The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, January 14, 1898, Page 2

THE SAN FRANCISCO CALL, FRIDAY, JANUARY 14, 189S. might be affected. Farmers having a small surplus of sacks in the fall would | be forced to sell them at or below cost, | and any number of such transactions | could not raise the prices the following | summer, unless the board pegged them | up. The small sales made by needy | farmers of surplus sacks after harvest | have no influence on market quotations, and if they had it would be to reduce the local prices. Regarding legitimate sales to actual consumers from every point of view, if every small farmer applicant in the State, who came within the 5000 limita- | tion of the Ostrom law, should have se- cured too many sacks, whatever dispo- sition he might make of his surplus could not inflate prices on him and his fellow farmers the succeeding year. If the truth were told the board holds the Ostrom law in contempt They have assumed erroneously that their particular function is to do as they please with the jute mill product, &0 long as they can make a good show- tive or mandatory nature they have not at one time or another violated, under specious pretensions and a manifest misapprehension of the obli- gations imposed on them as public of- | fici: 1f it is a bad law it remains to | be proved such, and even if proved a | bad law it is no part of the duty of the prison directors to repeal it or abrogate ity res are elected for the annulling, making and the statutes. Every time the appealed to the Attorney- nis official consent to dis- | regard certain specific provisions of the | Ostrom act he has tried to recall them to their senses The frequent reminder in the lan-| guage of the law that the warden and | the board should deal only with actual iy W. G. HUNT, Father-in-Law of Mr. DePue. consume meant that they should | e spare no vi nce and precaution in | an affidavit with orders from known di-| acting upon applications. It meant | rect customers. Until something is done that they should scrutinize each DY the Legislature, we must, of course S i see 1o it that | follow the provistons of that Is Yours el ey . - | truly, W. B. HALE, Warden. the sacks sold were delivered to citi- Then comes Mr. Diggs, under date zens needing them for the transporta- tion of grain from their wheat fields to market.” Confessedly th e board did not bother their wits on this score. In several w t sections, among them Yolo County, The Call has taken pains to consult the farmers to their encein procuring San Quen- tin sacks, and the divulgements con- firm the assertion already made that the supply is pretty largely controlled by middlemen. While they are guilty of no direct violation of the law, they have established a system which pro- duces that result. It is even shown that in furtherance of their plan for loading up each vear with San Quentin stock, the middlemen secure the sig- natures of farme to affidavits for sacks in excessiv number, without swearing the affiant before a proper of- ficial. Farm s familiar with the law testify to having refused to make affi- davit to the inflated applications, knowing they would thus commit a misdemeanor. Afterward they secured without affidavit all the San Quentin sacks they needed from the very men who demanded of them an oath to a | false application. | In instances where farmers were persuaded to attach their signa- tures to affidavits heedlessly before the | those attest of a notary was affixed, or where they willin testified to the re- quirement of many more cks than they could consume, they appear to | have been to some extent in the power | of the jobbers as debtors. The necessi- ties of these poor men were made the | vehicle of the fraud so daringly prac- | ticed. They were approached partic- | ularly during 1897, when the big deal | was put through, long before sacks month of Febru- | four days before the board raised the price of sacks 25 cents a hundred, with the following: WOODLAND, Cal., Feb. 15, 1 W. E. Hale, Warden, San Quentin, Cal. Dear Sir: W1l you please let me know as soon as you can after you declde to make a change in the price of bags? Notify me as soon as possible after you find out there is to be a change. Yours truly, M. DIGGS. ‘What Warden Hale telegraphed is not known, but here is the interesting letter Mr. Diggs sent to him the day before the price was put up to $5 00. WOODLAND, Cal., Feb. 19, 1 W. E. Hale, den, San Quentin, Dear Sir: T wired you this morning to reserve for me 66,000 sacks, and that 1 would forward affidavi I received your wer stating that you womld do so, which please accept thanks. It will prebably take me several days to get the affidavits, as some of the farmers live quite a distance in the country, and it is storming so hard and owing to the poor condition of the roads it may be