Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1879-03-14
The Grange Matter Again,


Nr. Editor After a careful reading of two
recent editorials in the SENTINEL bearing upon
the Grange, the impression remains that it is
your decided opinion that the competition be-
tween the productions of The Western and
Eastern States. as pertaining to this country,
controls the prices thereof 10 The Eastern mar
kets or is the cause of The present low prices
which prevail in them. Whether intentional
or not, this is the impression they leave, and,
TO say the very best of il, it is open to ques-
ton.
10 any consideration of "demand and sup
ply''-a fundamental principal OF political
economy-ihe crops and markets uniVerSal are
OF necessity involved. And whilst in such
consideration it is obvious that the supply
from any single locality does have some effect
upon the prices which prevail in localities
which produce in excess OF home consumption
as the Eastern States do in most things, yet
the prices are mainly controlled by ''foreign
demand" Without this, we would have no
market at all, al least none 10 speak Of The
rates of transportation from the West have so
slight an effect upon this "foieign demand"
as to be utterly impercep!ible, as will be pres
emily shown. II was Simply a question with
the Western producers whether they should
permit the railroads 10 ''gobble up their pro-
duce Tor transportation, or whether they
should exact Of them share of whatever
profits might accrue therefrom in the Eastern
markets. Into these markets it had TO come,
and must come. whether at bioh rates or low
rates for transportation, for there were no
other means by which,io dispose of it.
Whether the Grangers brought about
noticeable reductie6. IN these on Through
lines" or whether Ga did not! here neither
admit nor deny; but If they did, it does not
appear, in the Two editorials mentioned, by
l,ats 81. a
their State lines TO effect IT. If they did con-
troll il. there must have been legal WAYS of
doing il, OF the Courts would have interviewed,
backed as ibey were land arel by powerful
and wealthy CORPORATIONS with Whatever of
newspaper influence they chose TO nav for.
|, is uotIopp since il was very generally
remarked that the legislature of MARYLAND was
controlled By the Baltimore & Ohio railroa6
greatly AGAINST the interest of the farmers of
this "Eas'ern State.". say nothing of the
truth of 1t, neither Of the ruth of what is
commonly remarked Of the recent Legislature
"That b, compromising the suit with said
road, THE Stale of MARYLAND vs.. the B. so.
r. r. ! compromising in the face of the de.
cisions of the Courts, the State lost an enor-
nous sum of money Justly due it. These
things are surely to be remembered in. consid.
erina any question like the one before us.
Again. a similar ouicry was raised against
the construction Of the Chesapeake and Ohio
canal "Low rates and easv TRANSFORMATIONS
from the productive West would min ,he farm.
ers of Mar yIand The market would be lood.
ed and DESTROYED Nc y And ye, wa know
that nothino of ,he sort .oolx ,Iace.. Ins,e,d
of being In snv wav infurions IN The msrke,
If was anna rsniiv n bcnef, This ,lso ia 70 he
remembered
Again. into The ouestion relative to the re-
dncljon In Tho rates an sitbron,b lines ,, tb.ra
is another. n further reaching and altogether
more nowerftl factor M wnrk F. The trans.
porting nouer Of The roads Ia i, excess of Tho
demand. and he eomne,i,ion between Them Is
far more effective Than ANYTHING the uWestern
Granpers'' did o, could do. This competi-
tion has created for itself n name uRailrood
War; And on,v a li,,Ie while ago II raced 90
furiousIy that CHARGES for iransnortation were
uominai-the carving was done for The name
name oft alone. And ve, tbronch the whole of
this "war'n The nrices of nrodnce were en-.
tirely quiet nj one-third Tor morel biober
rates in Eastern markets than at nresent' AL
though there was no scarcety in the West.
The effect of the extremely low rates WAS i'm
perceptible. The Hsar,i however. was more
than costly TO the railroads and somebody had
TO nav for IT, NavI Long before the Granu.
was thought Of the DISCRIMINATION" aqains,
local freiohts was known and felt in his
State. A car load vas carried from Cumher-
land to Baltimore al the same cost as from
Adamslown, Frederick county although there
was difference of more than a hundred miles
in favor of the latter. The G & 0. canal
touched Cumberland but not Adams,ovn.
That the reduction effected by " Western
Changers "causes the increase in local
freighls' to make the railroads paying con-
Germs, is something marvellous having in view
the large excess Of these roads, their costly
competitive WARS" the princely salaries Of
part of their officials, The gorgeous especial
trains' for the accommodation of their
''chiefs," the grand dinners, champagne sup
pers, &c all Of which things must be paid FOR
by some body in some way. Aud it is far
more reasonable to rest the blame for hiuh
''local rates" upon these thngs-the pomp
and splendor Of railroads-lhan upon the
for which Eastern farmers have 10 pay in their