The Oroville weekly gazette. [volume] (Oroville, Wash.) 1905-19??, 1912-08-23
,uE TRUTH ABOUT GRAIN BAGS.
A Reply TO Mr.. keglpy.

Mr. Z. h. keSley master OF tn,
Washington State Grange, has issue,
circular letter that he has mailed
10 the papers of eastern Washington
N which he makes a number OF as
srions about the manufacture of juts
grain bags at the penitentiary that are
absolutely and entirely false. The
worst Of 1t is that Mr.. Kegley knew
that every one of the assertions were
hse when he penned them.
First he says that 100000 jute bags
have been sold to the farmers o
Warrington this season and plainly
inmates that this is all the bags that
have been manufactured this year a,
the penitentiary
The fact is that 3.167,,113 bags were
Manufactured during the biennium
ending July 30; that at the end of the
contract period, April first of this year
which is fixed by law from January
first Of each year to April first, there
we're $4,000 jute sacks uncalled for
BY the farmers of this state, even
though the price fixed on the first of
January by the board of control and
Continued through that period was
Rven cents, or one half cent cheaper
Than Calcutta bags could be laid down
d WashingtOn. That price was ad-
rerttsed In the official paper of each
grain growing county of eastern
wshtngton at a time when everyone
vw figuring on bumper crop and
knew that a bag shortage was prac-
tlcally Inevitable.
The state grange is a farmers. CO.
operative society, and one of the chief
dutles OF the master is to seek advan-
ages Tor the members of the Organi-
ntion and arrange to make purchases
sucn necessaries as grain bags
whenever saving can be made. II
H. kegley had been half as Jealous
performing the real duties of his
psltlon as he was in prostituting his
EXAMINATIONS to petty politics for the
purpose Of reeking his personal spite
isainst Governor Hay, he would have
DeAt his energies towards seeing that
lne sacks appOrtioned under the law to
The various grain growing counties
we're contracted for when the price
vas at the lowest possible point for
lnc year.. 1t must appear that he is
Nv surviving to cover up his own
saoftc0ming in this respect by attract
tne attention Of the farmers from
'nh lost opportunity with untruthful
enfges against Governor Hay, whose
oeieat is his most cherished purpose.
second. Mr.. Kegley says by infer
ehce that the bag trust has cornered
s '..s,a market sef.vh beGapss Say ,GaEJJA keep fg
ins the jute mill running and by veto
ag Z section of a bill that provided
fOf its continuous operation.
Again the truth is that this condl-
lion would not have arisen II he had
attended to his real duty instead of
dsvoting himself to petty politics.
Third, Mr.. Kegley asks why Warden
Reed was sent to India and returned
with only forty bales OF jute, plainly
lntimating that this was the only re-
suit Of his trip.
II Is true that Mr.. Reed bIOught but
forty bales back with him. Those
bales were for experimental purposes
and as result the state discovered
that It could make as servicable bag
With much cheaper jute than 1t had
known was purchaseable before. and
has been enabled TO save. as a direct
consequence Of that experiment and
Reed on his trip, about $4,000 in the
purchase of jfte for the past year. and
1880 more in the use OF waste Tor
filler.
Fourth. Mr.. kegley names number
Of counties. among them Okanogan. the
farmers Of which he says will pay one
million dollars in excess prices for
grain bags because of the governor
failure to operate the jute mil
throughout the year.
This Is but another attempt TO cover
up his own short coming In failing TO
arrange for the farmers to take ad-
vantage of the states offer of grain
bags at seven cents when 1t had a
large supply on hand.
Fifth, Mr. Kegley demands to know
why the machinery at the jute mil.
which cost the people OF the state
400 900 should stand idle during most
Of the year and at a time when the
price OF sacks was advancing rapidly.
ne knows this is a plain, unvarnished
!le. As heretofore stated, there We're
~. 900 sacks on hand at the peniten-
liary uncalled for at the end OF the
contract period, April first. and the
mill has been operated steadily ever
since.
Mr.. kegley knows that while he Is
campaigning in eastern Washington
aen0uncing the governor for taxing
any cOnvicts out of the penitentiary
lor road work and the operation ol
quarries and striving by false state
ments' to make 1t appear 10 the farm
ers there that they are suffering IL
aancially thereby. others. with Whohi
ne Is working politically, are gong
ABOUT In western Washington Just as
loudly denouncing the governor Tor
operating the jute mill and failing To
put all OF the convicts in the peniten-
nary at work on the roads and in the
quarries. He knows that the governor
vetoed the provision in the Cox bill re-
quiring the continuous operation oil
lae 1ute mill that the state might have
me discretion OF using the prisoners
ers wherever they would return the
most to all Of the people OF the state
Nr kekley also knows that an investi-
eati0n made by a member Of the Doard
VI control and two representative oi
,armers' organizations at the behest ol
Iovernor Hay last year disclosed th'
TACT that for the twenty years folioN'
'ng the. establishment Of the jute mil
u the penitentiary the loss OF opera