Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1914-06-09
LOTUS Flags McF1ugh of the
Chamber of Commerce
Gives lndubttable Evidence That the Other Side Cannot
Gainsay or Disprove. Drove Home Arguments
With Telling Facts.

Unfortunately space forbade print
ing the entire speech OF George >
Lotus in Sunday mornings edition
of the Tribune. Many of the most
f~orceful and striking parts Of the ad'
dress were contained in the latter
part OF the speech and the c%lincher,
the climax to the entire argument Is
contained In the last few paragraphs.
The speech, continued from where the
Sunday edition closed, is given be,
low:
Mr.. Lotus Remarks.
Some of you folks wonder how it
is they got away with it. What rem
edy have we to offer? We have
something to Ol.er in the way of a
substitute for every evil of which we
complain. We are not out here try.
ing to tear down institutions without
first ac%quainting ourselves with the
situations and having something to
offer as a substitute.
The present system Of weighing
grain is. in u judgment, all wrong.
Grain, for the most part. is weighed
up there In the air 100 feet; weighed
up there In the elevator cupola. The
weigher never sees the 'box.car. 1t
passes through what they call a sue
ton fan. They say they have that
suction fan In there so they can take
out the dust SO men can work in the
elevator, and If they did not have it,
men would not work in the elevator.
Boys, that little suction fan is work
ing like the dickens all the time. The
committee that went down to Du-
luth-McFadden, banker of Fargo,
was on the committee to investigate
the weighing and inspection system.
They went to both places.
Could Not See Records.
They we're told they could not ex-
anime the records. The men stuck
by it. They would not let them ex
anime the records, but they located
this little sun-of:a-gun up in this Gu
pola. didn't locate this suction fan.
l was in the railroad service when
they paid losses to the Line elevator
companies for shortages in weights.
In the meantime, this little fan was
going around in great style. 1t was
McFadden, of the committee. that
dug up the suction fan that accounts
for the 5000, 900 bushels in 20 years.
We have a track scale situated there
at the elevator and when the grain is
ready to be handled, the car is weigh.
ed; that car is weighed on the track
scale separately. The car stands
there apart from other cars, and the
grain is emptied into the pit. The
weights are registered upon a scale
there. thereby avoiding any oppor.
tunity for shortage.
Worked for Track Scales.
BOys, we worked for that in the
two years ago. A bill was
introduced and referred to the CON-
mittee. We got It there. Now, what
objection do you think they entered
to u plan for having track scales at
elevators? Their excuse was that
the expense a too great; expense
was too great for track scales.
A weigh" Manipulation.
Now IT Is not only a matter of
weights. You see the system of man
ipulating your business; weights, in
spection, dockage, prices, and all, are
handled down there today, just as it
was handled there ten years ago; just
the same except o scientifically,
without you boys being able to get
next. Wheat that goes to Mime
ap0lis that grades No. 2, will go to
Chicago, and even to Duluth, and
grade No. /. You say. why is inspec-
ton in Minneapolis more severe than
Duluth? When this committee went
down to Minneapolis and Duluth five
six years ago, and went on down
to Wisconsin and interviewed Robert
LaFollette, they had an inspection
created at Superior. &
Ia FoIIcttA Took Action. a.
La Toilette took action at the next
session of the legislature that
brought about an appropriation to
support that commission in 1907. In
1907 that Commission was appointed,
and at Duluth toby we have a double
system Of inspection. We have a
Minnesota inspection system and also
a Wisconsin system. and the Mime
sofa boys do not dare employ the
same methods of inspecting the grain
because they are achecked up on the
other side of the bay by the Wiscon-
sin boys.
Competition Desirable.
There is nothing, my friends, that
is as desirable as competition. Take
as you have it under the
river steamboats,. AS long as the
steamboats, are in service, you will
find the railroads, operating along
the river served by this boat line,
will give you lower rates voluntarily,
and quicker than II they didn't have
that steamboat competition. In the
springtime when the boats are put in
service in st. Louis and down the
river. down go the rates and in the
fall up 60 the rates. II the Wiscon.
sin Commission was to go out of
business at Superior, the Exchange
would be affected at once and the
Minnesota system would prevail.
More Sold Than Bought.
1t was supposed by a speaker here
that a great deal more No. l wheat
came out that went in. Somehow o
other, when the No. 3 and No. 4 was
rejected and any other grade of
wheat, 60 into the Minneapolis ele.
vators. very little OF it comes out.
Very little of it seems to get lost in
this hOSDital Here we are. want
to deviate from this inspection, boys,
and tell you this.
Milwaukee VI. lMjnneapojjs,