Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1870-05-27
The Transportation Question.
o the Farmers of the Northwest +:

| 1 o the FARMERS OF tne northwest:
The Convention of Farmers, which as
sembled at Bloomington. April 20, after a
full discussion of the objects which called
them together, presented, among others, the
following resolution
Resolred, That the claim Of rested right.
set up by the chartered companies, by which
they assume that the people have trans
terred amy essential portion Of their SOW.
ereignty, is an assumption which cannot be
safely tolerated in free government.
The corporations which set up this ex
traordinary claim were, but a few years ago
suppliants at your hands for charters anc
right of way by which TO construct high
wavs Of greater capacity, and subject in al
their details to legislative d rrection and con
,rol; but now the franchises so obtained
are used to ex.ort from the people the
means of carrying on a war upon their in
terests, to render themselves Independent,
of legislative action, and procure for their
pretentious theories and outrageous prac.
tees the sanction OF the courts;
They now claim to be private corpora.
tons, to be dealt with as individual com.
| mon carriers, and the courts. sustain them ;
They usurp the functions of government
by refusing to Assessors the right to esti-
nate the value Of their property for taxa
ton, listing it themselves at mere 1.-THE
of its value, and again the decision of the
| courts is in their favor;
They contract to deliver properly at Ger,
tain points, butrefuse consgnees possession
unless they submit to arbitrary exactions of
| storage which never accrued;
They consolidate competing railroad lines,
| place constitutional impediments in the
| way Of Improvement of water courses, and
gobble up canals and lake marine already
established, thus preventing competition on
the one hand and increasing indefinitely
the rates of transit on the other.
These are but samples Of the doings of
an overshaaowing monopoly which dates its
origin but little back of the present genera
ton scarcely alffedged-but welding
already capital of $3.0OO,OOO,0OO.
The farmers of the Northwest, from their
position. must become the first victims and
should, therefore, organize at once if they
would not become tenants on their own soil.
By organization, do not mean the old
wire pulling machine so long used to be-
SLAYER you with its fnlsome nonsense just
before election, leaving the soulless monster
10 thrive equally we'll on the keeping of all
parties--I mean q cooperative business
effort, which can hurl upon any point the
rotes, influence and means Of million
men of similar interests and pursuits; which
shall say to party politics. Give US fair
field, and we will demonstrate what yonr
honeyed speech has 50 often told us, that we
are at least portion of the bone and s:new
of this fair land that the words Of promise
so long and sweetly kept to the ear can no
longer be broken to the sense with impuni>
ty. And to this end in discharge Of the
duty devolved upon me by the Convention,
respectfully submit the following call for
action:
The farmers of the North western States
and Territories are requested to meet in
their respective school districts on Saturday,
the 4th day of June next, at o'clock in
the afternoon. for the discussion Of the is
sues here presented, and to appoint CON-
miltees for the following purposes, to witt
l. To make list of the names and post
Office address of all persons who desire to
become members of an association for the
protection of agricultural interests by bust
hess means.
2. To estimate as nearly as may be the
amount of agricultural products Of such
district. and the net cash value thereof, to
be used in the preparation of a Report
sho,cinghe products Of the Northeast. their
rights to transportation and market. and
the remedies arailable for eristing vrong
and
2. Send to the undersigned report Of
their proceedings. HENRY c. WHEELER.
Commissioner of Statistics.
Address: Henry c. Wheeler, Downer's
Grove, Du Page county, III.