several days before they get in, but I will for- ward them to you as soon as I possibly can. Thanking you for past favors, T remain yours truly, M. DIGGS. Mr. Diggs had not the affidavits to foward just then, but would get them as soon as the county roads were aus- picious. Thus he got in on the ground floor price of $4.75 per hundred sacks, saving his distance by a day and the good offices of the board. R. Lichtenberg of San Francisco fre- quently sells raw jute to the board on contract. He is evidently on excellent | terms with the mempers and keeps in touch with their management of af- fairs. On February 18, two days be- were needed, in t fore the price of San Quentin sacks ary, and told applications must be for- | was advanced from $4.75 to $5, Mr. warded at once or they might not be | Lichtenberg put in applications that able to get their supplies when harvest | were accepted for a total of 00 sacks time came. Thus informed, they made | applications to suit the greedy plans | of ‘the middlemen. What The Call intends to prove posi- tively at this stage of the investiga- | tion is collusion between Warden Hale, | the board and at least one conspicu- | middleman in Yolo County. The Mr. Diggs, is a personal friend | . De and his father-in-law, | Hunt of Woodland, who Pue has | w. been sold jute goods known as “bar- | G. leys,” or making affidavit. defective sacks, without It will be found in following the inquiry that Diggs sold | Middleman Diggs Does a the sacks, an that farmers found e e | Thriving Business in San It has been asserted by The Call that | Quentin Products. middlemen have been favored, and it | now remains to prove the fact. Byl Careful investigation by The Call those persons who have followed the | Shows that among the most extensive exposure in progress it will be remem- | bered that the Board of Prison Direct- | ors fixed the price of sacks at $4 75 per hundred February 3, 1895, and decided | to sell on application to any number | within 1,000,000. A second resolution of | similar purport was passed to cover the disposal of a second million. As has been intimated already, the sale for fu- ture delivery in the brief space of fif- teen days of 2,000,000 sacks shows that certain friends and operators were, to quote a vulgarism, “put on.” Diggs was one of the protected mid- Alemen, as will appear from the letter files at San Quentin. Three days before | the plan of the directors matured, the Woodland middleman wrote to Warden Hale as follows: WOODLAND, Cal., Jan. 30, 1897. ‘W. E. Hale, Warden, San Quentin, Cal. Dear Sir: What are sacks worth? T already have a few customers and I would like to do the sack business with you | the coming . and would like also to know what would be the chances for me | to secure a certain number of bags for | June and July delivery, so that I will | know I will be able to furnish my cus- tomers with them at a certain given price. Of course, T would furnish the afidavits at the proper time. I would be pleased 1o hear from you on this point (and you | mijght talk the matter over with our mu- tual friend, Mr. De Pue, and let me know in regard to it). Yours truly, M. DIGGS. ‘Warden Hale promptly answered: February 3, 1897. Mr. M. Diggs, Woodland, Cal. Dear Sir: In reply to your favor of | the 30th ult. T beg to say that the price of our grain bags has been fixed by the State Board of Prison Directors at 4% | cents. Conditions and terms will be the same as formerly, and I {nclose herewith a number of blank order-sheets. The outlook now is that bags will ad- vance in price with the season and our present price may be changed by the dlrectors at any time. The only way I can see for you to secure the bags you require for your customers is to obtain their orders as soon as possible and send them in with the required deposit, to have them booked for delivery at any time to suit yourself. The “Ostrom law’ may be repealed or modified by the present Legislature, but even if it is, the same rules will most likely be followed by the directors In the disposal of our bags with, perhaps, the exception that they will not insist upon ! | son, 10,000; Jacob Levy Sr., 50,000. as follows: George E. Williams, 5000; J. A. Williams, 10,000; Frank S. John- Two of these orders were not filled until | May, the other two remalining in the | State warehouse until July. SACKS LD ? WITHOUT 1 AFFIDAVIT | dealers in grain sacks in Yolo county | are Marshall Diggs, I. P. Diggs, T. B. Gibson and C. D. Simpson, of Wood- land, and Borach & Levy of Yolo, while many others deal in them to a less extent. The firm of Borach & Levy, as shown | by the statements of several farmers | in that vicinity, entered into contracts with farmers to supply San Quentin bags without even having them make the necessary affidavits. C. E. St. Louls says he entered into a contract for 800 prison