Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1873-04-29
A MIsOHIEvoUs AGITATION.
NhAs shs Farmers ot ske W sa have 90 EHpeet
from the Pr0sectiontsts.


The New York Tribune, the chief
organ of the eastern monopolists, b as
al article at last on Tho Western
Farmers" wherein it damns them
with such faint praise as the follow.
ing:
The Stats Farmers association OF
Illinois recently published a cali for
a convention Of delegates from va
rious county clubs aud societies, TO
meet at Springfield on the I'd of
April and concert plan Of oppose
-" - the railroad companies.
I ar requested to meet" soy
he call, ''foT the purpose of attend
'ng 10 our interests in the Legislature
md of giving that body and the
governor to understand the we mean
business, and are no longer TO BE-
trfed with" In all parts of Illinois
in Minnesota, in Kansas. in Mississip-
pi and in many other portions of the
Rest. the excitement on this suhj ct
90 M ~ iucresse Oranges" have
aeen org I'd in almost every
neighborhood A league JAILED the
Patrons of Husbandry has extensive
rami6cations Tue western newspa-
pers are devoting more attention TO
the farmers movement than to any
other topic: and the question of
freights seems likely to become
prominent issue in politics. Un-
doubtedly the farmer who gets for
his grain only third or quarter OF
it's value, and whose land yields him
only one per cent. while his barns
are bursting with unmarketable pro-
duce and his fires are fed with corn
on which he cannot pay the trans.
portatioI charges, is entitled to the
general sympathy of the country,
and he will have almost universal
support, so long as be 6gb to his bait
lie prudently and fairly. The com.
plaint against the railroads is. first,
hat hey charge an exorbitant rate
m .i,g fam ar ,huc's; secondly
b hey 4 inmate urjustly and
ogprosAively between competing and
non-competing points; thirdly, that
they disregard the laws regulating
the freights and fares, and that the
courts unressonably sustain them in
their disobedierce. That the fret
and second charges are sustained
there can be no question. That
rates are lowered when navigation
opens, aud raised to preposterous
figure Rs soon as winter sets in, that
il costs more to send thousand
bushels If grain fifty miles between
contemplating points than thous-
and miles between competing points,
over the same road and at the same
sreed-these facts tell the whole
story. All over the west the farmer
is ct the mercy ofthese corporations.
In one county the railroad has no
competitor in an another it has
made a compact with its competi-
tors, and they plumber the producer
together. 10 either case the result
ia the same, and the farmer sees no
way out Of his difficulty except by
the aid of the legislature.
In Illinois, some time ago, pro
rata freight hiaseassed for the pur-
pose Of preventing "urjust discrim-
ination ard extortion," imposed Is
III y FL III c'iniIari"u forfeit.
ur I +. char or Of the uffoDding
read Under this law the circuit
conrt gave judgement in December
1871 against the Chicago & Alton
company, ousting it from it's fran
chises but the supreme court of
the STATE has recently reversed til
decision on the ground that the law
inpairs the obligation OF the con-
tract virtually exIsting h+tween the
rsilr al ard ID a,ate TIL action
( the -upt, me ,.nuri hos created
great excitcment in the agricultural
commuUies, and u movement il max
ing for the nomination OF "anti mon
opoly" candidates for the judiciary.
and especially for replacing Chief
Justice Lawrence, whose time is
about to expire. 1t is proposed also
TO reverse the action of the cpurt by
adding anti-monopoly judges to its
number. in imi-ation of the pack
ing of the United States supreme
court when it was desired to affirm
the constitutionality of the legal ten
der law agitation of this sort is ex
lremely mischievous. If the laws
are defective the proper remedy is
not 10 overturn the court which
points out their defects, but to make
new laws. II may be true that the
Legislature has no power to fix an
ABSOLUTE limit ofrates, or to punish
mioeiiao in any firm hut the
u i 4 bOritj a.
.ts FIR 'exCorliOnste'
g .u4 u,juss" discrimination,
and more than this the farmers have
no right to demand. What coDs'i-
tntes "icjustice" or "extortion"
n ND perhaps be- setlled by board
+ competent railroad commission
| err.
We have no confidence that eth
rr courts. com missioHers, or legisIa
lure can permanently adjnst on 40
qaitabIe basis the relation het~een
producers and these rich aud p cer
tai corporations, which are s,esdiiy
growing richer and Stronger. But
there is q chance that in the present
case the railroads may have over
reached themselves. The New EGG
land manufacturers are I; king alarm
at the present condition of western
industry. They have discovered
that the grain country buys less and
less at the east. The farmers are
forced to econcmixe more strictly
they are forced also to turn their
attention to home manufacturers
If we cannot afford to send our