself, and sold or peddled
directly to the consumer. The, su-
preme court of this state has held that
license imposed by any municipality
on peddling, covers the farmers or
producers, as well as the man who
buys his stuff to sell again. The gro
GERS associations of the different cities
in the state have taken advantage of
this state of affairs, and caused the ar
rest of several farmers and gardeners,
with the result that they were found
guilty, and fined for the crime of SELL
Ing produce grown by themselves di-
rectly to the consumer, without first
obtaining license therefor. In some
of the cities the license has been
doubled in the last two or three years.
In the Twin Cities it is now $50 per
year. An ordinance passed by the viii
lage of Degraff, in Swift county, i'm
poses license of $40 day for selling
dressed meats, which any one can see
is prohibitive. The arrests made in
the Twin Cities were for the offence OF
selling vegetables and fruits, but If the
movement is not checked it will soon
cover every article produced on a
farm or garden, as the grocers wish
all such produce to pass through their
hands before it reaches the consumer.
Any one can see what nice thing It
will be for them to set the price at
both ends of deal, so much to the
producer, and so much to the con-
sumer. Sounds good deal like Stand
ard Oil, don't it? All consumers are
as much interested in this amendment
as any one, unless they want to pay
higher prices for what they eat. 1t g
also a poor advertisement to send out
to the rest of the world, inviting them
to take up land and open farms in this
state, and then make them pay IL
cense to sell their stuff unless they
sell to a dealer. Lots of encourage
ment to diversified farming in THAT.
There, is nothing in the proposed
amendment preventing the Ii, ansing
of dealers or peddlers other than the