sacks and that they were duly delivered to him. He made no affidavit and was not aware that any of his neighbors did. In addition to his affi- davit he stated to The Call correspond- ent that when he ordered his sacks one of the members of the firm handed him a blank application and told him to sign his name to it. This he did and the merchant then took charge of it. Mr. St. Louis had no idea what became of it, whether it was filled out by the merchants and forwarded to San Quen- tin or not. He was positive, however, hedid not go before a notary and attest it. It was his belief that the others signed blank forms in the same man- ner. Such a proceeding is clearly in violation of the law governing the sale of jute bags. But while almost anybody with suffi- clent capital can trade in San Quentin sacks there was one transaction in 1893 | that is tinctured with something more than mere evasion of the act of 1893. Only one grade of bags is made at San Quentin. Every year there is a quantity of bags that are supposed to be imperfect. These are sorted out and are what are known as culls. In 1893 and 1894 these bales were stamped and known as “barleys,” but during the past two seasons no distinctive mark | has been put upon them and instead | of being known as “barleys” they are | now called “culls.” ! . G. Hunt of Woodland, who in 1893 purchased 5000 “culls” at 5 cents, is the father-in-law of ex-Prison Di- rector E. J. De Pue, whose official term recently expired. Mr. Hunt owns 800 acres of land on Cache Creek, 515 acres of which are set out in fruit trees and known as the Yolo orchard. Of the land not included in the orchard about 100 acres are covered with timber and less than that quantity is sown to wheat. Mr. Hunt's purchases of “culls” were made on June 10, July 1, July 20 and August 12 of 18! August the regu From March until price for bags was $5 75 per hundred. In the latter month the Directors advanced the price to $6 40 per hundred. He made no affi- davit when he bought the culls, al- though the law says that “All orders for jute goods must be accompanied by an affidavit setting forth that the amount of goods contained in the or- der are for individual and personal use of the applicant, said affidavit to be subscribed and sworn to before some Notary Public or Justice of the Peace.” Mr. Hunt was pr t at a meeting of the Board of Prison Directors at which the question disposing of im- perfect bags was discussed, and he said he could use some of them. The board decided to let him have some at $5 per hundred, and the purchases were made in four lots. That these bags were not for his own use, and that they were not imperfect bags, but of first quality, is shown by the affidavits of two highly respected farmers of Yole Count James E. Scarlett, who owns 315 acres of land about seven miles from Woodland, makes affidavit that in 1893 I. P. Diggs offered to let him have all the bags he needed for that season. Diggs was do- ing Scarlett’s ha sting, and, accord- ing to the latter’s affidavit, Diggs told him he had got the bags from Hunt: that, althcugh they were marked and sold as “barleys,” they were perfectly good. Scarlett says he examined the sacks, and found them to be without flaws or imperfections, and accordingly he bought all he needed for that year. L. Cramer, another Yolo Count farmer, makes affidavit that during 1893 Diggs offered to sell him what grain sacks he needed, and stated, as he did to Scarlett, that the sacks were known as “barleys,” but were first class in ev- ery respect; that he had got them from Hunt, and that Hunt had procured them through the influence of De Pue. Cramer did not take any, as he had | already purchased his bag: Mr. Diggs was asked for an explana- tion of that and other transactions, but he refused to make any statefnent whatever that would throw any light upon his dealings in grain bags. Mr. Diggs owns 108 a of land in Yolo County, and last ar he rented 160 acres from E. R. Lowe, making a total of 358 acres he cultivated. This, at the average yield of ten sacks to the “That is too far back for me to re- member anything about. d“d'!:.)lfi cannot say now."” Possibly I vou offer to sell any to Mr. “I tell you I cannot remember all my | transactions so far back.” ke “‘Did you purchase any bags from Mr. Hunt that year?” “You had better ask Mr. Hunt, he can probably tell you better than I can.” “But surely you can remember whether you ever bought any bags from him and if at less that the reg- ular rate?” “Now, see here! If a man does you a favor, you are not going to say or do anything that might work him an in- jury, are you? Well, that’'s my case. I have absolutely nothing to say on this subject; if you want any information g0 to Mr. Hunt.” “Do you remember having bought any kind of sacks from him at any time?"” “I really can't say whether I have