Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1873-08-22

If the farmers of Buchanan county
would oil read for themselves just one of
the planks in the platform adopted by
the Autobiography Convention at Des
Moines, they would have nothing to do
with the unclean thing. They there re
solve "that the legislature of Iowa should,
by law, fix the maximum rates of freight
to be charged by the railroads of the
State, leaving them free to compete 6elow
these rates" This is naked surrender
of the only point that can be of any prac-
teal use to US IN this locality. It is sim
DIV q sole of the countryside farming
localities and interests to the towns and
cities. It did not need the selection by
that Convention of O'Donnell, of the city
of Dubuque, young and aspiring lawyer
and politician, to the place of Lieut.. Gov
ernor, and Hall, an ambitious lawyer and
politician from the city of Burlington, for
the place of Supreme Judge, to convince
any thinking man that at that Convention
the farmers were juggled and the laboring
men were betrayed. The air was laden
with the fact. You could see it every
where, in the predominance of hackneyed,
kiln dried, political faces, and the absence
of farmers, of new men, or men VINO in
any true sense represent the people.
This Convention proposes to enact u
law fixing a maximum rate, nd leaving
the roads free to compete below these
rates. Now it is impossible for the leg
islature to fix maximum rate to apply
to all the roads in the State that the
courts will sustain. Take road earning
twenty per cent. clear, the courts may
allow that to be extortion and will sus-
tain the legislature in cutting it down by
establishing a lower maximum rate. Take
another road that does not pay running
expenses, no court will sustain law that
will reduce its rates, for there is no power
or right anywhere to compel an Iowa
railroad to rarry freight at an actual cost.
AS applied to Buchanan county Il men,
ton our county because it interests us
most) the resolution is o soulless mockery.
The Iowa Division of the Illinois Central
returns loss of $4,000 on the business
of the last year. Now the legislature is
not going to pass law increasing the loss;
if it should the courts will override it.
The other road passing through our
county will not make any better showing,
and by virtue of law establishing lower
maximum rate only, our county would
receive no relief whatever, and that is
Just the position in which this resolution
proposes to put US, and with US the ma
iority of the farmers of the State.
What we need, and what we must have,
is a law preventing unjust discrimination.
The legislature can pass such law and
the courts will sustain it. That will re-
lieve us, nothing else will. The legisla-
ture cannot say to q road doing business
at loss, "You must reduce your aggre-
gate receipts" But the legislature may
say, "You must equalize your ch6ges so
as not to discriminate unjustly against
any person or section" That is common
sense and common honesty, and will af-
ford us relief here in Buchanan county,
but that is just what the Anti-Monopoly
Convention has denied us, and what is
there proposed will surely be executed if
these men get into power.
In sharp contrast to this resolution is
the utterance of the Republican Platform
adopted at Des Moines June 25th. In
the third count it reads: "While actual
capital invest ell in such means OF transit,
whether by railroad or otherwise, should
be permitted the right of reasonable re-
muneratIQn, abuse in their management,
excessit htes, oppressive discrimination
against localities, persons or interests,
should be corrected by law" The Repub.
lican Platform proposes a law that will
regulate every road in the State, and give
transportation at just rates in every sec
ton. The mixed party proposes law
that scarcely has any application at all,
will benefit very few if any of the farmers
of the State, but will be in the interests
of the cities and large towns. The Ke-
publican party stands squarely up
for the best interests of all classes, but
makes no speciality of petting the farmers
but does justice to them, while the mixed
party fiatters with its mouth, and toadies
to them, but has not one grain Of sympa-
thy with them, and the garrulous Irish
and the self satisfied Ed. Campbell, think
ing everything sure, had tho impudence
to put few words too much in the new
platform, and thus let the cat out of the
bag. COMO.