Omaha daily bee., 1920-02-19
Grain men ARE
ASSURED CR0NNA
BILL IS DEFEATED
Government Wheat Guarantee
Will Stand, Say Return
ing Omaha Exchange
Committeeman.
BY E. c. SNYDER,


Washington Correspondent Omaha bee.
Washington. Eeb. lS.-(Special
Telegram 1.-The representatives of
the Omaha Grain Exchange, w, J.,
a. ,Linderholm, E. p. Peck and S. S.
Carlisle, who have been in Wash-
ington since Monday attending the
hearings on, the Gronna bill provid-
ing for the dissolution OF the United
States Grain corporation and the re-
peal of the government guarantee
on wheat. left for Omaha Wednes-
day, having left their case on the
presentation of their objections to
the bill in the form OF a brief which
was signed by the grain exchanges
Of Omaha, Kansas City, St. Joseph,
ST, Louis: Chicago, Minneapolis,
Baltimore, Philadelphia, Milwaukee
and New York. Mr.. Linderholm,
who assisted in the preparation of
the brief. signed the same for the
Omaha Grain Exchange.
This brief contends that the whole
industrial and financial structure of
the country would be shaken by the
passage OF the bill. because banks
which sold paper. based on wheat
values would call loans when the
price of wheat dropped, and that
this would ruin banks, wheat milling
and allied industries.
Senator Starts Wrangle.
In the progress Of the hearing
Senator Gronna became incensed
with John G. McHugh, secretary of
the Minneapolis Grain exchange, be-
cause the latter disputed Senator
Gronna's assertions as to the
amount of surplus wheat in ! the
country. Senator Gronna said he
would '"bet months salary his
figures were right"
When McHugh replied that the
Chamber of Commerce did not gam
bic, Senator Gronna retortNd: "The
Minneapolis chamber for~25 wears
has been the greatest gambling den
IN the country and is responsible for
the organization Of the Nonpartisan
league IN the west and northwest.
The bitter assaults made on the
legislation by witnesses at the hear
ing have disturbed the confidence of
the committee that it should be
passed and one of the members
stated that the bill might be with
drawn from the senate, to which i,
has been reported. Members of the
house committee on agriculture IA
miliar with the opposition to the bill
say there is no chance for its pas
sage through the house. even
should it get through the senate.
Thinks Bill Dead.
MIR. Linderholm before leaving
tor Omaha said that he felt satisfied
the bill was practically dead and had
so wired the officials of the grain ex-
change. Grain men, he remarked,
would welcome the termination of
the fixed price and hope to have
the mark in shape when thai
time arrived. One of>their strong
objections to the bill was that the
machinery could no. be put in op-
Grafton to properly function before
the termination of the guarantee
tlxed by law and it was useless,
therefore, to unsettle existing condi-
tons. 1t was Mr.. Linderholm's be-
lief that lot of wheat would be
turned over to the grain corpora
ton before it goes out Of business,
IN view of the amount of wheat still
III the hands of farmers.
Mr.. Linderholm was especially
pleased with the treatment accorded
the Omaha delegation not only bv
the members of the agricultural
committee, whose eyes have been
opened to the very serious objec-
tions the Gronna measure contains
but by the representative of other
grain exchanges and even the pro-
ponents of the bill.
The grain exchange committee
made no effort to see Director Cen
eral Hines of the railroad admins
tration with reference to a with
drawal of the order forbidding the
shipment of corn between February
8 and lS OH the ground that the
order expired by limitation and anv
efforts they might have put forward
would have been useless.