or not. As I told you before, such matters pass from my mind, and I never pay any further attention to them.” ‘W. G. Hunt is classed as one of the | Wealthiestmenin Yolo County. In addi- tion to the Yolo orchard, he owns much property in Woodiand, and resides there. He was not inclined to throw any more light upon the deal In “culls” than Mr. Diggs, and made no secret of his desire to have the inter- view terminate with ail possible haste. “If you want any information go to headquarters for it,” was all he would say. He declined to state whether he had dealt in prison bags since 1893, or whether he had ever had any dealings with Marshall or I. P. Diggs. Some idea of the extent of the traffic in San Quentin grain bags may be gained from the number that passed through the hands of Marshall Diggs of Woodland last season. As shown by records at San Quentin, Mr. Diggs sent in orders for 156,000 bags between Feb- ruary 9 and April 14, 1897, the orders being filled out in Mr. Diggs' name, while the affidavits bore the names of the farmers. A copy of the order and afiidavit of A. Bourn of Yolo County, which is sim- ilar to the others, is herewith given: Woodland, March 5, 1 To the Warden of San Quentin Prison—Sir: I herewith enclose check for $30, to cover de- posit required by law on 10,000 grain bags, at , upon recelpt of balance of pur- ase price, by —— to Shipping in- uctions to follow. Respectrully, M. DIGGS. State of Caiifornia, County of Yolo. I hereby certify that 1 am a farmer and Erower of grain, residing in Yolo County, and that the bags crdered above are for m: personal and individua! use. A. BOUF Subscribed and sworn to before me, this 5th day of March, 1 J. 1. McCONNELL, (L8] Notary Public. It will be noted that all the orders but the last two, calling for all but 9000 of the sacks ordered by Mr. Diggs, were filed prior to March 13, on which date the board advanced the price to $5 40 per hundred. Mr. Diggs expressed the utmost will- ingness to explain his connection with the traffic in San Quentin bags. He made no secret of the fact that he handled them, but explained that he did so as a matter of accommodation to his customers, and that the profit he made on them was limited to the difference in the freight charges on car- load lots and on less than full carloads. “The extent of my dealing in San Quentin bags is this,” said Mr. Biggs. “Early in the season I take orders from farmers for what grain sacks they need. These orders, accompanieds by the usual aflidavit, T forward to San Quentin, together with the necessary 10 per cent deposit, which secures the bags, subject to orders. When I get ready to have the bags shipped, I for- ward the remaining 90 per cent of the purchase p and the bagd are for- warded.¥ . “How is it tha! you order your bags so far in advance of the time you have them delivered?” “Merely to secure prompt when I get ready. for them.” “The orders sent in by you are us- ually marked, ‘Shipping instructions to delivery follow.” What is that for?" “Oh, 1 do that because, as is often the case, T do not want them all de- livered at > -place. For instance, Charles Day ordered all of his bags from me last season, taking think, about 21,000 San Quentin bags. Part of these were for his Yolo ranch, 0000000000000 0Q0O0000C0000000000000 County. in my neighborhood entered into a 00000000000 0000C00Q © D. 1898. (4] YOLO, Yolo County, State of California, January 1, 1898. I am a farmer having 140 acres in township 10 north, Early in the spring of 1897, myself and several other farmers Levy, merchants of Yolo, for grain bags. bags, agreeing to pay either $5 50 or $5 75 per one hundred. I made no affidavit and am not aware that any of the others did. The bags were duly delivered to me and were the San Quentin bags. had either San Quentin or Calcutta bags. were to pay more than the rate quoted at San Quentin prison, but we were satisfied to do this in consideration of the fact that the freight charges were paid, and that we were given credit for the bags until after our crops were harvested. This is the first yvear I have purchased San Quentin bags from an outside dealer. Subscribed and sworn to before me this first day of January, A. CLAUDE V. BURKE, Notary Public. 9 east, Yolo contract with the firm of Borach & I ordered 800 San Quentin I could have It was understood that we C. E. ST. LOUIS. 