The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1880-10-22

4 .FARMERS, CONVENTION.
A rrs>a.. As.,..e 1ianr,.A ~ osAs- No
A CONVENTION Of farmers, made mp Of rep
resentatives from several hundred Granger
and other Organisations. was hold In Chicago
on the 18th OF Octobef. There were shout
three hundred Delegates IN attendance. Matt
Anderson wisconsin, was chosen President;
I. Prince Qlassaehusettsh W. J. Fowler New
York; A. b. Smith kentucky Milton George
Qlinoisl. J. e. Cobbey Qowa). and ]. J. Fuss
(Atchiganl Vice Presidents; Jonathan Periam,
]. n. Chambers and W. W. Corbett Nllinois),
Secretaries. ----5-.-.
Mr.. Piugree, Of Illinois, read an essay
on Cheap and Rapid Transportation"
He urged that the great drawback to the ad-
vancement Of the producer was the high
freight rates Of railways In order to have
the people prosper, cheap transportation must
be adopted by some means. The remedy was
the construction BY the Government Of . rail-
way to carry exclusively freight from the
grain-growing States Of the West to the sea-
board. IT, gfii - az tsi9 s5t'i
The following preamble and resolutions were
reported from committee and, after discus
sion unanimously adopted:
This Convention, representing the industria
and shipping interests, Oranges, Farmers
Clubs and alliances, afirms as incOntroverti-
BILE facts that the railroad system Of this coun-
try has become Q virtual monopoly which Is
defiant of all existing law bearing upon the
management of railways, oppressive alike to
the producer and consumer, corrupting to our
politics, q hindrance to free and impartial
legislation, and menace to the very safety
Of our republican institutions; that our rail-
load corporations, while having secured an
existence and their franchises through the
and in the belief on the part OF the peoples
representatives that the public good demand
haMRS been the Of WAY
ating their roads as an entirely private en-
terprise, without regard to the rights of
the people, and needless Of their pledges
to, and contract with, the State; that they
have been aided in the construction Of
their roads by the Government, in
public land grants, and subsidies and loans.
a9gregating in value over q billion and q half
of dollars, and by town and individual sub
scriptions to an amount which cannot be &C
curately ascertained, but ID known to aggre-
no part Of the principal and not penny of the
interest has ever in single instance been
paid, these corporations utterly ignore the
have thus voluntarily burdened themselves in
their behalf, and assume the right to impose
rates for freight and passenger transportation
III IO60S
the contributions of their Individual mem
bers; that their publicly-announced principles
OF business is to charge rate as high as the
business Will bear, wn1oh means that freight
tariffs shall be maintained at just as high q
figure as will not make the shipment of farm
produce and merchandise absolutely object
less-a principle SO unjust and tyrannical that
those engaged in private business enterprises
would not dare adopt it; that they compel the
producer and shipper to contribute sufficient
to pay large dividends not only upon the fair
h.pk
full value of large and repeated issues Of wa
tered stock; that they organize within them
selves independent cOmpanies-which manage
what are called fast freight lines-to do the
thus are enabled to assess the public TO pay
dividends to two companies when one could
DO the business; that they discriminate against
power, and using it most disastrously at times,
to ruin merchaQt, or mercantile or farming
community; that these corporations have
grown SO arrogant that they refusetO listen to
either remonstrances or entreaties, and that
State legislation is wholly imperative to
thwart their designs or to enforce the right of
the public. In view of these startling facts,
and in accordance with the decision of the SUI
preme Court Of the United States. affirming
the right of the people to regulate the man
agement OF and charges upon railroads, this
Convention resolves: .rl.t- .yr
/. That the producers and shippers Of this
country in their contest with the railroad
ad shey Viii
2. That while agriculture pays less than four
per cent. upon the investment, and legitimate
business enterprises of any character seldom
the transportation of the produce Of our farms
| to market which enable railroad officials to
amass princely fortunes, live in extravaganza.
| and pay large dividends upon the fair value of
| their stock, besides saving enough from the
profits of their business to make improve
ments and extensions upon their lines which
are often more valuable than the aggregate OF
! full dividends. ~
3. We demand Of Congress remedy: that it
| shall place the railroads Of the country under
Government control. enactinR laws that will
certainly protect the producer from the terri
| BILE extOrtion under which he has 50 long suf-
| fered, and we will hold our Representatives in
the National Legislature to q strict accounts
bility for their action in the premises, pledg.
ing ourselves and our constituency to exert
| ton Of any man to any Legislative or Execu-
| tive ONCE who does not actively favor in his
| official capacity the subjugation of railroad
1. We demand of our respective political
| parties that hereafter they shall nominate for
| the State Legislature and. for Congress only
| such men as are in sympathy with the indus.
| trial and commercial interests, and who, IT
elected, will work and vote to place the pro-
| duction upon an equal footing with mOnOpo-
lies Of every character; and if our respective
parties neglect to 90 Snis we piedge S@ssel YES
candidates which they present for our suf-
frage.
s. We congratulate the Grange and Farmers
Clubs upon what they have done to emancf-
| pate the labor of the farm from slavish drudg-
cry to monopolies, and urge them to a oontin-
uance Of their noble work, which has been so
| effective in the education of the masses, and
such an obstacle to class legislation.
6. We bid q welcome and gOdSpeed to the
Farmers Alliance which Joins hands with the
| Grange and Farmers Clubs in demanding these
reforms which are requisite for the prosperity