126 Cooperation in Agriculture 



an amount from this fund to a dealer who received less 

 than his share. The efforts of the large grain dealers 

 were backed by the railroads. They refused to furnish 

 cars to the farmers who tried to ship their own grain, and 

 often denied any other company the right to build an 

 elevator on its property. They threw their influence 

 with the large companies, thereby discriminating against 

 the small shipper and producer and, in the end, brought 

 about a condition of affairs which led to the passage of 

 the Interstate Commerce Act, to many of the anti-trust 

 laws, and to many of the most important national and 

 state laws which have to do with the regulation of trans- 

 portation. By 1900, the large elevator companies con- 

 trolled the grain-buying business at many points. They 

 could transact their business more economically than the 

 small grain dealers. They had better storage facilities 

 at the primary markets and larger assortments of grain 

 from which to make up final grades for shipment. They 

 forced many of the independent dealers to sell their ele- 

 vators to the syndicates. Like any other unregulated 

 monopoly, they not only fixed the price that the farmer 

 was to receive for his grain, but they determined the 

 amount of dockage he should be assessed and the grade 

 into which his grain should be placed. They then paid 

 the producer from ten to fifteen cents a bushel below the 

 price in Kansas City or in other primary markets, after 

 deducting the freight and a reasonable profit. The pro- 

 ducer could not ship independently. The rule of the rail- 

 road referred to prevented it, unless he was the owner of 

 an elevator; and, if he shipped a carload of grain, the 

 commission merchants dared not handle it on account of 



