Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1913-04-02
WHAT THE GRAIN INVESTIGATION .s
HAS so FAR BROUGHT OUT
For the Tribun by C. J. Buell..
his 17,o,sosbu,7, skandS
@ at WOW oar ask,
IN q motor oar. p.

, bination which LOTUS knocked into
cooked hat by exposing the names Of
the men composing it. Works says he
has no love for LOTUS.
GREAT STRUGGLE WITH BIG BUSI-
NESS.
This is really one Of the biggest fights
| with Big Business in the history of Min
nesota and the Northwest. On one side
are the powerful Chamber of Commerce
interests, including the great elevator
companies assisted by their allies, the
| railroads, and on the other, the Farm
! er's Equity Exchange, headed by George
S. LOTUS This investigation was start
! ed by the farmers of Chippewa county,
| Minnesota who made it an issue in the
| last campaign. It is the first real in
, Vestigation of Minnesota terminal grain
| markets in years, and the Minneapolis
Chamber of Commerce, with an army Of
| attorneys, is making a desperate fight.
| This fight is the same old story of the
| terrific struggle against Big Business
| and Big Business is using the same old
! tactics to discredit the, men opposed
| to it.
GREAT ARMY OF ELEVATOR
LAWYERS. .
AS the fight has grown hotter, the
Chamber of Commerce interests have
| added to their lawyers until they now
have probably the most imposing array
| of legal talent ever employed at such a
| hearing in the state. This list is head
| ed by H. V. Mercer, law partner of Sen
| ator Wilson who is a member of the
Senate grain and warehouse Committee;
! Chas. r. Fowler, member of the last
| legislature; former Judge D. F. Simp-
son Of the State Supreme Court; Judge
Lancaster Of Minneapolis; J. G. McHugh
attorney and Secretary of the Chamber
of Commerce and former Governor John
Lind, who appears for the Commission
men. ~ :.. a.. -.
Opposed to this imposing array of
legal talent and acting for the farmers
Equity Organization is Benjamin Drake,
Jr., Of Minneapolis, the young man who
was one Of the La Toilette leaders in the
last campaign. Drake, although a mild
hammered young man, is proving his
abilities as a fighting attorney. ~
CHAMBER. MEN LEAVE TOWN. 4
| AS soon as the Investigation started
some of the leading Chamber Of Com
merce men were called out of town on
business. Subpoenas couldn't reach
them. The high priced lawyers guard
ing Chamber Of Commerce interests
have fought hard to keep much import
ant evidence concerning the Chambers
operations from becoming public. Man
ahan, as attorney for. the House Com
mittee, forced much Of 1t out in spite Of
these efforts, and Drake, the Equity at
| torney has had the same difficult job be-
| fore the senate committee. s5.
CHAMBER INTERESTS ASSAULT
49, Lei RIVALS. sss@z5i& .55z5ss8.$
! To offset the: effect of this evidence,
the Chamber of Commerce interests be-
gan their systematic assault on the
Farmers Equity Cooperative Exchange
which soon developed into little more
| than attacks on business rival The
i Farmers Equity Elk change met this evil
dence point for point and replied that
such deals are easily cooked up be-
tween Chamber Of Commerce interests
to discredit the Equity people, and the
Equity Exchange in turn is ready with
evidence to show the superior service it
renders the shipper. 81: s
BIG LIBEL SUIT POSSIBLE
It is understood that out Of this phase
Of the @investiga ton is likely to come a
libel suit against one Of the big Min
neapolis papers. The two big Minneap-
Z oils papers have been very tender5 shout