The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1874-06-02
THE INDIANA STATE SENTINEL. TUESDAY JUNE = 1874

of the country, and, finally, an effort to re-
form the abuses, and carry to q more logical
conclusion the principles of our republican
democracy. 1t is a large part of the uni
versal upward tendency Of the manual
workers Of the world. It is as irrepressible
as the progress Of democracy on the earth.
It forecasts the time when the cunning of
the hand shall be directed by the brain of
the worker. Equal and exact justice to all
men," "All men are created equal" "Gov-
consent of the govefned;S "Whatever We
would that men should do unto you, do We
even so unto them"-these are accepted
principles, and must work out their logicnl
results. At the close OF the reading OF the
paper, the chairman invited discussion;
Judge Bollas was the first speaker. He said
that Mr.. Flagg's paper was not sufficiently
clear. 1t did not set forth with sufficient dis
tinctness the grievances of the farmers of
the West. The farmers must remember that
without the railroads there would be no
farms in the West Were there no railways
wheat and other grain coHld not be raised at
profit. With the old modes OF conveyance
the Western prairies could never have been
cultivated. The cost of transporting grain
from the West, it had been found, was two
and fourteenth cents per 100 pounds per mile.
This was TAR cheaper than the ordinary
modes of conveyance. The speaker sketched
the inducements which had been held out by
| the inhabitants of the Western states to
Eastern capitalists to build railroads The
| towns and counties had issued bonds to aid
the roads and then had attempted to repud-
late the bonds. Now they claim the right to
regulate the freight and passenger traffic OF
the railroads. The roads of the Eastern
states were making about seven per cent on
the capital invested, the Middle states about
seven and une-fourth per cent and the West
ern states only four per cent.
THE WESTERN RAILROADS
were not making anything like the profits
that had been alleged. A very large num-
Der had never earned a dividend. He could
not see that the Western farmers had any
ground for complaint. S. B. Ruggles said
that the people of ten states lying north OF
the Ohio river owned, in 1850 farm property
valued at 1914, 100000. The population OF
these states has doubled in the past ten
years. In 1870, the value of this farm
property was 1912, 900, 900, The value OF
the farm products was not given in 1850 and
1860, but in 1870 it was shown in these states
to be S97S, 100000. The farmer is not a serf.
He had no tyrannical landlord to oppress
him. 1t was shown that 975 out of every
| 1000 farmers in this section owned their
farms. In 20 years they had accumulated
S, 900 600, 090 worth of property. The census
of 1870 showed that there were 1000 OOC
farmers. This would give an average amount
of S2,4O0 to each. 1t is shown that they
had paid their help less than 10 per cent Of
their income. They had paid SOL
600 for help. 1t was shown that each
and all of these poverty-siricken farmers
laughter above the age of 10 years were in
the receipt of an income of S460. In the
light of this great progress what would bt
the result in the year 1900? In 1850 there
were raised 300, 900 900 bushels of grain in
those states: in 1860 500, 600. eco bushels; in
1870, $4,000 900 bushels; or 81 .OOO, 900 tons o.
grain. OF this amount 10000, 900 bushels
must be carried from the lake ports He
had been a canal man all his days. What ID
needed is that the canal shall be enlarged
Steam is now triumphant. The railroads
must disappear and give place to water
transportation. Canada is better governed
than the United States, for she has appropri.
ated So, O0O, 900 to facilitate water Transports
ton. The Canadians will yet carry grain
from Lake Michigan to Montreal for SO 81
per ton. 1t costs So 45 per ton to bring it tC
this city. We must have more ADEQUATE
canal transportation or Montreal will diver
the trade OF New York to the st. Lawrence