Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1880-02-07
The Transportation question.

EdttOT Sdr:-The unstable, and much OF the
time exorbitant charges for transporting freight,
principally by railroads, but by water tranSpor-
tation companies also, have been, to my recoI-
lection, conscious and sore agrievance to stock
raisers and grain-growers, since 1851 Plat year
and the three succeeding ones, for most OF the
time each year, / was in Illinois and Iowa on
business The freight rates then on stock and
lransportaole farm products were so unbelra-
bly, excessive that the farmers complaints Of
tnem were outSpoken, threatening andintenSe-
~ bitter. Complaints were made all over the
country OF the recreancy OF legislators, many OF
them were elected TO protect by legislation the
people from railroad freight extortfons, and yet
sold out to the railroad companies, leaving the
people without relief Whilst they condem ned
the treachery of their representatives they only
thought OF Furnishing the railroads. They
threatened openly to rip up the rails. A few
years before when the settlement of the coun-
try was In Its beginning, they were law of pro-
lection unto themselves If,-when q settler
after having struggled for years against priva-
Ion and hard necessity, had gathered about
him some OF the comforts and convenienceS OF
homes, and had saved money enough barely to
Did on his land at 1925 per acre-a money shark
az the puDnc land sales, undertook TO Out-bid
the poor settler. the people wrapped him over
and TOOK him to the river for bath. When a
treacherous representative returned home few
cold dips would have had very wholesome
ef1ect. am, however, In favor of the enforce
ment of Just laws.
AT the time have been speaking of the freight
rates were arranged upon readily adjustable
pr1nciple-arranged upon a facilely rising and
falling scale. And so sensitive were these rates
That they went up and down with the rising and
falling OF the market for stock and farm pro-
ducts, as quickly as the mercury in the therlno-
metr1Cal tube with the rise and fall of the tenn
perature; with this exception the falling freight
rate was not dt,rdps so sudden as the rising.
and 1t Is strange, too, ?) with the law OF gravity
aiding. The rising fleight rates seldomly per-
m1tted rising stock and farm produce market
to benefit the producers, but they frequently
suffered severely from the dilatorily descending
freight rates. with depressing market. This
was every diSintereSted observer must confess
most aggravatingly wrongful tntolerable con-
0lt1on or these rates. This condition of things
has continued from the date named down 10
and including the present, excepting the occa-
sional instances when the railroad managers of
the competing liAeS fell out. ''When rogueS fall
out honest men get their DUE"
But while the producing classes for these many
years have been egregious sufferers, and have
been crying out for relief what have their Rep
resentatres. (?) state and national, done to pro-
vide 1t? Not one thing. What loyalty to the
people who clothed them with authority and
power? Really. does it not seem that these place
men have many times used this power against
the people?
In 1867 the constitution of the Patrons of Hus-
Dandry was adopted by the originators of the
ORDER The primal Idea OF these men was to
secure 10 man. as tfler of the ground an op-
portunity for the exercise and development OF
his innate social principle, and to surely render
available the happy effects of such opportunity
and activity. Almost Immediately 1t was found
necessary to SECURE greater interest ia the order
TO buy necessary goods. groceries and farm i'm
PIGMENTS cheaply, by buying largely, at once
became an added purpose OF the order. Close
on to this, if not simultaneously with it, came
the project to exert the accumulated force OF
Ine order to obtain relief from long time exor-
bitant freight rates. This aggregated force
100000 persons. The order accomplished
nothing. for, as know. the common
membership assert that the high officials
this movement OF the Patrons of Husband
~ or closely following it. Congress walked up
ana the House. am not quite sure but that tn ;
house ana senate appointed a joint committee
appointed committee to investigate the trans
portation question. as If there was question of
the business and feasibility of what was asked
by the people. What that committee did know
not; know what they did not do: Didn't at
lord rellef In relation TO transportation. Their
actioh-the action OF Congress-seems to have
been mere matter OF stimulation. For several
years was instrumental in getting up clubs ia
the departments for potatoes apples, butter and
hour to be ordered from the west and north
with the view to cheapening the cost of living.
but the freight rates were so excessive and SO
frequently, that the produce cost as much as 1t
could be bought for In the Washington market
This was the case when | had received rates
from the freight agents, sometimes verbally
sometimes on paper. The undertaking had to
be abandoned.
One year ago last spring paid s9s for a car
rom Washington to this place-say 10 miles, /
never had paid before but $l2 II had been in
yonr CITY TO contract for car, could have got
IL 1or $l2 could get no rebate Railroads in
my experience, never have been known to dis
gorge oyercharges.
This last fall paid on box containing a few
plants, weighing 152 lbs, from a town on rail-
road In New Jersey to this place, ST. 49, The |
plants were not worth the cost OF Transports |
less $4,000
Congress, OF late, seems to have been stirring
up this question again. What is to be done?
Anything? When? For answer to the last |
question one tnstinctively turns to another
source, adopting the language of fervent impor-
tunlty OF one OF old: - How long. oh Lord. how
long," GRANGER
FALLS CHURCH, VA.