0000000000000 C0Q0CO 0000000000000 CO0CO000C00CQ0000000000 acre, would make 3580 sacks he would require for his own use. Certainly, his crops could not be so heavy as to re- quire more than 5000 bags, yet on Feb- ruary 19 last I. P. Diggs, through his cousin, Marshall Diggs, filed an appli- cation for 12,000 San Quentin sacks, which, according to the prison records, were delivered on June 1. J. E. Scarlett, who bought some “culls” of I P. Diggs in 1893, also bought 2000 San Quentin bags from him | in 1897. This would show econclusively that Mr. Diggs did not use all the bags he ordered, but when he was asked for information on the subject he said that if a farmer had more sacks than he needed it was natural for him to get rid of them rather than carry them for a year. “But how is it that you ordered 12,000 sacks, Mr. Diggs? Surely your crops never gave promise of such a yleld as that,” was suggested. “Last year I farmed nearly 500 acres,” replied Mr. Diggs. “But even so, you could not possibly want 12,000 sacks for your own use.” ““Well, a man is liable to overestimate his crop sometimes. It is a hard mat- ter to go into a field of growing wheat and estimate just what it will yield.” All attempts to induce the gentleman to say how many surplus sacks he had, or what he had done with them, met with the same ill success. Mr. Diggs would not even admit that he had sold any, although he was told that Mr. Scarlett had made affidavit to that ef- fect. “I know Mr. Scarlett well,” said Mr. Diggs, “and he is one of the most re- sponsible men in: the county, but you know that everybody is liable to make mistakes.” He djd not deny that he had sold the sacks, but intimated that he might have loaned or traded them to Scar- lett. The latter’s affidavit, however, names the price he paid Mr. Diggs for the bags. - Mr. Diggs declared he had no recol- lection whatever of the transaction in the culls or “barleys™” referred to, and professed ignorance of what “culls” or “barleys” were. He said he pald cash for everything he bought and kept no books, therefore he had no means of telling anything about his transactions of former years, and did not take the trouble to remember them. “But did you not sell some ‘culls’ to Mr. Scarlett in 18931" | and the others were to be sent to an- other ranch in the San Joaquin valley. ‘When he got ready to use them I for- warded instructions as to the number to be shipped to each point.” “How are these orders and affidavits made out, Mr. Diggs?"’ “Right here in my store. The far- mer gives the number of bags he wants and the order is made out. He signs it and makes affidavit that they are for his personal use. We térward the or- der, and sometimes advance the 10 per t deposit.” “‘Are these orders ever raised; that is, do the orders call for more sacks than the farmer really needs?” “Not to my knowledge.” “But you certainly have had prison- made bags for sale and have sold quantities of them?” . “Well, ves, T have, but it is like this: A farmer cannot estimate from his growing grain just how many sacks he will require and if he has a surplus 1 take them off his hands.” ““What is the largest surplus you re- member a farmer to have had during the past season?” “‘Oh, I can’t answer that, but some crops will fall short one-half. Of course they don't want to carry the surplus bags over to the next vear so I take them and sell them to some- body who needs more than he counted on.” ‘“Well, your cousin, I. P. Diggs, for instance, did he have any surplus bags from last season?"” “Yes, a few.” “He cultivated about 350 acres of land last season, did he not?” “Yes, about that.” “And ten sacks to the acre is a good, fair average?” “Yes, that is a fair average.” “So that would make about 3500 sacks he would require?” “Yes, about that.” “Then why did you, on February 19 last, accept an order from him for 12,000 sacks?"* “‘A man may go out in the spring and estimate what his crops may yield, and when he comes to harvest them they may fall short one-half. I have known that to happen frequently, and, of course, rather than to carry the sur- plus sacks they have bought over until the following season the farmers are willing to sell them at even less than cost.™ e gOODO00000000000000000000000000000 YOLO, Yolo County, State of California, January 1, 1898. I am a farmer cultivating 100 acres in township 10, range 2 east, Yolo County. In the year 1893, I. P. Diggs came to me and offered to supply me with all the grain bags I needed for that season’s crop. in all, I| and shipped as barley sacks. freight, or I was to pay that. livered in Yolo. them at the depot. D. 1898, 00CO00000000000000C0C000 “But how can a man who is culti- vating a small farm on which it is im- possible to make such an over-estimate | as occurred in this instance make affi- | davit that he requires 12,000 bags when | it is impossible for the land he is cul-| tivating to, yield more than, say, 4000 | sacks of grain at the most?” | “I don't know anything about that. | All I can say is that if a man gives an | order for a certain quantity of sacks we fill out the order as he gives it and never question it.” | “And you are ’\tirel)‘ willing to take | all the surplus sacks he may have?” “Oh, certainly. I only wish we could | get hold of more than we do.” | “How many San Quentin sacks do | you think you