Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1916-03-22
Minneapolis, March z, 1916.

ment in one of the daily papers, that
through the rise in price of sisal fiber
it would cost the farmers of the State
of Minnesota this year 100000 more
for Irvine than it did last year. That
statement started me to reviewing
Irvine history as I know it. Thinking
that the editor of Minneapolis Daily
News might like to get some facts on
the Irvine question, facts dating back
25 years. I made an appointment
with him to meet him at his office yes
terday. What I learned there has
prompted me to write to you, some facts
that I can prove, SO if you wish you
may use them in any way you see fit,
either over my name or not just as you
like.
I learn there is a movement on foot
to have our Agricultural Experiment
Station to commence some experiments
in raising hemp, as I understand with
view to get the state, if it is found
practical for the state to take up the
matter permanently and as I believe.
that will enable the promoters to make
a tidy sum of money and a political
prestige in getting personal notice as
being the discoveries of this latest deal
to ''f1im FAM the farmers into think
ing they will get rid of the great Irvine
trust and at same time be raising q
profitable crop for the farmers to grow.
Twenty-Five years ago the Farmers
Alliance officials obtained information
from absolutely reliable sources, that
binding Irvine could be made satisfac-
torily from flax fiber taken from thresh-
ing machines after the flax seed was
threshed out. The agitation the Alli-
ance started to have a Irvine plant put
in at Saltwater by the State, brought
out into the open more farmers friends
than the farmers ever dreamed of. Ev-
cry member Of the prison board prov.
ed their fearful friendship by laboring
almost necessarily with the members
of the executive committee of the Far
| mers' Alliance to convince the commit
tee Of the folly of even trying to man
ufacture Irvine at the prison. Cover
nor Merriam authorized the prison
| board to go East and investigate the
Irvine business. After a very enjoyable
junket, costing the state tidy sum
they returned and submitted report
that seemed on the face of it to be far
reaching and conclusive, that the State
could not enter into the manufacturing
Of Irvine at the state prison without
dire disaster. The writer we'll remem-
bers how one member of the Prison
Board labored till the small hours of
the night in his effort to convince him
Of the folly of even thinking to manu-
facture Irvine by the State. After all
their effort in that line the Alliance
officials continued to work for the es-
tablishment of a Irvine plant at Still
water and the president and secretary
of the State Alliance submitted such
proof Of the practicability of the State
taking up the manufacturing of Irvine
at Saltwater, that the Governor said I
will send the prison board East again
and have the president and secretary
Of the Alliance accompany the commit
tee at my expense. It occurs to me
that the officers of the Alliance must
have had pretty tangible evidence of
the practicability of the venture, or the
Governor would never sent the Hon.?
Prison Board back after they had al
ready made a report, they hoped and
supposed would be final.
I wish to note here that the evidence
the officers submitted to the Governor
was the practicability Of manufacture
ing Irvine from flax fiber as it came
from the threshing machine after the
flax seed was threshed out. also wish
the reader of this article to note the
facts will give of the persistent fight
to prevent the public, especially the far
mers ever realizing what it meant to
the farmers to have their flax straw
utilized so they could receive from
$500 to $500 per ton for the flax straw
and be able to buy good Irvine at not
over from 5 to cents per pound.
Upon the return of this second COM
mittee of investigation the president of
the Alliance called meeting of the
committee and read to them a report
of what they had found. This report
was such as to show conclusively that
Irvine could be made from fax fiber as
I have stated, also they showed that
the manufacturer of the machinery for
making Irvine of flax fiber, Mr.. I. c.
Todd of Patterson, New Jersey, would
bond himself to the State, agreeing to
place a machine in the factory at Still
water, the machine to cost about $780,
600. He would give genuine bond for
$4,000 as guarantee of filling his
part of the contract. When the report
was made public the whole committee,
Alliance members and prison board re-
ported in favor Of a. long fiber" sys-
tenn Of machinery. After twenty-f five
years of manufacturing Irvine at Still
water the state has made a profit over
and above all cost, of over $4,000
I am told the entire new prison was
paid for from the profits of Irvine sold
to the farmers by the state. Another
remarkable fact is not a member of
that prison board was ever forced to
resign after making their lying report,
and seeming to blunder along in way
20 if possible, make the venture a fall
ure.
I was at the capitol at the time the
Irvine bill was before the Senate for
consideration. saw there was q
strong lobby against the manufacture
ing Of Irvine by the State, but more es-
| pecially against the use of flax fiber.
There were samples of flax fiber hung
| up in Senate chamber that were labeled
as worth twelve cents per pound as it
hung in fiber forms This was pointed
| to by the senators who were against
| the state trying to make Irvine from
flax fiber. Mr.. Todd at my request fur
nfshed me with a five pound ball of
flax fiber Irvine, made from flax fiber
just as it came from a threshing ma
chine in Canada This ball of Irvine
run 1,100 feet to the pound. strong
enough to bind grain, but too fine for
the knotters in the binders. This
twine Mr.. Todd offered to lay down
here at cents per pound. A senator
exhibited this ball Of Irvine and stated
all the facts i'm regard to it, but of no
avail the Influence woa I'm erroo< for