New-York tribune., 1873-07-31
Ia man has large farm and capital

from material on the farm that has market, ana S
therefore, really OF value unless used in tns way
Beside the corn which feed my stock and pgs' DrsS
me much more than 20 cents bushel
SIXTY BUSHELS OF CORN BUY TWO PAIRS OF Boie poVi'
"Ican give you striking examples Oh 'ho Pion' u
raising corn and wheat in this vciDy' u you u''io
One forenoon o man went past mere Win 'o"u "
bushels of corn lie said that he hau coho 'o"
tance-had started at four O'CLOCK III INC , HiOiH no
he returned in the afternoon, asked him now hueu no
bod 90, tr hs I'D Of corn He held two pairs OF
bovs, hoo,s and said that his 60 bushels OF coru' anu
In cash had inst purchased them. IL looks leas' f
days labor Of man and team 10 ralSc '"'V
,rctbor long day to haul 1t TO market 10 say ho'ih "
,r,ost an the farmers investment ana Other eNpo'o
idce that each pair Of boots cost about hVe oays
Ibor or its equivalent know another man VINO 'ooA
ton OF corn 10 market for the purpose OF puyHnB oV
n nurobased lust ton and he spent day "l'i nis
team in hauling. one year raised S'ooV ousno' "
wheat and kept a careful account OF lts cos'' ""oH
sold IT, and balanced my books found that hau ioi
my own labor which had not charged ana that Oh my
wife, who had terribly hard time OF u COOKING ior mar
yes,ers and threshers during the hot weather OF md
summer inst s3cO Why, Sir 1900 would not have PAID
for that summers work. Wheat is so uncertain CROP
a. has 80 many enemies from the time II Is sown uht
ia tbreshed and 1t is so exactng OF the farmer VINO
must attend to it at certain tine or ne VIII lose IL
that wo can't afford to raise ii for less than W cents
bushel. $500
our productive SOIL and facilities for reaching market
tho farmers Of Illinois ought to be fore-handed, com
fortaby housed and clothed. and able TO save little
every year. instead of getting deeper and deeper into
debt. We are intelligent ardworkng, economical
people and every Of US who owns his farm Is TO that
extent a capitalists and ought to be able TO DO as
VOL as the journeyman mechanic with less education,
than we and no capital II not right that the Chicago
Burlington and Quincy Rliroad which only moves our
erop TO Chicago distance Of 1872 miles. aud the trade IN
that c7 who handles IT, should be growing enormously
rich While we are growing poorer. II Is not worth II
cents bushe to take our from here 10 Chicago
and the railroad that Ia charging ii roDo!ng Us oI
part OF the frrts OF our labor"
RELATIVE ENHANCEMENT or rAR,I AND RAILROAD PROP
ERTY
"Mr Walker the President Of this road told me that
railroad nroperty in Illinois was not profitable, ana
while he admitted that his road was one of the few that
are paving dividends inferred from what he said that
IL wa. making only fair profits" remarked He said,
also that when you farmers complain that railroad cor
poratious arc getting rch YOU forget That While your
farms were bought for from 81 % TO s. acre. they arc
now worth on an average from go " SIS, and some o.
them even $780,"
eve don't forget that" said Mr. Smith, but let us
Sec now, how much it amounts TO. This country was
settled about 30 years by men who came into what
was then wilderness, lived for years IN log cabins, and
were deprived of every comfort aud luxury OF civilized
life suppose that they had remained and still hold the
land its enhancement represents all those prvationsand
besides the toll not only of the head Of the family but IN
many csses Of all its members for 40 years. Fifty dollars
an acre is high price for the average land IN this
county The increase in vane on an sOacre farm mas
been less than $1,000 Beside this We have barely made
a living Perhaps Mt Walker and his family would like
to try it,"
"And now in regard this railroad I'll give
you few facts and then you can see whether it IS
paving moro than fair percentage or not 1t has
paid dividend from the start and in addition TO
that IT has been constantly laying by surplus. Some
times this surplus has been used to water the Stock and
sometimes In other ways, Will tell you. The road
has numerous branches or feeders Each OF these has
been nomnay built by separate company. the towns
along the re been induced to subscribe for stock
and give town comfy bonds for n These bonds have
paid for grading and putting down the ties. Then the
company has mortgaged the road TO raise money to COM
pee It, in few years has 10 be sold for the benefit
of the mortgagoes the stock. which is mostly held by
the towns and cOuntes and for which they issued their
bonds ls wiped out tho Burlington Railroad buys the
branch for perhaps oneha or twothrds ITS cost pays
the mortgage ont Of its surplus. issues new stock ana
divides 1t among ifs stockholders. These men that
get tie stock never paid cent for IT, In some cases,
instead Of dividing stock, they divide the bonds
dividend Of this kind amounting to 60 per cent OF the
capital bayuG recently made. have been told OF
man whose original investment Of 500 in the stock OF
this road has increased 10 $4,000 don't believe H. but
90 believe that every dollars worth Of stock originally
put has been much watered as TO represent now
good many dollars"
THE CHARGE OF EXTORT1OS PERSISTED IN.
"You say President Walker told you that 1t required
large sums Of money TO increase the efficiency of the
railroads the country becomes more densely settled
We don't object TO that. IL road needs TO be extended
let the company Issue stock and get the money for
IT, No farmer IN this State will complain long the
railroads do not make more than 10 per cent on the
mid O 10
such exorbtant rates for freight; we don't think it
right that this Burlington Road should be able beside
paying dividend to lay by surplus; then when they
spend that surplus In building new road, they ought
not to expect the farmers to pay them such high rates
that they can divide 10 per cent on their surplus. In
other words they extOrt from unjusty 1000 ard
then come and expect realize out Of crops 10 per
cent on the money that ought 70 be in our pockets.
That's what we call extortiOn.
"Judge Beckwith OF the Alton Road tells you that
millions Of dollars have been sunk in the railroads OF
this State. have doubt that is true. He says that
IL you take the cost each item that entered into the
construction Of road, there is not road in the State
that pays fair percentage that amount. Well, what
Of tl Does Judge Beckwith expect to get 10 per cent
interest on all the money that has been sunk in esab
fishing railroads Suppose the man who preceded Inc
paid s. 600 for this farm and sunk 5000 more in improv-
ing 1t then suppose come and buy 1t for 5000 must
expect that the farm will pay me interest on $4,000
Yet this seems to me the reasoning OF the railroad
ayers. think know the farmers OF this State pretty
we'll and tell you only the truth when say that We
don't ask railroads to US for nothing nor for
any Der rates than they fairly Afford Then II
we are no better off We will look elsewhere for the
edy But tell you, II cents bushel Is TOO much Tor
carrying from here TO Chicago where IL delivered
here I'm the elevator Is carried only road and
Delivered IN the coupanys own warehouse and nothing
short of the figures showing the exact cost OF the service
will convince that not robbed by the railroad
of part Of the price Of every Dusbe OF corn we sehd
over IT,"
A NOVEL WAY TO GET AUTOGRAPHS.
Tr,;.o1 Garroor American S0riptv whose