New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1919-03-19
SOWING THE WIND
REAP WHIRLWIND
INVESTIGATION MADE BY GOVT
AGENT DISCLOSES MUCH
CROOKED WORN
FARMERS WHO WERE DRIVEN
ABOUT LIKE DOGS NOW
HAVE INNING

One OF the great injustices OF the war
was revealed when the activities Of
Agent Vidian wye were recounted to
government secret service agents here
and at Sleepy Eye at various times
during the past few months. The story
has been kept back by the Review at the
request of the investigators IN order
that@the might pursue their investiga-
tons unhampered by the efforts of the
malefactors to hush up the injured
parties. Now that the story has been
fully made public by the city papers
there is no more reason for silence on the
told in full as it was given to the govern
ment agents by the farmers who had
been robbed of their wheat in varying
quantities, ranging from a few pounds
of granarv sweepings to several hundred
bushels which they had reserved to
make sure that they would have seed
wheat for planting in case the crop of
1918 should prove failure.
Looking For Trouble.
Few there are who do not know that
WE came here on the orders OF the state
food administration to look for wheat
hoarders. Some one a party Well-known
in the county, had reported that some
Of the farmers were boarding wheat in
Brown County and Wye started out to
see about it. 1t seems that he found
easy sailing when he appeared on the
scene, for the campaign Of intimidation
that had been carried on in New, Tim
and other parts of the county against
g the farmers who had joined the Non
partisan League had prepared them for
almost any treatment by any one repre-
senting the so-called loyalists.
There were hundreds of farmers who
had dutifullv complied with the request
of the food administration to sell all
their wheat early in the season but even
those who had every wish to follow the
instructions of the department to the
letter could not believe that the govern
nent would want farmer to neglect
his insurance of crop in 1919 by selling
all of his 1917 crop before he was certain
of crop in 1918. Nor did any one
except WYE interpret the order to mean
that granary sweepings were included
in the order to sell.
Crop Insurance Desired.
AS a consequence, hundreds OF farmers
in the vicinity of New Ulm were caught
with wheat on hand, some few pounds
living about the floor of the wheat bins
and some with just sufficient wheat for
seeding, some of it already treated for
use. and others with slightly more than
they might need for seeding but not
enuf more to make trip to market a
worthwhile expense. There were few
who had more than they actually needed
for seeding, and some of them were men
who had expended years of effort to
bring their seed grain up to high test,
who had labored hard to clear their
fields of noxious weds and who felt that
to introduce unknown seed into their
fields would work in many cases havoc
h with all they had done to make their
fields produce the maximum crop, surely
a thing to be most desired in the time
Of war and starvation and waste by
submarine.
A Merry Carnival.
But these considerations had nothing
to do with the thought processes OF the
callow youth sent here to investigate
wheat boarding. He was here to cover
himself with glory and he found many
ready to help him. When he would
drive I'D to the local hotel, the Dakota
House, when he came in from trip OF
terrorizing the farmers, some OF the
ssbetter class" would be sure to be on
hand to greet him with laughter and
Jest as to how he had made the farmers
cringe and come to time. 1t was a gala
time for those whose patriotism took
that form, or for those who had a grudge
against the farmers for one reason or
another. Every day wye got wind of
new hoarders and every day he drove
madly about the countryside, forcing
farmers who were in the midst Of harvest
ing crop already overripe and calling
for immediate attention, to take their
teams from their binders and drive to
Sleepy Eye where they were made to
paw fine, sell their few pounds of wheat
nd deliver the proceeds. in whole or
in part, to the Red Cross, the organiza-
ton Of mercy. Nor was the filching
Of the wheat all that was done. Every