The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1874-07-16
GAN UPRISING OF THE PEOPLE.

Senator Carpenter, while making
Fourth of July grafton at Janesville, re-
ceived by telegraph the news of the de-
cision of the Circuit Court at Madison
sustaining the validity of the Potter rail
road law, His remarks at once diverged
to what he calls "this unexampled up
rising of the people" against the tyranny
of capital; and he said many fne-sound-
ing things of the efforts of the farmers to
relieve themselves from the oppression
of monopolies and fix within reasona BILE
limits the cost of transporting our prod
ucts to the seaboard" This he called
labor taking measures for its own pro-
lection. 1t is one of the privileges of
labor to fix its own wages. The farmer
is at liberty to ask for his corn whatever
price he pleases, and if he cannot sell it
he may feed it to his hogs or burn it for
fuel. just so his hired hands may
charge as much as they like for their
work, and if they cannot agree with their
employer, it is free country, and they
have right to remain idle. But Mr.
Carpenters idea of liberty for the farmer
is much more comprehensive; it seems
to have good deal to do with curtailing
the liberty of other people. The doc
trine that a man has a right to charge
what he deems fair for his labor does
not apply to railroads. The Wisconsin
farmer must fix the price not only of his
own labor but of the railroad mans labor
too; for it makes a great difference
whether one works with hoe and a
steam-plow or works with freight-car
and locomotive.
The tyranny of the numerical majority
in Wisconsin is just now triumphant,
and the people, in the first excitement of
kl,1TVR ,1.1H,, L
possible task of regulating the price of
commodity by legislation. The railroads
will not carry on business at loss.
They must reduce the quality of their
service in proportion to the reduction in
rates, or they must invest money in poll
tics, and so buy permission from the
Legislature to increase their charges. In
either case the farmers will suffer, the
developments of the State will be checked,
and grain will fetch no more for the
grower than it does to-day. Perhaps af-
ter little experience the farmers and
the railroads will both realize that they
are necessary to each others prosperity,
and that neither can thrive by the plum
der of the other.
The Cincinnati Gazette has had several
articles upon the subject lately. Here
of Monday last:
One difficulty with the granger State
acts reducing railroad rates, is that it
works to the injury of farmers in other
States. For example: The Chicago and
Northwestern Railway is partly in Illi-
nois and partly in Wisconsin, and has
leased lines in Iowa. Its cost is stated
at over seventy-nine millions, and it has
paid interest and only about half divi-
dends. 1t is estimated that the Wiscon-
sin act will reduce its net earnings to
$747, ,752. Thus the interest on its bonds
will be mostly unprovided for, saying
nothing of dividends. That which is cut
off by the acts of these States must be
made up by higher charges in Illinois, if
the road is to continue running. Thus
the gain of the grangers of Wisconsin
and Iowa is at the expense of the farmers
of Illinois. These will have to retaliate,
and between the two the railroads will
be fixed