handled last year?” “Oh, probably 150,000.” | “Have you had any dealings with Bo- rach & Levy?” “Yes; I have sold them some San | Quentin sacks, but how many I do not know.” | “None of the sacks ordered by you | are ever delivered before June, are they?” I never call for them until the farmers begin to want them. They are delivered mostly during June and July."” Mr. Diggs was then questioned about the traffic in “culls,” and at first pro- fessed the densest ignorance on the subject, but later he admitted having heard something about them several years ago. He denied emphatically, however, that he had ever dealt in them, and did not know of anybody who had. ‘Have you ever handled any ‘culls’?” “What are culls?” returned the mer- | chant. “I never heard of culls.” It was explained that they were marked “barley,” but were commonly called “culls.” “No; I never heard of them before, replied Mr. Diggs. “I thought that i only one grade of sacks was manufact- ured at the prison.” After some further conversation he suddenly remembered having heard | something about culls before, but only in a general way., and was positive he had never handled any. “It must have been about 1893 or 4, | said he, “that scme barley sacks, or what were called barley cks, were sold at the prison, but who bought them, or how many were sold, I can- not say.” . | \ PRACTICAL | EXPERIENCES | OF FARMERS. } Results of an lnvestigatior;" @mong Wheat-Raisers in | Yolo County. | Several days were spent by Call rep- | resentatives among the farmers in dif- | ferent sections of Yolo County, and| many were the side lights thrown upon the handling of San Quentin bags. | | There were some who, while admitting that they had heard and seen encugh to be convinced that merchants and speculators were deriving a good in- come from the handling of prison bags, | were opposed to making any statement for publication for fear, as they ex- plained, lest they might provoke thc} wrath of men to whem they were un- | der obligations, in one way or another. Farmers who till thousands of acres, as well as men who have barely enough land on which to eke out a living, were | seen, and nearly all expressed the opin- jon that a thorough investigation | should be made. That San Quentin bags can be pro- cured in large quantities without the necessity of filing an affidavit is proven beyond a doubt, while the prices charg- ed by these dealers, including freight from San Quentin, vary from the fac- tory price to nearly 25 per cent above. George Scott owns and farms more land than any other man in Yolo Coun- ty, his farm lying about sixteen miles from Woodland. Last season he re- quired 20,000 sacks to hold his crop of | wheat. Mr. Scott does not use San Quentin sacks, because the Calcuttas are cheaper and answer the purpose just as well, although they are not quite as good in quality as the prison goods. “It has long been a mystery to me,” said Mr. Scott, “why sacks cannot be manufactured at San Quentin prison at a less cost than they can be im- ported from Calcutta, but whenever I want to buy any, I find that the latter are the cheapest, and so I take them. The San Quentin factory is supposed to be operated for the benefit of the farmers, but I fail to see where they derive muich benefit from it. Regard- ing the handling of prison bags by dealers, of course 1 cannot speak from experience, as I have never purchased any, but I have no doubt that anybody can get all the prison bags he wants in season, without sending to San Quen- tin for them.” Charles T. Day lives about three miles southwest of Woodland on one of the largest and richest farms in the Sacramento Valley, which he is proud to call his own. Mr. Day is well known throughout the State and is generally regarded as an up-to-date farmer and a shrewd business man. But when the subject of prison bags was brought to his attention he laughingly admitted that there were some things of which he had but vague knowledge, and one of those was the management of the San Quentin jute factory. “I understand the law governing the sale of prison-made bags,” said Mr. Day, “but I imagine there are few farmers in this section, at least. but know that its provisions are evaded and violated in one way or another. 