The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1917-12-11
NORTH DAKOTA
PLANTS WHEAT
TO THE LIMIT
Moseley Of Dickinson County,
Slope Pioneer, Every Inch
..as American.
STAND TOGETHER AND
RAISE EVER YLAsT GRAIN

Ringing Address of Old Timer
Sends Meeting Into Tumult
@9a1 of Applause. a
LET us stand together as a man;
raise every kernel of wheat we can
raise, and, after the war is over, let
us bring an accounting"
This message the farmers of the
Slope sent to Washingtn on Monday
evening through Charles j. Brand,
chief of the bureau of markets and
grading. Their spokesman was w. X.
Moseley, of\Dickinson, typical North
Dakota farmer; member of the state
executive committee of the North Da-
kota Farmers Union; pioneer on the
Slope, and one who impressed his
hearers in the big house chamber
Monday evening as every inch an
American. ~
Mr.. Moseley's rOusing call to arms
came after a most satisfactory day
devoted to the temperate, judicial dis
cussion of a problem great and vital
to North Dakota. There participated
a dignified assemblage of state offic.
ials, grain,growers, elevator men and
federal representatives. Throughout
the long day there was not one word
of acrimony. Serious men had met to-
gether as men to work out serious
problems, and they went at it in
manly, sane manner.
The Dickinson mans declaration of
principles on behalf of the North Da-
kota farmer was received with a
spontaneous and unanimous Outburst
of applause.
Discrimination Charged.
Mr.. Moseley was one OF number OF
sneakers from the Slope who charged
discrimination upon the part of line
elevator companies representing the
big mills in Minneapolis. Mr.. Moseley
told of wheat which had been graded
at farmers elevators as bare No. 2
being bought at bonus as No. ]
northern by Minneapolis milling
houses He stated it was"difffcultA to
prove this discrimination because
iwhiie elevator companies were. re-
quired to carry cOmpletesrecTd OF
every transaction, no such detailed re-
ports are exacted from milling COM
panies. D. E. Shipley, of Bismarck,
state secrtary of the Farmers union
a trifle earlier in the afternoon had
predicted that within a year not
farmers nor an independent elevator
would BE left In North Dakota. Mr.
Moseley also predicted that year OF
such unfair competition would see
everyone OF these elevators put out OF
business.
and under these conditions" said
the speaker, 'tthe farmers after the
war will positively refuse to,,raise a
bushel-of wheat. But IN theStpresent
crisis let us stand together as man;
raise, every kernel we can, whether
It has rye in it or not, and, after the
war is over, let us bring these people
% an accounting"
The Rye Problem.
The Dickinson mans reference to
rye came after several hours had been
devoted to discussing the fairness OF
the grading regulation restricting rye
content of No. northern to two per
cent. Commissioner of Agriculture
and Labor Hagan and representative
farmers had pointed out that rye IS
becoming common crop IN North
Dakota. The acreage this fall mas
been increased more than 100 per
cent. Many farmers are growing 1t as
a seed eradicator; because 1t can De
s0wn in the fall and harvested early
in the summer, when labor is compar-
atively cheap and plentiful. wheat
planted the following season on rye
land is bound to have considerable
quantities OF rye. Rye>is now worth
s1.65 the bushel and wheat an aver
age of s2.1O. Mr.. Hagan and others
who discussed the matter resented the
fact that the wheat-grower should
have his wheat graded down because
It contained rye and that the grain
hnver should retain the rye as dock
age. especially when they urged that
at least three per cent rye dld not re-
duce the quality of wheat flour.
The milling expert fthe Fargo agrl'
cultural station, who was MEMBER
of Mr.. Brands party, testified in re-
sponse to these claims that more
than two per cent of rye in wheat
-four was noticeable and that 1t re-
duced the selling value Of the -four.
Appreciates Fairness.
Both Mr.. Moseley and J. M. Still
independent elevator man at Beach
expressed appreciation for the fair
ness which is being shown by the gov.
eminent bureau and declared they had
found the conference a profitable one
"Without regard to what we may
think of these grades, we must
acknowledge that the men who are
putting them into effect are doing
their utmost to make them satisfac:
torv." said Mr.. Still. "The farmers OF
this state have asked for great
many things. and they have got some
Of them before they were ready iol
them referring specifically to the
al;mination of trading in futures
which demoralized the market early
last fall before the present price was
established. 49, e.,
The Beach man held that the fed
oral grades are frequently criticised
for a situation which is peculiar u
North Dakota. He referred speciilc
ally to the practice of mills IN tne
western part of the state OF puyms