Weekly Trinity journal., 1873-11-29
EDITORIAL PARAGRAPHS.

"THE TRANSPORTATION PROBLEM"
] This is the title of a cartoon in the last
number OF Hq1per's Weekly. 1t is de-
signed in Nast's inimitable style. The
cartoon represents a train of railroad
cars wrecked, and farmer standing by
his piles of produce asking the question :
What am l to do now, Mr.. Wildcat
Spectator ?" to which the reply is Civ
en-, "Solve your own problem Mr.. Farm
er Despot." This cartoon Is, of course,
attacked in the columns of the professed
"anti-monopoly" sheets, the chief of
which says that had Mast represented a
farmer standing by his produce, and a
railway president leveling pistol at him
and demanding four-ftths of his produce
or his life, it would have been a truth
comprehensive to the weakest under
standing. Now, the inference to be taken
from this remark is, that it costs four
fifths of the farmers produce to transport
the remaining fifth to market. Which is
about as near to telling the truth as some
of these rabid sheets can come.
The highest price paid for wheat at
San Francisco this year, was we believe,
two and three-tenths cents. At the same
time our Illinois exchanges were quoting
wheat at 81 10 per bushel, or Sl.83 cents
per one hundred pounds. San Francisco
is seaport at which vessels load direct
for the markets Of the world, while every
town in Illinois requires land carriage
Of from one thousand to fifteen hundred
miles before its produce can reach mar
ket. Whether the rate of forty-seven
cents on each one hundred pounds ship
ped that distance is too great, or not, we
shall not undertake to decide. Undoubt-
edly the farmers believe that it is, that
freight of that class can be moved at n
profit at a much lower rate. This, how
ever, we do know-that since railroad
communication has been opened up with
the West, the price of all descriptions Of
farm produce has advanced greatly. We
have known the best quality of Winter
wheat to sell, on the shores of Lake Mich
igan, (then the chief route oe transporta-
tion,) as low as fifty-fve cents per bushel,
one-half the price it now commands
We do not doubt that some of the cheap
er and more bulky products, as oats, po-
tatoes, hay, etc, will leave only small
profit after paying present rates Of ship
ment, although these articles bring what
must seem high price at the Atlantic
scaboard. Nor will hostile movement
about a different result. If shipments
can be made at lower rates, the business
interest of competing agencies will induce
them to do tiff not, the agencies can
not be forced to carry freight at a loss to
themselves.
We do not question what the Union
says in reference to the elections having
been carried against the Republican par
ty this year, in some of the Western
States, on this anti-monopoly question:
But that fact does not touch the question
OF right and wrong involved. 1t proves
that the Western farmers demand trans
portation at reduced rates, but it does not
prove that their demands should be COM
piled with. That is a question to be de
cided on its equities alone. A political
movement like the one now being carried
forward by the Independents, or Gran
ers, is apt to develop more strength in
the outset than at any subsequent time,
which accounts for its partial successes in
the late elections. Know Nothingism
swept over the land like tornado in
l855-the year following it could carry
but single State. If the Western
farmers have just cause of complaint, it
can be removed without the necessity of
n resort to separate political action-and
if they have not, their party movement
will fall through with its own weight.