The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1886-11-25
A WORD TO THE FARMERS.
A Strong Argument in Behalf of the
Proposed Santa Fe and Fort
Worth lines of road,

Worth lines of road.
To THE EDITOR OF REFLECTOR
The two railroad propositions, viz
the Santa Fe and the Fort Worth
which are now under discussion In
;nson county, will cost the county
VI, i completed, S276,00O. In add
ti0n to this, $4,000 to the Rock Is
land, if that road will be built in 1887
making total of 1926, 900, for which
the county would receive stock to the
same amount.
This would give the county, with the
Union Pacific, four trunk lines, and
will make market equal to the Kan
sas City or Wichita markets. 1t will
! give this county new outlets and rail-
road competition, and every Kansan
who has been compelled to sell his pro-
duce and buy his feed and lumber in
markets where there is but one line of
railroad, knows that he was less favor
ed by the one railroad company, than
those who could go to markets where
there was more than one line.
But they say that railroads will pool,
and the people will receive no benefit
from railroad competition.
1t is true they will pool so long as
there is no law to prohibit pooling, but
l believe the time is not far off when
this country of ours will have alaw that
will stop all pooling.
Yet under this gigantic fraud, the
pool, there are many advantages to be
derived from having railroad COMPETE
fiOD in tbo NOV IF loyuor 70 FOG Of froinbt
1 will mention few of the advantages.
Transportation is an important one :;
for instance, at the time when new
grain is moving lively in this part of
the country. You all know, on account
of our grain ripening early, as compared
with the great wheat and corn area of
the United States, you are enabled as a
rule to sell at ahigher market price than
later on in the season, when the grain
from the whole area is moving, cOnse-
quently buyers in this early market Ia
declining Market can pay more for the
grain when they can sell ahead, and re
ly on prompt shipments. than to buy to
hold it in store for weeks and run the
risk of heating, and damage to the grain,
as well as lower markets. Competition
brings prompt transportation, and for
eign cars furnished when required,
thereby saving time, damage and waste,
and often charge of from S1.00 to ST.
90 per car for transferring grain or flour.
Classification is another important
factor which is against non competing
points. The joint western classified
ton adopted by the forty-eight western
railway corporations at non-cOmpeting
points, do not classify according to the
classification adopted, and the classifi-
cations made for these points are in
every instance against the shipper and
in favor of the corporation, but at the
competing points they classify accord
ing to the list adopted.
They say that railroads benefit the
town people and not the farmer.
That is wrong idea. 1t benefits
the people as whole, and l think as
class it benefits the farmers more than
the town people.
Suppose the man in town would "a
ther live for gain in large city, and
therefore is anxious to build great |
city here at the expense of the county, |
(which includes town people as well as |
farmers, in my opinion it would be a
very foolish move. If the man who lives |
in town IS a business man, he can |
close out his business, or ship his goods |
and move to city; if he is mechanic,
it is an easy matter for him to ship his
tools and go to city, and if he is Ia
borer or professional man, there is
nothing to hinder him from moving any
time to city. The facts are, that the
larger the city the stronger the cOmpe-
tition in all lines of business. More
business firms mean goods sold cheaper
and at smaller profit.
Now, suppose the people vote for the
proposition, and build a great
city here in Dickinson county like
Kansas City, for instance. The farmer
could not only sell everything he has
for sale at much higher price, and buy
he would need in the house
and on the farm at from 10 to so per
cent. less than heretofore, but it would
increase the value of real estate many
times the amount of bonds asked for.
If it would enhance the value of land
in this county only one dollar per acre,
it would be more than the whole amount
Of bonds.
These lines of railway will not only
give the people of the county Compel
ing lines, but they will give us direct
railroad communication with Chicago,
the South-Wes and SOUTHEAST into
5he coal and timber regions, and south
INTO Texas to the gulf. This means
Kansas City prices for our products
here.
1t seems to me that every voter and
taxpayer of the county should carefully
consider these railroad propositions
strictly from business point of view;
and believe every voter and taxpayer
who takes any interest in the future
of Dickinson county, cannot
afford to vote against the two railroad
now submitted to the peo-