, 1874-01-26
CORPORATE FARMING.
A Bill to Encourage tic Cultivation of
Farn-Lands by Stock- Companies.
Provisions of the MIcas1lrc--.How
1t viii Operate.


lU bAo plOWblhEo OF tN0 Bt0cKnOluef. Anu 1t t9
coming. 1t will probably absorb all tho schemes
for cooperative farming TINT havo gone to their
lttlo collins, or TINT may be now undergoing
goatation. lcad!ng Granger III tho Lower
Branch Of tho Legislature hns drafted bill
which ho proposes soon to Introduce. specially
"to encourage tho cultivation Of farm-1anda in
this State by stoolt-companies.
Representative g. la not alono in tlliB pro-
joot to roap profit from tho past yoars study of
railroads and tho way they doit llo tolls n1a tint
several woalthy farmers Iii lho House arc roady
to support tho moasuro whonevor tho timos arc
considered favorable for It's introduction. And
It ia only that friendly confidence Is sometimes
to be respected above oven tho popular appetite
for eccentric newB, that I withhold his namo for
tho prcsont. And, II tho n,anipnlatora Of tho
nloyomant shall be ablo to show. al looks plalls-
BILE, that aggregated capital Gun 10 made to hnr-
yeat from 60 900 acres Of lind bottor percent
ago Of profit for tho outlay than 600 aInglc-
hnndel fnrmers can from 100 acrcs oacl, just Us
1t can moro pro1tably operate 600 miles Of rail-
roal than eau 600 men one milo oach, tlleu 1t
will not bo impossible TINT few years to tho
trout shall fluid farming Nv completely royolu-
tlonizcd M has been transportation within
tho last twonty yoars. 1t would, indeed, be ono
of thu marvols Of progress In tho yiowa Of a
groat class upon d great subject, il the lnrge
tarners Of to countryciarme.s who p'ow witl,
heads as we'll US their wleattlolds, from bit:or
contao. with stocks and shares IN ruiil'uads--
from fighting iton-wlloeled monopoly" with
pitchfork and pruning.-hoo!s, should utilize
amnseing wealth, c1ninonco, atau power. by apply
inE tlle same principles to practical farming.
Tlo lll whose tito aayo given will provide
for consolidation by tcn or moro landowners
.n$%+ S%,@o
walton, and the issne Of stock to each according
to tho vnluo Of his lnnlH anu improvements. Said
6harcH Of stoc shall not bo issued in Hums of less
than II 900; that Is, no mum car hold nny unless
ho caE tako $1,000 WORTH Stockholders shall
llayo voice in tho management Of tho affairs Of
tue corporation opo1tionatc to their nloneyod
interests. The officers Bllall consist Of presi-
don't, Vico-proBideEt, Treasurer, aud Secretary.
They slall DO chosen annually OH tho first Mon
day. in JANUARY, and receive such salary M
minority in value Of the Stockholders shall from
tno to time dcem just they shall constitute
All Executive Board, and Bisall mako ann,lnl
choice of General aud AZ, Assistant sl-
Supervision in dotail Of tho practical
working Of the plantation, tho distribution of
tho lald to particular crops. employment of
laborclu, and purchase Of provisions a,l.s such
farn-nlachiuory ns s,.ay not be manufactured by
tho Company. Tho Executive Board shall also
clooao q Superintendent Of Manufactures
and another Of Transportation, whenever tho
Company Bhall decide to make its farul-tools and
luu railroad-trackB across itH lnnlB.
Thin uoyo1 bill will also provide that any BrcA
corporate Farming Company may issue stock
beyond tho actual valuation Of its proporty.-pro-
vidcd that its annual not profits sAall ut al! tes
DO equal to ut loast ~ pcr cent Of tho full
OF stock shall nover oxcocd $1,0000O0.
