North Iowa times. [volume] (McGregor, Iowa) 1867-current, 1870-05-18
To the Farmers of the Northwest


The Transportation Question.
To the Farmers of the Northwest:
The Convention Of Farmers, which as
sembled at Bloomington, April 20, after
full discussion Of the objects which called
them together, presented, among others,
the following resolution
Resolred, That the claim Of rested rights
set up by the chartered companies, by
which they assume that the people have
transferred any essential portion of their
sovereignty, is an assumption which cam
not be safely tolerated in free govern.
ment. >.
The corporations which set up this ex-
traordinary claim were, but few years
ago, suppiiants at your hands for charters
and right Of way by which to construct
highways of greater capacity, and snhject
in all their details to legislative direction
and control: but now the franchises so
obtained are used to extort from the peo-
pie the means Of carrying on war upon
their interests to render themselves inde.
pendent of legislative action, and procure
for their pretertious theories and outrage
Gus practices the sanction of the courts.
They now claim to be private corpora
tions, to be dealt with as individual com.
mon carriers, and the courts sustain
them.
They usurp the functions Of govern
ment by refusing to Assessors the right to
estimate the value Of their property for
taxation, 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 property at
certain points, but refuse consi snees pos
session unless they submit to arbitrary ex'
actions Of storaselwhich 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 al
ready established, thus preventing compe.
tition on the one hand and increasing inf
nitely the rates of transit on the other.
These are but samples Of the doings OF
an overshadowing monopoly which dates
its origin but little back of the present
generation.-scarcely half.aedged--but
welding already capital Of S3,0OO,O ,OOO,'
600.
The farmers of the Northwest, from
their position, must become the first vic
tins and should, therefore, orgauize 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 beslaver you with its fu!some non>
sense just before election, leaving the
soulless monster to thrive equally we'll on
the keeping Of all parties-I mean a
co operatire business effort, which can hurl
! upon any point the rotes, influence and
means of million men Of similar inter
ests and pursuits ; which shall say to par
ty politics, Give us fair field, and we
will demonstrate what your honeyed
speech has so often told US, that we are a,
least portion Of the bone and sinew ol
this fair land that the words of promise
SO long and sweetly kept to the ear can nc
longer be broken to the sease with impun-
ity. And to this end, in discharge Of the
duty devolved upon me by the Convention
respectfully submit the following call fol
action:
The farmers of the Northwestern State.
and Territories are requested to meet ir
their respective school districts on Satur
day, the 18th day Of June next, at . O'Clock
in the afternoon, fer the dicussion Of tn,
issues here presented, and to appoint COM
mittees for the following purposes, to-wit
|. To make list of the names ant
post Office address Of ali persons WHIT
desire to become members of an associa
ton for the protection Of agricultural in
terests by business means.
?. TO estimate as nearly as may be tn
amount Of agricultural products of sucl
district, and the net cash value thereof, (,
he used in the preparation of Repor
sho,cing the products Of the Northeast
their rights to transportation and market
and The remedies arailaLle for eristin.
crOngs; and
/ Sd. Send to the undersigned repor
Of their proceedings.
HENRY G. WHEELER,
Commissioner of Statistics.
Address: Henry G. Wheeler, Dover
Grove, Du Page County, Ill.