The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1873-10-16

cars for team and wagon, elevators for
warehouses; middle men for employees, and he
has entered upon the wide fields of commerce.
whose details no man can master, whose coun
ter-currents no set of men can fathom or ever
hope to control AS have already said, do
not understand that the farm or attempts to do
his. He knows, for instance, that Europe re-
quires this year about 157, 600, 900 bushels OF
wheat to supply her deficiency, and that with
all that the United States, Russia, Germany
and Canada can supply, Great Britain alone
will then have an estim ated deficiency of about
100000 bushels. The farmers of the United
States will have about 10000 900 bushels
more than they can dispose of else where.
Yonder is the demand, here is the supply
The two must be brought together, or nothing
can be realized this year Now the farmer
realizes just as well as anybody can tell him,
that every stroke of piston-rod, every revol.
ution OF wheel every flap of sail necessary
to bring these two things together, is an exer-
ton put forth to find market for his labors
Neither does he forget that while he sleeps
soundly in his bed at night, a thousand trains
are laundering over a hundred roads, and tn at
many sturdy engineer and trusty brakeman
are breasting wind and storm, daring danger,
and even death itself that the products of his
farm may be borne safely on their way. If he
ever doubts that all this requires brain work
into the Office of the general
manager or superintendent, where
means have to be provided,
plans objected, discipline maintained, and
the whole machinery, with its thousand de-
tails, mastered and controlled. And if he
still doubt whether it be any tax upon the
nerves, let him go do wn to the Office of the
train-dispatcher and find him sitting with his
hand upon an ivory key, his eyes fixed upon
strange signs and circles his whole faculties
strung TO the utmost tension, careful lest he
should lose even one click of the telegraphic
ma chine, and two great trains go clashing to-
gether to fill the land with horror
Now, all this the farmer seems to compre-
hend. He has been lectured upon it time and
again, and appears to have no difficulty in un-
Outstanding it. But what he does not seem to
comprehend is this: If he have 80 900 600
bushels of grain to market, and 10000 900
bushels will pay not only fair but abundant
price for the service, he does not understand
why be should be required to pay 20 900 900,
instead Of 10 900 900, for the same thing 1t
is the tenacity with which he holds on to this
proposition, and his perversity and stupidity
In not understanding it, that is giving the
world an immense deal Of trout le-especially
the railway men and politicians He insists
that this state of things shall cease; that he
will submit TO it no longer; that it is simply
confscation and robbery How have the
railway men met him upon this proposition
A portion of them, in our State, have met him
precisely as have before intimat they would
do They have responded to his demand for
decrease of freight charges by an increase Of
rates on nearly all their lines
How shall he meet them now? That is q
question easier asked than answered. But
possessing the power which the farmers and
people of Wisconsin do possess, under the for
tunate provisions OF her constitution, il is but
reasonable to suppose that they will send into
her State house next winter, legislature
which represents the people rather than the
railway, or any other single interest
That the body thus selected will form its
own committees and enact its own laws; and
that among the latter will be found some at
tempt to redress portion Of those grievan-
ces, especially extortionate rates and unjust
local Determinations; and that the question of
railway commissioners, the residence of di-
rectors, the taxation of railway property, the
organic alton of freight lines, the unjust dis
Grimm alton made TO accommodate favored
shippers, the interest in elevators, the per-
chase of grain by railway men, and the al
lowance OF special rates and drawbacks, will
not wholly escape their attention. And as
auxiliary TO all this, the people will doubtless
extend the invitation to all Off ce-holders in the
State, whether legislative, judicial, State or
national, to surrender their free passes upon
railways. Or, if the incumbent should prefer
and insist upon it, then the ofic itself instead
Being obliged to address my brother pass
holders as "fellow sinners" upon this question,
and having slight preference in the matter,
/, for one, in common parlance prefer to ''pass
in my checks" and pay my fare; which in
tend to do from this time forth.
If, as it is said, these free fares amount on
some of the roads to seventeen per cent Of the
passenger carriage; or, IL in other words,
every time you pay dollar upon your rail way
fare, you pay seventeen cents that the rest of
US may ride free, then it is high time that q
retreat was ordered upon this subj cot, and like
the dutch militia captain, being "Iittle lame"
l prefer to start nowI
The proposition to dispense with free passes
is reasonable one. 1t came from the rail-
way companies. It has been accepted and
adopted in the platforms of both politic Il par
ties. 1t should be needed and strictly oh ,yed
While the opposite practice has been 80 sane
toned by custom and the usage of some of the
best men of the country that no one can be
justly censured for either giving or receiving
free pes, the refusal of which would seem
almost like an act of pharisaism. yet ell mus
admit that there was both phflos ,phy and
force in that notable and emphatic, rather than
elegant, reply OF the veteran legislator, who,
when asked eff he could not dine with man
ana then vote against him after dinner, if
duty required him to do So" said she thought
he could but he'd be -sed if he felt as much
like doing it while he had the mans cham
payne and turkey in has stomach U'
Though justly censurable for many of the
evils which affllct u.s. the railways can hardly
be held resp onsibls for all the clouds which
have lowered upon our house". Narrow,
indeed, is the view, and doomed to disappoint-
ment is the hope, that all these troubles are to
vanish at the talisman'c touch of legislation.
While legislation may do much, and while
legislators should ever sand as sentinels on
the watch-towers Of government, yet have
far more hope for ultimate and lasting relief
in the great silent laws Of trade
working slowly, yet surely, as graviation
itself. When it frequently costs from ten to
fifteen cents psr bushel for the water carriage