1 have told some of the men I knew to be dealing in bags that the affair would be thoroughly ventilated sooner or later. “Why, only last season,” Mr. Day continued, ‘“a certain dealer in this town whose name I must decline to give, came to me and asked me why I didn’t buy ‘culls’ instead of the regular sacks. I had never heard of ‘culls’ be- fore, and 1 asked him what they wer Don'tyou know about these culls?” asked he, apparently surprised at my ignorance. “I confessed that I did not, and he explained what culls were, and assured me that they were as good as the reg- ular bags. That was the first I ever heard of culls, and I told this party that exposure would come eventually, but he did not seem to think so. “I did not buy any culls, but went to He told me they were San Quentin wheat sacks, but were marked He assured me they were No. 1 sacks in every respect. He told me he got the sacks through W. G. Hunt, of Woodland, and that Hunt got them through the influence of Prison Director De Pue, who is Hunt's son-in-law. $5 per hundred, but I cannot remember whether that included the I did not take any of the sacks, as I had already purchased all I needed. That was the only time Diggs ever spoke to me about grain bags. About the first of June, 1897, I bought 1000 San Quentin grain bags from Borach & Levy of Yolo, paying for them $5 12% per hundred, de- I was not asked, and did not make any affidavit, nor did I sign any paper whatever. I merely ordered the sacks and got Subscribed and sworn to before me this first day of January, A. CLAUDE V. BURKE, Notary Publle. | grower, He said the price was L. CRAMER. cCcOo0C0CCOCOCCCO0OCO0COCOC (] 0000000000000 00CO0000000000000000D the Bank of Yolo, as I always do, and filled out an application for 15,000 San Quentin sacks. Then I went before a notary and made the usual affidavit that they were for my own use. This order was forwarded for me by Mr, Diggs. So far as I know, my affidavit was regular in every respect; I follow=- ed the same course I do every year.” “Did you order any more sacks than you required?” but there is another thing I iced, and that is that the deal- mer order all he can possibly need. They assure him that they will take all he may have left over. That has been my experience repeatedly. I have been told to be sure and get enough sacks, and there will be no danger of my being out of pocket by getting too many. But I have never ordered more than I thought I needed, and if any of my applcations have called for more, the figures have been raised after I signed them.” Mr. Day would not say who it was that gave him the information regard- ing culls, but as Marshall Diggs han- dled his order for him and has done so before, it is not unreasonable to sup- pose that it was he who gave the ad- vice to purchase them. Asa Morris, who has many acres ly- ing between Yolo and Knights Land- ing, said: “‘It has been no secret In these parts that San Quentin bags could be ob- tained at any time from dealers. Diggs and Hunt of Woodland have dealt in these bags extensively, and merchants throughout this section are always ready to supply either San Quentin or Calcutta bags at practically the same price as quoted at the prison. “I have never bought any prison bags from dealers, preferring to get them direct from San Quentin. This season I bought Calcutta bags, but several of my neighbors bought prison bags and I | am quite certain that some of them at least got them from Diggs and other dealers. “I have often wondered how these dealers got hold of prison bags, and naturally supposed there was some- thing shady about it, for the law is | very explicit in regard to their sale and requires every purchaser to make affidavit that they are for his own use. Consequently there must be something wrong when men who do not farm a foot of ground, or at most compara- tively small tracts, stand ready to fur- nish at any time more prison- bags than they would need for their own use in twenty years. These men do not han- dle bags as a matter of accommodation to farmers, and if they get prison bags at a less rate than the farmers can the farmer is a double loser, for he not only helps to support the prison, but he is charged more for an article os- tensibly manufactured for his especial | benefit than a few favored dealers are, and the latter are thus enabled to make a profit out of the farmer on prison bags that the lJaw intended there should be no traffic in. I sincerely hope the entire matter will be thoroughly sifted.” G. B. Eustis, an extensive wheat living about six miles from Knights Landing, was most caustic in his comments on the way prison sacks were being sold. “I have thought for some years that there was something wrong about the handling of the San Quentin product and many of my neighbors have had the same idea. For that reason I and T think others have not cared whether I used prison or Calcutta bags. “There has been nothing secret about dealers handling prison bags. Hunt, Diggs and others have sold both San Quentin and Calcutta bags to farmers throughout this section for years, and | it has always been a mystery to the farmers where they got the former. “This past season I bought 1500 bags of Borach & Levy at Yolo, and they offered me either brand, but I took the Calcutta bags, as they hold more and are just as good as the San Quentin bags. It is known to everybody around here that almost every storekeeper in the county is prepared to