The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-09-28
NUW liz GEkUW,
Milling Publication After Kan
sas Employment Agent.
Calls Him Down for Statements
About Trust.
SAYS IT'S A FIZZLE.
Millers' Combine Is Not a
Success.
Also Intimates That Mr.. Jack
Also IntimateS That Mr.. Jack
son Is on Wrong Track.

T. B. Gerow, state free employment
agent of the state of Kansas, comes in
for a lot of attention in the columns
of this weeks issue of the North
western Miller, a big weekly paper
published at Minneapolis, Mimi, and
| the recognized authority of the north
western milling interests.
Mr.. Gerow, it appears, has brought
himself into disfavor with the North
western Miller because he said thai
there was such a thing as millers
trust. The Northwestern Miller has
! not discovered any such organization,
and it intimates that the species does
not exist. Incidentally, the North
western Miller takes a dig at Attor-
ney General F. s. Jackson for starting
antitrust proceedings here in Kansas
against the alleged fictitious" trust.
| This is a part of the Northwestern
Miller's article. which is illustrated
throughout with cartoons:
I'm the person of Mr.. T. b. Gerow,
| director of the free employment bu-
reau, the state of Kansas possesses
| very precipitous Official Not only
does he recognize a conclusion when
he sees it, but he jumps at it impet-
uously, seizes it, and adheres fast to
| it, He will not be Jared loose.
Furthermore, he reads the papers, as
| serts his rights as an American cltl-
zen, and knows all about a great
many things. All of these charges ne
| frankly, but modestly admits.
THE Northwestern Miller recent
| " came into possession of letter
written by Mr.. Gerow. 1t was
courteous reply to an inquiry directed
to him in regard to wages paid to mar
yesters in Kansas; the letter gave the
inquired information, set out other
facts in regard to the prosperity OF
Kansas, and closed with the following
singular paragraph; ,.
fnlI II,
with its various errors of spelling, etc,
is charged TO Mr.. Gerow:
"Our farmers are rich, the Russian
farmer is misserably poor, ana In the
unsettled condition of that country,
can not raise enough to feed himself:
Look up the statistics and you VIII nnu
that most of our agricultural products
are consumed at nome, Wneat SHOWS SNOW.
no sign of a fall, and the flour trust
which in almost every city keeps up
the price away above what 1t normally
sho1ild be; makes the millers rich.
The article then resumes:
ssThis journal has long been IN
search of a good. sound, hardworkins
-four trust, and when it came into pos
session of this letter, it wrote MT.
Gerow asking for particulars Great
was its disappointment when he re-
nlied that he never had made such an
assertion. Nevertheless. II looked up
his letter, and found that he had made
n and wrote him again insisting that
If held proof over his own signature
and earnestly urging that he present
the facts upon which he founded MS
conclusion
tesv. and attached to his letter a news
paper clipping. This clipping referred
to a certain suit brought by the attor-
ney general of Kansas with a group OF
mfllers as defendants, in which suit II
seemed to be intimated that the m1llers
are bound together in some sort of an
unhoIy combination in restraint OF
trade This, says Mr.. Gerow, is my
"Now the truth of the matter is this:
A group of millers in south ern Kansas,
like many another group elsewhere
might. by concerted effort, be able to
lift themselves by pulling hard at their
bootstraps They met frequently,
abused each other soundly for giving
their product away, and went nome
again. some of them glad, and some
of, them disgruntled according TO
whether they gave or received the
more abuse. Most of them stayed
away from the meetings, and the latter
had to be held in each town in turn In
order to secure the attendance of each
miller at least once in each year. The
papers called this trust, but the mil
iers themselves called it a f1zzle-
Zone day the attorney general of
Kansas. through his assistant, swoop-
ed down on the Ubiquitous monster He
said plainly that he wanted to know
IT,
come and told him they would be glad
to give him the entire institution;
books. papers, trouble and all. They
freely admitted that they could not
make head nor tail out of it, and that.
If he could. they would Jointly and
severally be very glad of it. Such an
easy victory was not, however, desired.
The attorney general wanted gore plus
ADVERTISING So he began a suit with
a prodigious title, and list of defend
ants as long as the moral law. copied
from the types of an addressograph
that was in the office. He hailed
them into court. and his unwilling and
modest self into the newspapers.
THAT is where the case stands. The
press has told all about it. and Mr.
voters have read it gluttonously and
called themselves wise men thereat
They are all dee-lighted to see the OPP
pressor in the tolls"
Commenting on Mr.. Gerow and his
methods the article says:
After all. he is but one of a great
family of petty officials who have
found the cry of trust popular and
discovered that the trust buster is the
biggest Honorable of all the Honora BILE
ones. There is, he knows, a trust con-
cealed behind every gooseberry bush.
eff energy, sound sense and hard
work enable a man to prosper a little
more than does his lazy and good for
nothing neighbor, he instantly becomes
a target for a trust attack by some
gaseous, wind-jamming, arm wav:ns
and gore-hungry political job HOLDER
Hiawatha's Flower Show.