The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1914-06-19
TRICK OF THE CORN
GAMBLERS EXPOSED
MIR. RAINEY OF ILLINOIS PULLS
OFF THEIR CLOAK ON THE
FLOOR OF THE HOUSE.



Price of Corn BY Announcing
Large Orders For Importation of
Argentine Product.
WASHINGTON, D. ca trick of
corn gamblers in the Chicago grain
exchange in attempting to depress
the price of May corn by announcing
large Chicago orders for the impor-
tation of Argentine corn, has been
exposed in the house by Representa-
tive Rainey of Illinois, himself corn
grower and cattle feeder.
The newspapers fell for the trick
and announced in black headlines
that Argentine corn was about to in
wade the Chicago market. Republic
can politicians took it up, and en-
deavored to brighten the corn belt
farmers by telling them that the I'm
derwood tariff bill had exposed them
to the competition of South America.
Detective Work.
By a piece of clever detective work
Mr.. Rainey was able to show that
the whole alleged transaction was
fictitious-that no orders for Argen-
tine corn had been placed by Chicago
brokers. Instead of wholesale i'm
portations, only one car of Argentine
corn arrived in Chicago and that was
imported as an experiment to see if
the corn was any good for chicken
feed and the car contained only
$4,000 pounds.
According to Mr.. Rainey the scare
was organized either to influence the
price of May corn or else to provide
some campaign material for the re-
publican protection argument.
By correspondence Mr.. Rainey was
told by the secretary Of the Chicago
board of trade that 100000 bushels
of Argentine corn had been pur-
chased in Chicago for May delivery.
1t was the assumption that this corn
was to be brought from South Amer
lea in light draft vessels, which could
reach Chicago by way Of the Great
lakes and the Welland canal. Later
the board of trade wired Mr.. Rainey
that this corn had been stopped at
the Atlantic seaboard for delivery in
New England.
Charge of Rainey.
Further investigation led Mr..
Rainey to boldly charge that no such
orders for corn had ever been placed
in Chicago. From the customs serv-
ice he learned that Argentine corn
came to the United States in May
through the ports of New Orleans,
Galveston, Mobile and New York.
The New York importation was 402,-
401 bushels.
But of this importation a corn
products concern in New York res
ceived 10000 bushels, its regular
order from Argentine, as Mr.. Rafney
learned by telegraphing to that firm.
This left only 2S2,401 bushels which
might possibly be in the Chicago
shipment stopped in New York to
supply New England.
Further investigation showed Mr.
Rainey that this amount was about
the usual quantity imported each
month for the past several years by
New York traders. The mythical
Chicago shipment disappeared alto
gether.
Moreover, Mr.. Rainey looked up the
facts about the five ships which
brought this corn to New York and
found that not one of them could get
through the Welland canal on ac-
count of their dimensions.
These corn transactions, appar-
emily made of record on the Chicago
board of trade, were absolutely
fraudulent" said Mr.. Rainey. There
was never any intention to deliver
Argentine corn in Chicago in May.
It was never DETECTED. 1t was never
purchased in the Argentine repub-
lie"