The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, March 21, 1921, Page 12

13 ¥ ¥ i ¥ ] £ N PREVIOUS articles in the Leader we have shown,. from the correspond- ence of the grain gamblers, how local elevators, supposed to be competing pamed | against each other, worked together to lower the price on the wheat the farmer had to sell and to raise the price on the coal and other products that the farmer had to buy. We have/ shown, also, how the farmers’ co-operative elevators cut into the liine\elevators and how the line eleva- tors combined to put the co-operatives out of busi- ness, generally unsuccessfully. Ten years ago the movement for a state-owned terminal elevator was started in North Dakota. In the election of 1912 the terminal elevator amend- ment got a big majority in the election. The grain gamblers saw that a publicly owned terminal ele- vator would cut into their profits even more than the local co-operative elevators had already done. The Minneapolis Chamber of Commerce immedi- ately proceeded to take a hand in North Dakota politics,. How did they do this? The following quotation from a recent report of the federal trade commission shows one method: In November, 1913, when the North Dakota high schools contemplated a debate on the question of the state of North Dakota engaging in the terminal elevator business the secretary prepared an article istating the case against state operation, which was published in the December issue of the National Brain Grower. The article was accepted by the Journal with the promise that they would mail a Gopy of this issue to each high school in the state, as well as to every lawmaker in the state. “I think it best to run it without your name, so will do so if ke L] ASTER AND SERVANT | MASTER AND SERVANT | The complete domination of many farm papers and city newspapers by grain gambling inté‘re‘éts is - proved- clearly enough by investigations of the federal trade commission. roug] = why such papers are fighting the organized farmers. They are simply gerving as “their master’s voice.” it does not make any difference to you,” said the editor. The records of the chamber show that on July 31, 1914, they paid the National Grain Grower $2,500 for subscriptions and additional copies during the 10 months previous. In other words, the National Grain Grower'sold out for $2,500, presenting the matter prepared by the secretary of the Minneapolis. Chamber of Com- merce under the pretense that this was the opinion of the editor. The other grain exchanges, at Chicago, Kansas City and elsewhere, were adopting the same tactics in bribing farm paper editors to run propaganda in favor of the grain gamblers and against the farm- ers, as is shown in the following carbon copy of a letter from the president of the Chicago Board of Trade to the president of the Kansas City Board of Trade: Chicago, June 12, 1917. Mr. George S. Carkener, President Kansas City Board of Trade, Kansas City, Mo. Dear Mr. Carkener: = As you are probably aware, the American Co-Operative Manager is virtually the official organ of the farmers of the United States. Formerly its attitude was very antagonis- tic to the exchanges. I am pleased to say that un- der its present editor, Mr. M. R. Meyers, its atti- tude has changed and recently they have not only been friendly but very helpful to exchanges in many matters, including pending legislation in ‘Wash- ington. I believe their consideration for the exchanges in regard to this should be recognized and to that end here in Chicago we are giving them support in the way of -advertising. In consistency with ‘your PAGE TWELVE v . This explains thoroughly . 1 The Grain Trust and the Farm Papers How Wheat Gamblers Tried to Head Off Terminal Elevator Movement by Subsidizing the Northwestern Press views, I would like to suggest. that yowr members " show them the same consideration. very truly yours, v ; President. In paying Chicago and other papers for publish- ing grain gambler “dope” there was rigid insist- ence that matter published be not labeled ‘“adver- tising.” Following is a copy of a letter on this sub- ject from the secretary of the Chicago Board of Trade to a Chicago paper which apparently forgot to publish its paid matter in the guise of news: _Chicago, June 27, 1914. Advertising-Manager, Chicago Evening Post. Dear Sir: "I observe that in Thursday’s issue of your paper you published the board of trade arti- cle. I beg to.inform you that it was most thor- oughly and distinctly understood with your repre- sentative that under no circumstances was the word “advertisement” to appear in connection with this article, that the display type at its head and heavy border lines should be used which should fully com- ply with the postal-law. In spite of this positive injunction on. my fiart and the positive assurance on his part that the word “advertisement” should not appear, you published the article with this word most conspicuously displayed at the top. I beg to say that the publication of the article was a dis- tinet injury to the association rather than a benefit and I would much rather have paid you the agreed price without publishing anything than to have had you publish it the way you did and I shall be in- terested in knowing what your justification of such a complete violation of an agreement will be. Yours very truly, . Secretary. GRAIN TRUST DEEPLY INTERESTED IN NORTHWESTERN POLITICS - The letters quoted above were found in the files of the Chicago Board of Trade and Minneapolis Chamber of Commerce during a recent investiga- tion by the federal trade commission. The grain gamblers had advance notice of the investigation and had time to go through their files and destroy all incriminating evidence, but evidently overlooked the letters quoted above. How many other farm papers and city newspapers must have received subsidies from the grain gamblers can only be guessed from the slight evidence quoted above and from the attitude of the papers at present. Most of thgm are howling their heads off that to pro- hibit future trading would be the greatest blow possible against the farmers! In going through the files of the Minneapolis - Chamber of Commerce much evidence was also found disclosing the political activities of the grain gamblers. The following letter shows how fthey proposed to operate in Minnesota: % June 13, 1917. Mr. F. R. Durant, Chamber of Commerce, City. Dear Sir: Mr. Martinson was here this morning, talking about the campaign to line up the com- plexion of the next house of representatives and the senate in this state. * * I understand F. B. Snyder is in line for nomination from this district in case Knute Nelson concluded in 1918 that he does not want the honor again, and would suggest that you take this matter up with the proper people and advise me whether or not we can have a meeting for the privilege of getting in line on this matter, which probably is of some impor- tance, or will be, particularly to 1918. Yours-truly, C. A. MAGNUSON, President. F. B. Snyder, referred to above, is a son-in-law of the late John S. Pillsbury, is a director in the biggest chamber of commerce -bank in Minneapolis ~and president of the board of regents of the Uni- versity of Minnesota. As president of the board " of regents Mr. Snyder has been able to influence the selection of reactionary professors like L. D. H. Weld, who was a sort of publicity agent and un- official defender of the chamber of commerce while connected with the university and later appeared . on the payroll of Swift & Co., with which firm he is still connected. 3 It 'was apparently decided later, however, that it /