furnish any quantity at short order. Where they get them of course I can’t say, but I have all along thought that some. San Francisco houses were handling San Quentin bags and supplied the interior dealers. “We all know the law governing the sale of San Quentin bags, and if a farmer wants to purchase from the prison direct he has to make the usual affidavit that they are for his own use, but of course, with almost any mer- chant handling them openly, I be- lieved that the law was being evaded, to put it mildly, and the natural sup- position is that the Prison Directors must be aware of what is going on. I hear much about the defects in the law governing the sale of prison bags, but it is my opinion that if it were proper- 1y enforced it would afford ample pro- tection to the farmers, as it was intend- ed to do.” T. F. Laugenour is one of the oldest and most highly respected farmers in Yolo County. His farm comprises one of the most fertile tracts along Cache Creek. Mr. Laugenour explained that his memory had failed him somewhat and he could not recall the dates of his transactions with the dealers, but that bags of San Quentin make were openly and constantly handled by them there could be no doubt. There were several people in Woodland, he said, who dealt in sacks, as did also Borach & Levy of Yolo, and other merchants in the county. He coula not remember anybody in Knights Landing who han- dled them, and it was his impression that there was nobody there who was engaged in the business. “I have not used any San Quentin bags for the past two seasons,” said Mr. Laugenour, “for the reason that Calcutta bags have been cheaper, and I find them just as good. But in 1895, I think it was, I bought a number of prison-made bags from M. Diggs of Woodland. T do not remember just how many I purchased or what I paid for them, but I am sure it was in that ar that T got them. 'Of course San Quentin bags are sold outside the prison; every farmer in Yolo knows it. But where or how the dealers get them I do not knmow. I have been told, however, that the deal- ers buy up the surplus bags from the farmers, but it is not likely that they depend upon that source alone for their supplies. What I mean by surplus bags is this: If a farmer bought 5000 bags at San Quentin and only used 4000, some dealer would take the other thou- sand. That explanation does not amount to much, though, for a farmer generally has a pretty good idea of how many bags he will need before he Continued on Fourth Page. NEW TO-DAY. You know all those pretty Ulsters that we have been showing this winter at $7.)5 and $6.95. Those real swell ones in light, medium and dark colorinds,blues amond ’‘em, those very long Ulsters reaching down to the boy’s shoe tops, sizes up to 16 years. We’'re going to make one lot of all these choice Ulsters. Your pick of tany of ‘em Friday and Saturday, including one of those Brownie Lunch DBoxes, at 3,95, MEN Ard women are fitting out for Aluska with proper clothing, with suitable food, with mining tools and conveni- ences of travel. We are glad to be of service to all these and to save them money where possible. INFORMATION FREE On all Klondike subjects—see our ex- hibit on first and third floors, in the windows and at the GOLDEN JUBILEE Fair from January 29th toc March 6th. This will be the greatest Fair held in this fair city. Ask the fair lady at the demonstration counter on the right near the door to show you our pulver- ized potatoes and what nice pan cakes they make. Receipts ready in a few days. We are oversold on evaporated onions by several tons, but will keep a few pounds for you and your friends who call at SMITHS CASH STORE 25-27 Market Street, San Francisco. Coke! Coke! Coke! P.A. McDONALD 813 FOLSOM STREET, Wholesale dealer and shipper of the best brands of FOUNDRY AND FURNACE COKE. I bave on hand a large quantity of San Francisco Coke, superior to anthracite for furnace or cannel for grate use. This coke Is made from the best Wallsend coal, and cam recommend it to consumers as an Al article. Will Deliver Any Amount From a Sack to a Shipload. CARLOAD ORDERS SOLICITED: BRU SHE houses, billiard-tables, brewers, bookbinders, candy-makers, canners, dvers, flourmills, foundries, laundries, paper- hangers, printers, painters, shoe - factories, stablemen, tar-roofers, tanners, tailors, éte. BUCHANAN BROS., Brush Manufacturers, 609 SacramentoSt.. FOR BARBERS, BAK- ers, bootblacks, bath- Wright's Indian Vegetable Pils Are acknowledged by thousands of vl hiave used them for over forty semne to saes 10 %%%, '—'rf“fl“i‘:m GVIVDkaESS' CONSTIPA- . Torp! ver, TION. orpid Liver, Weak Stomach, Pimples Crossman's el Wi, without the least exposure, change in application to buallmus.ch. e of diet or edicine contains nothiug that is of the least mjeum- <5 Ty to the :o::‘ u:uon. Ask your druggist for Ii. Price, §