The interior journal. [volume] (Stanford, Ky.) 1872-1881, 1873-04-11
mi ANTERIOR JOURNAL.
FRIDAY APRIL - Ii. 1873.



The Fsr~cv- s~< he Ra,iroad-.
The State Fsrme1 Association Of n.
hnois rvcsssly held . convevticn 10 con.
cert r'su q oppc>l'ioa to the railroad
companies. They ~.s, a. stated in IN.
call, or the puure ~ attending to their
Interests IN the legislature and Of giving
that body End ~ Gc,,rnor IN under.
stand that they nesnt business, and wer.
not 70 BE- riavd with. ~. N,w Tcrs
TrSu~, ptsr oecssios TO comment upon
the movements : fbllovs:
In oil psrts d nl;nci., IN Minn~ots,
In kasss. Mi--c.ri, and IN many
other postics Of the Wet. the excite.
ment o. thiy subject seem. to increase.
"Grange- i've been organised in almost
every peiSborbcod. A leag,e sailed
the Pasrcs{ Of Husbondry hs extensive
rsmi6catib s. The Western newspaper.
are devoYg more attention to tn, farm
ors' MOVEMENT than to any other topic
and the Question: Of freight. seems likely
TO becoSe . prominent issue in politics.
Undoubtedly the farmer who gets for hi.
grain bnly . third or q quarter # it,
valueIand whose land yield. him only
one Br cent. while his barns or. BURT
ing fifth unmsrketable produce. and his
frcssre fed with corn ON which he can
notlpay the transportation charges, is
entitled to the general sympathy Of the
cotntry, and he win have almost univer-
ed support, 20 long as he fights his battle
pfudently and fairly. The complaint
Sainst the railroads IL, first, that they
oaarge an exorbiiant rate for moving
.sfm products; secondly, that they DIS
rrimins'e uJustly and oppresively be-
tween competing and non-competing
points; thirdly, that they disregard the
laws regulating treights and fare-. and
that the courts unres-onably sustain
hem In their disobedience. That the
irst and second charges are sustained
here can be no question. That rates
ire lowered when navigation opens, and
'aised to a preposterous figure ~ soon ~
sinter sets in; that It costs more to send
thousand bushels Of grain fly miles
'e;ween non-competing points than q
thousand miles between competing
,oints, over the same road and at the
anne speed-these facts tell the whole
tory. All over the West the farmer is
It the mercy of these corporations. In
me county the railway has no oompeti-
or; in another il has made compact
With its competitors, and they plumber
he producer together. In either case
he result il the ssme, and the farmer
ees no way out of his difficulty except
~ the aid of the Legislature.
In Illinois, some time ago, pro rata
reight bill, passed for the purpose of
preventing unjust discrimination and ex-
ortion," imposed as penalty for dis
forfeiture of the charter of
he offending road. Under this law the
jircuii Court gave judgment in Deem
,er, 1871, against the Chicago and Al
on Company, BUSTING it from its fran
hises, but the Supreme Court Of the
State has recently reversed this decision,
IN the ground that the law impairs the
obligation of the contract virtually ex-
sting between the railroad and the State.
The action Of the Supreme Court has
reated great excitement in the agricul-
ural communities. and a movement is
making for the nomination Of anti
monopoly candidates for the judiciary,
md especially for replacing Chief Justice
lawrence, whose term is about to expire.
L is proposed also to reverse the action
# the court by adding anti-monopoly
Judges to its number-in imitation of the
packing of the United Supreme Court
when it was desired 10 affirm the consti-
of the legal-tender law. Agi-
alton of this sort is extremely mischiev-
,us. If the laws are defective the proper
emedy is not to .overturn the courts
which point out the defects, but to make
lew laws. 1t may be true that the
has no power to fix an Also
ute limit of rates, or to punish discrim-
nation in any form; but the Constitu-
ion gives it authority to provide some
penalty for "extortlOnate" charges and
unjust" discrimination, and more than
his the farmers have no right to demand.
What constitutes "injusiice" or "extor-
ion" should perhaps be settled by Il
'oard of competent railroad commission
rs.
We have no confidence that either :
'ourts, commissioners, or legislatures can
adjust on al equitable basis
he relations between producers and :
hese rich and powerful corporations, ,
which are steadily growing richer and ,
tronger. But there is chance that in
he present case the railroads may have
themselves. The New En-
land manufacturers are taking alarm at 4
Ne present condition of Western indus
ny. They have discovered that the 1.
rain country buys less and less at the /,
East. The farmers are forced TO ecouo- ,
nize more strictly. They are forced also !
o turn their attention to home manufac- .
ures. If we cannot afford to send our ,
m a