New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1873-09-06
THE FARMERS WAR.
IT'S PHASES IN ILLINOIS REVIEWED.

TORY SPIRIT WANTING IN BOTH PARTIEs-REGU-
LATIoNs OF STATE AND INTERSTATE COMMERCE
-THE QUESTION OF CONGRESSIONAL CONTROL,
[ERoN THE SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT OF TUE TRBUNE.l
SPRINGFIELD, H., Aug 15-The anti-monopoly
crusade in this State has thus far been principally
inspired by local and personal grievances, and find
very few even of those who have been most active
abores for the proposed reforms who TO compre
bend fully the magnitude of the questions that must
necessarily arise from the present discussion-ques-
tons that will tax the wisdom of abest states
men and most learned political economists. Before
leaving Illinois desire to enumerate very briefly
few of the difficulties that will have to be sur
mounted before we can hone for any permanent or
satisfactory adjustment of the conflicting CLAIMS OF
the railroads and of the people and before the golden
mean of equal Justice to capital and producer Is dis
covered.
II is not within my province to discuss the policy
now quite popular in the West, of creating GOV
eminent competition with the present private ran
road lines either by the construction OF oouDIe-
track freight road from the Mississippi River to the
Atlantic Ocean, or by means of canals and sack
water navigation. In practice. doubt II any one
line of this kind could afford very general relief
The most experienced railroad managers OF the
West who are not interested in through ransporta-
ton express the opinion that from competing points
freiQhts TO the great Eastern cities are now about
as low a. they can be- made and yield any profit to
capital invested in railroads honestly built and
managed. A competing Government road they say
would either be obliged TO charge about as hlgh
rates as the through lines charge, or 1T would
have 70 be supported by taxation. The section OF
country 1t would relieve would. also, he oompar-
ativelv small. East and West roads now extending
acr6ss this State greatly relieve the farmers at the
points where they ntersect the Chicago roads, but
their influence extends only few miles either way
fIom the functions So too. Government road
would no doubt cause "a reduction of rates on
other roads at points where it came into direct
competition with existing lines but at "A few miles
on either side of those points it would make very
little difference.
WATER ROUTES TO THE EAST LIKELY TO GIVE RELIEF
fhe opening OF one or more water routes to the
East would be much more likely to give the farmers
relief The lakes and the Erie Canal modify very
greatly the through rates East the railroads dur
ing the Summer, aud the Illinois River, with the
canal connecting it with Chicago makes corn from
five 60 eight cents higher at the towns along its
banks than at those few miles away. The price of
corn at competing points on the railroads in the
interior of this State has been this Spring about 20
cents bushel At Alton on the Mississippi River it
has been so. II seems TO me that the great natural
highway TO foreign markets for a large quantity of
the surplus products of this great valley is by the
way Of the Mississippi River. The freight on -four
from st. Louis TO NewYork is, to-day, 81 20 BARREL
ond gram co cents per 100 pounds Flour is taken
to New Orleans by barges for 80 cents barrel, and
grain at . cents per 100 pounds. This gives New
Orleans an advantage of 20 cents barrel on flour
aud s. cents per 100 pounds on grain. With an in
crease of elevator facilities at NewOreaus the
tion of competition by the establishment of new
barge lines Il believe there only one at present.
and the opening of the mouth of the river, grain
could be shipped to Liverpool by that route enough
cheaper than by the present routes TO give the farm
ers a fair profit where they now have none. 1 have
not examined other proposed water routes, but /
think that no one who has given this subject careful
study can doubt that either by private public
terprise large portion of the surplus crops Of the
West is destined TO find its way to market by water
BOTH PARTIES TOO DEFIANT.
Meantime the great majority of the producers
must depend upon the railroads and in the present
contest believe that one Of the first things that
must be learned by each party that they must be
reasonable in their demands upon the other,
More than one prominent farmer in this State has
remarked to me that the railroad managers had it in
their power, last Winter, to allay all this excite
ment IT, instead Of manifestng the arrogant
defiant spirit in which they met the farmers, they
had said: Come, let us reason together; our
these roads, and you have as much right to demand
fair treatment IS we have to expect a reasonable
return for invested capital this Pro Rata law is
impracticable but let understand each other and
adjust these questions by mutual concessions" any
attempt TO organize the farmers against the rail-
roads would have utterly failed. The railroads
never successfully defend determinations in favor
OF one community and against another, except on
the ground that such determinations are reasonable
and while they are allowed by the terms
e of their charters TO demand compensation for
transportation and fix their own rates, in the words
OF Gov. Palmers inaugural address in 1869, lit is
probable that the principle from which this Incl
dental power of railroad corporations to demand
compensation for transportation results, to
the power as an essential condition to its exercise
that the rates shall be reasonable, when tested by
rules that arc applicable to natural persons engaged
in similar employments" - So, too, any law that
seeks to fix maximum rates for the railroads must be
reasonable in its provisions, and the Commission
which interprets it must be reasonable in its re.
durements. II was on this rock that the Pro Rata
law of 1871 split don't know that the rates pre-
pared under il by the Railroad Commissioners were
not fair enough the railroads never tested them,
but it forbade, as Judge Lawrence ably demon
strated in his opinion, reasonable determinations.
just where the line of reason runs will be most
delicate question for the Legislature or Railroad
Commission to decide.
REGULATIONS OF STATE AND INTERSTATE COM
MERGE.
The power Of the Legislature TO control the rail
roads of this State by reasonable regulations has
been affirmed by the courts but its limits have not
yet been fixed. 1t is assumed in the present law
that this power includes the right to determine
what are reasonable rates. The Railroad Commits
in ~, ,oIa Ill