New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1873-10-14
PRICE FOUR CENTS.
THE FARMERS WAR.
IT'S POLITICAL PHASES ~ IOWA.

1
THE ROADS UNDER LEGISLATIVE CONTROL
THE REPUBLICAN AND OPPOSITION TICKETS *
EQUAL Favor WITH TIE FARMERS.
lYRoN SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT or TIE TRrBufH.l
| DUBUQUE. Iowa, Sept. 20.-I don't think that tho
election next month will result in any important
changes among tine executive officers Of this STATE.
and while the Legislature may contain few more
opposition members than have found their way 20
seats in the Capitol during the past few years, ]
have been unable TO discover any Of those signs of
political revolution about which INSTRUMENTATION
newspapers, especially some published outsideo The
State have recently had 50 much 10 say There are.
everywhere in the State. signs Of discomfort in the
Republican party, but it grows out OF tho
| disappointment and sense Of shame felt by
men who honestly believed in the promises
Of reform given at Philadelphia year ago
when they compare those promises with the dis
closures made at Washington last Winter, and
place the acts of the men they trusted by the side
Of the words they uttered during the campaign.
With the administration of the State there Is little
fault to find. From the time Iowa Was admitted
into the Union until to-day, she has been singulary
fortunate ID the choice Of her State officers Hon
esty and faithful performance Of public duties
have almost without exception been the rule, aud
rarely has the State been dishonOred by having IN
office at home man whose private character was
not above reproach. The dishonest State officers
since Iowa became State can almost be counted on
the fingers of ones hand. The Legislature wasted a
good deal of time last Winter aud 80 made an extra
session necessary but the people are more likely TO
show their disapprobation Of this by eecting new
of their own party than Dy uniting ia the sup
port of opposition candidates.
The only ground for supp0slng that it is possible
for the Republican party in this State to be de-
feated is the suppOsition that the Changers Will
unite with the opposition and support the Anti
Monopoly ticket-a suppOsition not warranted by
the facts as have been able to gather them. The
Grange in Iowa is not political organization. Po-
litical questions such not mentioned IN its
meetings. Its members, to be sure, hold certain
opinions in common touching the transportation
question and others of vital interest to the farmers
of the State and they likely to that the par
ties to which they seyerally belong. and the men
whom they support for Office, are not opposed TO
such legislation as they consider necessary. But
when the members of the Oranges in n town or
county control the Republican local nominations,
they do in large portion Of the State, and while the
Republican State ticket is as acceptable to a great
majority Of the farmers as that nominated by tho
Anti MonopOlists, what inducement is there FOX
men to break away from old party aiTiliations'
THE QUESTION OF A RAILROAD TARIFF ACT.
The great question that Will be before the Iowa
Legislature .next Winter will be the passage Of a
tariff act for the railroads, and the Ant-NOnopoliss
are no more fully committed to the enactment OF
such law than are the Republicans The record Of
the party in power on railroad legislation in tins
State has on the whole, been good. When the peo-
pie were camoring most loudly for the construction
of railroads and ready TO grant the companies
almost unheard-of privileges, If they would only
build the roads, the Legislature kept its head, and
repeatedly after fierce struggle with the railroad
interests imposed some new restriction upon them.
The people of Iowa. therefore, in their fight against
railroad extortion have great advantage over the
farmers of Illinois. The very first railroad act that
was passed in the State reserved TO the Legislature
the right to control the roads that TO be bene-
fitted by it. The following is the language OF tho
law:
SEC. IA. Said railroad companies. accepting the pro
visions OF this act shall at all times De subject 10 such
rules aud regulations as may from time 60 time be
enacted and provided for by the General Assembly Of
Iowa. not inconsistent with the provisions Of this
ana the act of Congress making the grant fAct ofJiy
l4h 1856 granting lands to ne Burlington and Missouri.
Dubn0ge aid Siour Gin Railroad Compdniesl
An Attorney-General Of the State in interpreting
this section has given it as his opinion that tho
rules and regulations which the act gives the Legs
lature power to make embrace only police con-
tpol and not the power to fix rates Of freight pas
senger tariffs The best lawyers Of the State hold.
however, that it was the design Of the Legislature
to retain the entire control of the roads and the
courts OF the State woud probably so decide were
the question brought before them.
CONTROL OF THE ROADS RETAINED by THE LEGIs-
LATURE.
In 1868. some of the Immigrants made IL years he
fore having lapsed the Legislature called upon
to renew them and acts passed in favor OF the
Des Moines Valley the Iowa Falls and Sioux City,
the Dubuque, Bellevue, and Mississippi and the
Chicago Rock Island and Pacific railroads. Ia each
of these acts there appears the following provision,
the contest against II beng made by the Rock
Island road without success:
The company accepting the provisions o. this shall
rates of tar for trans portaton Of freght aud pas
sengers NAV from tune 10 time he enacted by tic
General Assembly OF tue state o. Iowa.
In 1870 the Legislature passed an act 10 enable
cities and towns to aid in the construction of rail
roads, and put into itithe following section:
SEC 4 Ali railroads constructed by or win the aid OF
any levied ANA collected under the provision, OF
this act shall be subject 70 The control % the General
Assembly In regard 10 the OF the same and
the charges for the transportation of freight pas
sengers thereon.
As nearly every roilroad net affected by the two
former acts has received aid under this act; ;here is
hardly a road in the state the ri2al q control which
the Legislature has not retained la specific terms.
Add to this the Constitutional provision giving the
General Assembly the power 10 amend or repeal
all laws for the organization creation Of corpora
tons" and il will be seen that the problem in this
State is not whether the Legislature control the
railroads or not, but how II shall exercise the right
it has in such a way TO relieve the people and DO
injustice TO the railroad companies. The lower
house Of the Legislature has several times passed
bill fixing maximum tariffs for the TRANSFORMATION or
ght but 1t has rs often been defeated in the Sen
'ate where the railroad companies found no trouble
in influencing enough Senator's 10 prevent It's pass
age Last Winter the vote in the Senate was
close that the bill was only lost by the deseon OF
member of the Grange who was mysterlousy con.
yerted in Que night. No matter what the political
- LIN iaI.n..A A.rlf..r