Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1932-01-21
FARMER BODY
HEARING over
Governor Olson Expected to
Hand Down Decision on
Case Soon.
Minneapolis c h a m b er of
Commerce Now Known
to be Coop. Foe.
BY HENRY G.. TEIGAN


The hearings on Elevator m" are
a thing of the past and within very
short time Governor Olson will hand
down his decision.
Ostensibly the action brought by
Senator Gerald Mullin of Minneapolis,
warehouse commission, asking that
the members of the commission be
ousted by the governor on account OF
misconduct which they were alleged
to have sanctioned in the grading of
grain at Elevator Nj.
Obviously the real reason was to
blacken the reputation of the Farm
ers' Union Terminal association, CO.
operatively owned grain marketing or
ganization.
Facts Established.
Several things are apparent from
the testimony. The following are.
believe, most important:
1. The Minneapolis Chamber OF
Commerce, through John G. McHugh
and Ed Hughes, secretary and assist
ant secretary, respectively, sponsored
the move to bring about the inquiry.
2. The mixing and securing of
grain to bring it up from lower TO
higher grades is a general practice
in Minneapolis terminal elevators.
3. The Farmers Union Terminal
association escaped pretty much I'M
hurt as a result of the inquiry.
Tom Davis, well known Minnesota
attorney, who handled the case for
the Farmers Union Terminal associ-
alton, succeeded in establishing what
has been contended for many years
by farmers cooperative marketing as
sOciations, namely, that the Mime
apOlis Chamber of Commerce is an
active foe of the cooperative market
ing movement.
40 Years Battle.
For the past forty years the farm
ers of the Northwest have carried on
increasingly, battle against the Min
neapolis Chamber of Commerce to Sc
cure a free and open market for the
products of the farm. Among the ear
ly participants on the farmers side
in this great battle were George S.
LOTUS and James Manahan, both now
deceased.
In the battles of by-gone days the
hand of the Chamber of Commerce
was never so clearly shown in its fight
upon the farmers as proved true in
this case. OF course, back in 1915,
John G. McHugh and his aids appear
ed at Fargo to break up meeting of
the stockholders of the Equity Co
operative Exchange. 1t will be re-
called that the Fargo chief of police
and other police officers of the city,
aided McHugh in driving Anderson,
LOTUS, and other Equity representa-
tives from the platform.
McHugh and Hughes Confess.
In the hearing on Elevator M
both McHugh and Hughes admitted
the parts they had played in bringing
charges against the Farmers Union
Terminal association, or more correct
ly. against the managers of Elevator
''M", which was the property of the
Farmers Union Terminal association.
There were several charges brought.
Most of them, however, were dismissed
long before the conclusion of the
hearings and at least half of them
were eliminated on motion of Chester
Nichols, attorney for Senator Gerald
Mullin, who sponsored the fight on
the railroad board.
Fraud Alleged.
The concluding battle hinged upon
the fraud which it was alleged had
been perpetrated by the Farmers Union
Terminal association in increasing the
grades of wheat at Elevator ''M", on
re-inspection and also in running "at
least $4,000 bushels twice"
The testimony showed, however, that
the two men on whose affidavits this
last charge was made, were former
employees of the Chamber OF Com
merce and one of them is now again
an employee of the Chamber. 1t seems
fairly reasonable to conclude that the
irregularities to which they had in a
sense pied guilty, may have been in
spired by their desire to further the
interests of their old employer. The
fact that both Weiss and Everett had
their affidavits shaped up for them by
McHugh tends to bear out the conclu-
sion that the Chamber of Commerce
was back of the move Moreover, Mr..
Hughes, assistant secretary of the
Chamber, admitted having employed
men to assist in getting the goods on
Elevator "M". Checks were intro
duced showing that the Chamber of
Commerce had paid to one e. j.
NORM. the amount of $1,000 for serv-
ices not made altogether clear. This
much was made certain, namely, that