The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1873-07-05
THE PALLADIUM.
SATURDAY, JULY s, 1871



The Western farmers feeling
their dependence upon the rail
roads, and realizing the fact that
there is no profit to them In such
expensive trassportation. have
turned the whole power Of their
organization against the manage
M ent Of the railroads, without in
curing whether there may net be
come elements OF depression be-
sides the present ruinous cost Of
carriage. One Of the organs Of
public opinio. in that section Gays
that the increased production Of
corn, caused by three prolific crosp
In succession, has had 40 much to
do with the low prices Of farm |
produce % any defects Of the rail- |
road system. And this vast In.
crease Of production is evidently |
the result Of the rapid extension
Of railroads, amounting to nearly
ten thousand miles per annum OF
late years. By it the srea o: pro-
ducivs land within reach Of mar.
ket has bees % much enlarged
that more food h produced than
pays profit 10 tie producer: But
it is by no means esrtian that the
Western fArmers would dnd their
gains satisfactorily increased, even
if the railway corporations we're to
copceds their demsnda N rsduc-
ing freights . the lowest rate de-
sired. 1ndoet, come economists
maintain thst they would not-and
assert that the immediate effect
would be vastly to extend the
present area OF cultivated land, and
to make vast addition to the pres
ent host Of competors in tho mar
ket Hence they aiguer with ap-
parent justice, that every reductfoa
ct freight rates would enure msin-
~ to the benefit of the consumer,
and not the producer. Railroad
rates are high, partly bsosusss Of
the excessive quantity Of freight
to be carried, and Of the enormous
expenseof operating the roads. On
this last point the Louisville Cour-
Ter thus strikes the key note. II
"Spesd II the delinquent and tho
cause Of the loss OF the primary
advantages OF railway over the
primitive methods o. Transports
tioD. The vehicles on railroads
are propelled very fast, and they
therefore involve great strength In
their construction AMI ENORMOUS
weight In proportion to the paying
load carried. In the actual opera
ion Of = railroad, every passsnge1
3 involves two tons Of iron and tim
Der TO carry him. When Che steel
gradients and other impediment'
to railway transportation are, CON
sidered, It 10 found that on pas
senger trains thss only I've pc
cent Of the load pays, the remain
ing ninety:five per cent. beinl
made mp Ut dead and uuproftabl
material; while on freight train
not more shan thirty per cent. Q
the load which il hauled repre-
sents paying weight, the renainin
seventy per cent. being dea
weigh. When the farmer ship
thirty pounds Of produce BY raj
he has to pay for hauling one hu'
dred pounds Of weight. No VOL
der, then, that cheap Transports
ton by railroad is . difficult thin
to obtain"
The truth is, the Western IA
mers have been brought tsce
pee with one Of those nev indu,
trial or econumical developments I
which the extension OF the .ailws
system hes bsen the source. and
the farmers have been unable full
to comprehend the predicamen
and have therefore given Z wrou
direction to their indignation, Il
fact 10 no evidence OF their infer
ority, mental or moral Men ,
much greater intellectual prefer
sions than the farmers sppear to
equally in the dark, and hard
any one il bold enough with gre
confidence to predict what il to
the final solution OF the dficul,
Possibly grester restrictions up
railroad companies. with refo1
generally in the management
their affairs, would possibly lead
an amelioration Of things, bot st
al the reforms that might thus
accomplished, would hardly bri
remuneratiye prices for fArms
produce, when the supply happe
ed 70 exceed the demand, as b
been the case for some time %