New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1919-03-12

WYE ASSUMED AUTHORITY HE
DID NOT POSSESS WHEN HE
cONFIscATED WHEAT

DID NOT POSSESS WHEN HE
cONFIscATED WHEAT
I What was generally at all times con-
sidered by the fair-minded citizens .e1
New Tim as an outrage commit ed
upon the farmers in the immediate
vicinity of New Ulm was so ADM ted
to be by the State Food Administrator
A. u. Wilson, who met with delegation
OF farmers at the Commercial Club
rooms Tuesday evening. There were
also present at that meeting Henri 81,
Somsen, w. H. Dempsey, F. w. johnson
Charles A. Stolz, the Food Administrator
of the County, and later on George ..
Erickson, at the present time President
Of the Red Cross Chapter Of the Eastern
Division of Brown County
Usurre ed Authority.
! It will be remembered that V. B.. wye
as representative of the Food Administer
ftion appeared on the scene some time
| last summer and ordered the farmers
who had failed to dispose Of their entire
holdings of wheat, to stand and deliver.
He used methods that savored very
strongly of Prussianism and the farmers
for awhile were stunned and complied
with his autocratic orders to haul their
wheat to some nearby elevator and do
mated practically the proceeds of their
entire wheat holdings to the Red Cross.
In great many instances they were
also forced to pay exorbitant automobile
hire. Even farmers who had only a few
bushels of wheat on hand and some who
had nothing. but sweepings in their
granaries were forced to stop their farm
work and deliver the wheat to the
places designated by WYE.
Contemplate Newspaper Tactics
This gave some OF the newspapers of
the County an opportunity to show
their Importance and also chance to
get even by publishing the names OF
those who had been mulcted by the
self-styled representative of the Food
Administration, thus holding them up
to public scorn and ridicule as deliberate
slackers and opponents OF the war
policy of the government.
An Absolute Autocrat.
The fact that great many OF the
farmers had been advised by people in
whom they had confidence that the
government did not demand that they
| sell all their seed wheat and that they
would be perfectly justified in retaining
enough wheat for seed purposes and the
further fact that no official notice had
appeared in the County papers in the
name of the State Food Administrator
directing the farmers by a given time to
sell all their wheat and retain none,
made absolutely no difference to WYE
in the matter Of haling the farmers to
his temporary office at Sleepy Eye and
practically robbing them of hundreds
of dollars.
Reported to National Dept.
Altho the farmers complied with
Yves orders they resented it very much
and felt at the bottom of their hearts
that they had been unjustly treated and
upon taking up the matter with the
National Food Administration they were
advised that no such orders had beer
ever issued by the National Food Ad
ministration and that the matter Woull
be investigated by the Federal authori
ties. Some investigations it is reported
have been made along these lines bu1
nothing as yet has come Of it. #
i Because of the fact that the matte
was dragging along and nothing wa!
apparently being done the farmers de
l.cided to send a delegation to the STATE
! Food Administrator at Minneapolis ane
4 advised him that they would like t
meet him. He said he would come Il
New Ulm to talk matters over with
them and this was done at the nleetin,
4 TUESDAY evening. MT. wilson also me
with a delegation of farmers at Sleep,
j Eye for the same purpose.
i Food Administrators Far.
I Mr.. Wilson spoke to the delegation Q
4. farmers forsalmost an hour and explained
4 to them his position in the matter an,
3 frankly admitted that a gross injustic
had been done all those farmers VIII
had been honest in the matter of retain
/ ing only a sufficient quantity Of whea
! for seed purposes and that justice shout
be done to them and that all money
! that had been, 50 to speak, taken ava
j from them by force and placed to I'll
credit Of the Red Cross fund shout
] be returned except in cases where it wa
unite self.puiGpnf that fhnas ,,orf,,9 j