Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1874-12-25

within fifty years be worth one hun
dred dollars per acre, will never
prove true while the cost of trans
porting our products to the markets
of the world is rs great as now. I'm
less there is a radical change, we
shall indeed be shut out of foreign
markets. In the bread-making GER
calls, Russia is our great competitor
in the English markets. The increase
in the Russian export to Liverpool in
the five years preceding 1872 was TO-
600, 1000 bushels, while our decrease
for the same time was 100000
of bushels. When we understand
that Russia had but just begun to
adopt the plan of handling her
grain by elevators, and that the cost
Of her frcights are diminishing, and
that our grain fields are day by day
rcccding from the seaboard, the pre-
diction is not so visionary that when
Russia has driven us from the mar
kets in Europe, she will compete with
us in the markets of Boston and
Portland, unless cheaper means of
transportation are provided.
Under the hope that competition
between roads would accomplish the
object of cheapening transportation,
the people of Iowa have aided and
encouraged the building of new roads.
In dong this they have imposedr pom
themselves heavy burdens of taxa
ton, only now to find that instead of
bringing competition into the field,
they have doubled the power with
which they had to contend, and have
aided in quartering upon themselves
Il new and expensive organization,
which must be supported from the
products of their toll. A spirit of
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT has taken possession
of the strongest companies, the work
of Capitalization and absorption has
gone on to an extent unparalleled in
the worlds history. We find these
companies meeting in common con-
spiracy, and fixing the rates of charges
upon the products of the soil, not
asking what is Just and compensatory
but what will the property bear? In
addition to this, their immense capital
is being used to perpetuate their al
ready dangerous ascendency.
There is graver question than
the material and financial one before
us. 1t is no less than the power and
stability ofthe government. Disguise
it as we may, the question is before
us, and must be met, is the govern
ment to be for the purpose of foster
ing the industrial interests of the
whole people, or is it to be made sub
servient to the interests and behests
of organized capital. Who is to
control, people or capital?
The people have a desire to be more
than generous in the final adjustment
of this question. Of this their mu-
nifcent donations to the railways of
the State are sufficient guarantee.
There is no desire to see the roads
operated at a loss. All they ask is,
that they shall submit to fair and
impartial investigation of the actual
cost of their roads, that they will not
exaggerate their operating expenses,
nor duplicate any portion of them
with their construction account; that
they will credit the short and tribu-
tary lines with the rebates to which
they are entitled in gathering up the
business for the through lines, and
above all, observe all Legislative en-
actments with the same taithfulness
which private citizens do.
Future Legislators are called upon
to compare our own, with the pains
taking care which is taken in every
other government beside ours. No
systematic effort has been made to
ascertain the condition, extent, bur-
dens, or necessities of our internal
commerce, and inadequate means pro-
vided to enforce the Legislation we
have already had. The people de
mand different line Of conduct, and
it is our duty, as citizens, to see to it
that we make Legislators, who will be
equal to the emergency.