The Devils Lake world and inter-ocean. (Devils Lake, N.D.) 1915-1920, 1915-02-11
Question Of State Owned E|eva-
tors Cause Of Trouble.
FARMERS ARE OUT IN FORCE
Debate Marked by Exchange Of Bitter
Personalities Between LegisIa.
tors and Others.

Observation-Disclosures the leg
islature reconvened after its weeks
recess it came together with a bang,
and the opening day was marked by
. scene the like Of which has seldom
been witnessed at any previous es-
sion. Before proceeding to m &C.
count Of the climax on the floor Of the
house it is best to look back into his
tory and recount the steps that led
up to the remarkable exhibition be-
fore mentioned. North Dakota has
long believed that the grain grading
system of her sister state has been
inimical to the farmers of this state;
that the officials in charge have been
under the control of the grain gam.
blers of the Twin Cities, and that IN
der this system the farmers of this
state have been robbed of millions of
dollars in years gone by. This feel
ing was not at all allayed on the show
ing made by United States Senator P.
]. McCumber, when he introduced his
bill to provide for federal grain grad
ing, and when in arguing for his
measure he showed how little of
No. 1 hard wheat v e reached Twin
City markets and how millions OF
bushels of grain graded as No. l hard
was sold by Twin City grain dealers.
So great became the agitation that a
remedy was proposed in having North
Dakota build her own terminal eleva-
tors in Minnesota OF Wisconsin, or
both. 1t was necessary to amend the
states constitution to accomplish
this, and in 1909 the proposed amend
ment was ratified by the legislature,
as it was by the 1911 legislature. The
matter was submitted to the people in
1912 and carried with more than 3D.
900 majority. In 1913 the legislature,
to carry out the program, provided
for the levy of a tax of one-eighth OF
a mill, the money so raised to be used
in the building of the proposed eleva-
tors. The same chapter made it the
duty of the state board of control of
penal and charitable institutions to in
vestigate the matter of location of
such buildings, the cost of buildings
and sites, and to submit plans for the
equipment, machinery, methods and
rules for their operation, together
with recommendations as to the most
favorable locations.
j. X +
The Boards Report-ln compliance
with the law the board made a volum-
nous report, which vas nothing more
or less than a large, heavy, wet blan-
ket upon the whole affair. The board
decided and recommended that such
an elevator be not built; that it would
and could not benefit the state or its
farmers; that it's cost would be far
beyond what the state could afford, II
it were to be at all efficient, and that
the cost of it's upkeep would be a
burden that.neither the state nor its
farmers would care to shoulder. Fur
Their the board cited the example of
the Canadian governments attempt
along this line and asserted that the
respects.
= :. :.
Another Amendment-This was not
the only terminal elevator plan. In
1911 and 1913 another proposed
amendment was approved by the two
legislatures, providing for the erection
and maintenance of terminal elevators
within the state. This amendment
was voted on at the general election
in 1914 and received a majority in
proportion to its elder brother of 1912.
+ !. +
Then the DeIuge-The farmers OF
the state, and particularly those be-
longing to farmers organizations such
% the Society of Equity, were certain
that relief was in sight through legis-
lation that would be enacted under
the two terminal elevator amendments
to the constitution. They were salts
fed that now they would have some
protection from the exactions which
they felt they had to bear in selling
their grain. Judge then of their dis.
appointment and indignation wien
the report Of the board Of control
reached them and when they learned