And 1t shall havo power to manufacture farming
implements for its own Use, or sale to others
ut nuch figures as it Hlla1l doem reasonable aud
$n4
own lands and tho intervening highways; aud
ndjnceut fhr1n-curporations may unto their
traoks and operate their Boveral lines Us ono
body. Oh Huch tormB as they may agroo upon
gers for thoir mutual benefit, and for those not
membora Of either corporation, as they nlay
deem expodiont,- t,-provided that State froightaand
State oif!oers Including members OF tho AgEisia.
Courts, SHALL at al. times, rido FREQ Of ali TOLLS
Each Company Hhnll niBo hive tho power to
fix the prices Of itg own farm-products, and may
hold tho sn1uo until sucll time rs 1t may deem
judicous to soil. Ana the rolng-stocA upon
the united railroads. Of such corporate Farm
Companies, wlcnovor 100 miles or more are
operated togothor shall 10 exempt from State
taxation, as also shall bo sl farming implements
manufactured by such Company, md in actual
uBo by tho Company making them. Such COM
panea may also have landa for q term Of years.
And the bill will further provide TINT any Conf
pany organizing under 1t ehnE bo doomed enti-
tied to hold as voBted rights aud interests what
over powers it may acquire undcr the low prior
| to any adverso legislation on tho subject.
| l do not believe that tho bill can pass, cor-
tainly not without several very serious atnend-
| mouts. But 1t ehowB that the spirit for united
effort and creator profit Is Just strong n1nong
tho agricultural capitalists, whom once they learn
how, as 1t IL with men bred to handle railroad or
other BtockH
Nor, II anch IN absorbing. grasping syn.em Of
nd;culture Hllall ever come into goneral adop-
hui ta
condition Of thoGc men who vail then DO tho act
ual liggors in tho dirt be any better than
TINT OF tho serfs Of Fcudalis1n; nor will
thoir riso to mastership OF tho soil they
| with sorfa. They viii DO as tho hosts OF hired
hands whose muscles now do duty for the brains
| Of capital in railroads aud other combined ef-
forts to mako the most money for tho smallest
number.
This ia perfectly legitimate it is business,
and compnlsory upon no man. But, when tho
representatives OF q half-mfllfou or million OF
capitnl unite to pool tue earnings Of thoir own
lands, and buy up Or leaso that Of their neigh-
bors, until townships and whole counties aro
absorbed into ono grand corporate rancho, unlor
a single corporate ownership. and tic licta-
ton OF from ono to a dozon men, then
| will the status Of tho farm-laborer bo NJ fully
| fixed for life ns is that Of the railroal-rouet-
tho shops; anl tue clances for ownerships in
| lunds by the mGn who plows mud sowH for wages
| will be nj the CHANGES of DukoB coacllnnn to
como into ownership Of llia castle, or the proH-
pccB TINT each OF the 10000 minors on strike iu
| Pennsylvania will some day own coal-mina.
A farm of 500, 600 acros, with o single head.
would undoubtedly le ablo to produce tho fruits
Of the soil ut prices below the present ratos, and
such US ainglo-luntlcd farmers could not compete
with IT. 4 profit. SO that q fow such
immenso corporate, farms would crowd small
1andholtors into rotiromont mud q county would
become simply tho whoat-tiold OF q single cor
porato owner, and politleal profits and positions
would DO wholly in tho hnMds OF handful OF
men. Present railroads wlll tAeu hayo to take
back seatn III Legislation.
Tho first announcement Of thia agricultural
scllome will, Of course meet with ridleule,-
| much aB did Fulton's first steamboat; but it III
fully as possible and practical M tho steamboat,
| and not unlikely to work n revolution 10 vast,
though loss glorious for tho masses. Yet no QUO
can gainbny itH Legitimacy. It simply meaus that
tho Sroat farmers have studied tllo theory ol
railronIs and learned something. They propose
70 have piece Of that SAME polk to unito, no'
for charity nr pablo benefit, but for tho same
private, selfish ouda which arc tho stimuli Of a
lnsinoas olynnlxai ions, from pca!.ut'pcddlors to