Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1914-04-25
Farmer Challenges
Pres. Chamber Of Commerce
w. Williamson Asks F. M. Crosby for an Explanation Re-
garding Recent List Of Cars. Surveys
Entire CONTROVERSY.

floor will tell you there are such good
Judges of grain on the table that they
will buy a car of wheat and then
tura around and sen it at q profit
OF a cent or three cents more y
bushel.'
Many Commissions.
"Now. Mr.. Crosby, in the face OF
this admission by your business az
~sociate which is found on page 913 ttof
the governments printed report ypf
this investigation. what Significance
is. there in the showing that ON some
cars of grain purchased Of the CO.
operative Exchange, members of
your association have made a cent
a bushel? Mr.. Heffelfinger admits
that it is a common OccuranceS for
one member Of the chamber Of COM
merce to buy grain of another and
then Immediately resell the same at
a profit as high as three cents per
bushel. Nor does the process end
within your organization VITA one
such sale. l have heard on one car
Of grain being sold by one member of
YOUR association to another Sas many
as ten times before it was permitted
to reach the ultimate buyer. Eaca of
these sales, according to my infor.
nation. resulted in a profit at Feast
equivalent to mission 70 some one
of your members. 4
Yours. Mr.. Crosby, is 4 private
market. You carefully prevent pub
|licity of your practices and affairs.
70 commission companies of your
association dare not ope1 their
books 70 inspection and SHOW the dit.
ference In the price paid by the first
and last buyers of 100 cars Of grain
ION any given day. If the producers
knew the manner In which their
grain is sold and resold upon your
market, for the sole purpose of pro.
ducing an endless chain OF profit. to
your members, | am Of the opinion
that your associate could not last
a year. 800:
A Private Market
"Youy secretary, Mi. McHugi, re.
fuses to discuss matters Of this ma.
ture. For this reason this cOmmuni.
cation Is addressed to you as pres
ident of the chamber OF commerce.
Are you willing to lift the; mantle :.of
secrecy from the operations Of your
association AID let the, grain, pro.
ducers Judge for themselves? Are
you willing to show the books OF
your commission merchants and
show the number of sales back and
forth between members, and the to.
tai CT profits earned on any 100 cars
Of profits and commissions earned
on any 100 cars Of grain received
by your association on, any day in
the past? Will GU spermitso:.a. Eublic
inspection of the books Of The large
millers and elevator companies taat
control the chamber of commerce.?
IF not, are not the grain producers
entitled. to accept the sta.ement OF
your business associate that ID IS 70
uncommon thing for one II your. mem
Lars to buy grain and then sneak
around and sell 1t to somebody else
at a profit of 3 cents a bushel more.
II would thank YOU for an early
reply. u )
Very sincerely
! "WN. WILL M:DN."
/ Mn Williamson has maie repeated
efforts to secure a reply to this let
to- but without s~'ccess. A! deiega-
tiol O. farmers waited II Secretary
Mcl'nsh Of the chm r5er. Of coal-
meIce, March %, snc requested i'm
to answer this letter md he flattly
refused and gave AS his reason for
refusal that Mr.. Williamson or no one
else outside of a member of the
chamber of commerce had any right
to the information asked for by Mr..
Williamson.