, 1873-03-11
RAILROADS Ind FARMERS.


r,4oHA, Boon Co., ILL.,, Feb 1B, 1878.
- tho Editor u The Chicago tribune:
6R: On last Thursday, ,whifc the management Of tho
Champaign University wore holding club meetings in
tho town Of Belyidere, Of this county, willie discussing
tho railroad and freight question: ono r. ". Lawrence
Baid that TIE CHICAGO TRIBUNE and EpeAfng Journal
were owned and In the fnteros Of tho railronis
corporaions and nonopollcs and that they mover had
word to say in tho interest Of tho farmor Now, a
young farmer, and road your paper every day, and
have been blind 10 my ntcroats or olao Mr. T. W.
Lawrence has got tho better Of me- In fact, 1t haa
been my prtdo to point to the old Cn1oAoo TRIBUNE
theso many years guido and a weapon to fight MI
monopoliea with from railroad to Government bon.
tics on Iron, salt, coa and all other hubugB Huch as
taxing ourselves, thinking It will mako ua rich.
Now, Mr. T. ". Lawrence haa either slanilered my
Judgments or your pnpcr. And should think ha haa
done in puro Ignorance or it's cotonta. Respect-
fully, O. 8. co1ooa
ANBWEn.
II Mr. Il. ". Lawrence stated what is hero
alleged, ho is fraud upon his hearers. We
have not boon solicited OF asked by any railroad
company or railroad man, directly or indirectly,
to publish one line for thom, or in thoir behalf,
ancc tho present controvorev heo.n Wn n.hc~"
ru1naed 10 encourage farmers to boliovo in cor
tain lies which arc told them by domagoguos, OF
whom Mr. r. ". Lawrence may or may not DO
ono.
Ono Of tho lies which has boon industrious1y
ia, in substance, whatovor uico form Of words
may bo employed, that tho State OWNS all tho
railroads, and can, therefore, through its 1egis-
1aturo, fix tho ratos Of freight and faro
on them without consulting tho roat own
ers. This hallucination was started four
or five yoars ago, and nc endoavored to
point out itB unroasonableuess at TINT timo.
This fallaoy was ongraftod on tho now Consitu-
tlon Of tho State In 1870. ind thus became to be
moro generally and thoroughly believed to bo
truth. The Legislature OF 1871 assumed It to
DO Il truth. and daotcd upon it, There has boon no
time, auco this doctrine was first promulgated,
that itH advocates in and out Of tho Legislature
Lave recognized tho existence Of any rights on
the part Of tho roal ownorB Of tho roads, and it
was not until thoy were brought UP with
round turn by tho suprome Court that they
oyon doomed it worth while to consult
with them. Wo boliovo that they have
now consented to hear what tho other
side have to say, II they had done this two
years ago, as wo advised, the railwny legislation
Of this State would havo boon nearer to point
whore practical results might DO attained than it
now s. It would hnyo been eaHlor for us to
layo ioinod III the common howl than It
was to utter q word of caution. Wo submit
now, as no did then, that haste maltos waste,
%1,n43 r., Il -
tlon OF freight charges, with the vast complica~
tion Of competing linos, State Boundaries and
water transportation it would DO wiao to consult,
in an Intelligent and orderly nannor those who
built tho roads and who pay tho cost Of oporat-
ing and maintaining them, before coming to
lotlnite conclusion.
Another lie that has been Bedr1lous]y incul-
catod H. that it the prico Of corn Is at certain
figure In New York, tho railroads ought to carry
1t thoro at such ratio rs will yiold q certain
wholly irrespective Of tho question whether they
have or can obtain cars enough to do 1t or not.
A fow days. ago tho Eric Railway had 200 cars
lying at Jersey City, loaaod with bacon con-
signod to European ports, waiting for steanlors
to take 1t away. The usa of these caya was worth
go por day, and since tho steamers could not
take tho freight 1t WAS placed in store by
tho Eric officials, whoroupon there was
great outcry on tho part Of tho owuora
Of tho bacon, who wanted to usc
tho cars for storolousea without paving
anything. 3Yo uBe this illustration n,orely to
show that there is a detlolonoy in tho means Of
transportation, both on land and wator, aud
that whether tho price Of corn COCA up to dollar
or down to 1yo cents IN New York. tho railwaya
cannot carry bushol Of 1t 10 long Us tloro is
moro valuable property, like bacon, waiting to
DO moyoa. It IL fact well known to tho CON-
1neroinl community. TINT thoro Aas boou tloa-
cienoy OF oars hero all winter to moyo tho uorlr
aud beef product. aud a lllo deficiency Of ocean
tonnage ut Now York to moyo the same o1asu Of
freight. How ialo, thon, to talk about tho low
price OF corn in Iowa. and to hold up tho fact
that farmers arc burning It Tor fuel That ia q