, 1890-11-20
The WHEAT BLOCKADE
1t Is Costing the FARM.
Millions Of Money.
THEY ARE TERRIBLY AROUSFO.
And Demand an Elective c,ou..,
sion With Legislative and JIM.
dioial Powers.

TEKoA, Nov. 17.-Whateyer ma.
the causes OF the wheat blockode "
the consequent depressed prices in Ps. sa'
ern Washington, the farmers attrihn'.
both to a combination between rn,lwa
and elevator companies, and wbn,sss.
may be the remedy for the ALA.
robbery the farmers arc going 10 q.
mand of tho next Legislature the e.,ss
lishment OF railway commis.,os
Those are facts indIsputablo and ~.
members of that body will do wall y
adjust themselves accordingly. IA i.
possibly true, as some argue, that if al
the wheat ofthe Inland Empire could bs
ground into flour in Spokane Falls and
shipped from there to the markets or
the world, prices would range bettor
than they do whilo Chicago and Min
neapois must be rcliod upon as IA,
milling centers for Washington whe,,
The proposition has ut least o sonsh,
and popular ring. There Is no DOM,
that at sometime In tho future Spokan,
Falls will be tho Minneapolis of m.
Northwest, but will the city ever attain
that emincnce by mere discussion,
something must NC uOEo.
But the problem now is the relief of
the farmers from tho cXactions Of corpo,,
ate power. There are yot to be marse,sa
IN Eastern Washintou about l5uOlm
bushels OF wheat, besides 25 or SJn.,
cent. as much oats and barley. lncltd.
ing several millions which have aread,
been hauled away, the total grain Weld
of the eastern portion of the state viii
f.II lal r. II.
saason. The freight on this TO Pnrp,
sound is 1873 cents per bushel. lfths
farmers were receiving for their grain
what the market actually iustiRe,
they would DO more content than
they are; but to be swindtd
out of 10 cents on overy bushel by an
unjust combination and then be com.
PEELED TO pay an eSorbitant freight tanF
of 1915 cents, is too much to hug con.
placently. Forbearance sometlms,
ceases to be a virtue. etc. Five milloa
dollars for ireights and 5000, 900 lakea
by game of swindie would make mofs
than one Washington farmer rieh,
Forty bushels to the acre is a pretty
good thing; but the freight on lhess
forty bushels will buy u good acre Of
land. And when the farmers appeal 10
the Legislature for commission to Gu,
down these treights, IL will not be lor the
rail ways to enter q plea that the limited
business of the country compels them 10
charge excessively for their work, iot
they have already put themselves on
record as being unable TO nanspor
what is offered and waiting.
Since, then, IL Is certain that an efior.
will be made in the conyening legislatun
to establish a railway commission the
intervening time can be profitable en-
pioyed in discussing the various plans
The Farmers Alliance rs an orsaniIa.
ton is practically unit In favor OF an
elective com mission with legislative and
judicial powers, II they can be granted.
The idea in making the Commissioners
elective by popular vote is TO keep the
board from being the creature OF the
legislature, where corporation iutuenee
might have n hand in tho work of Great.
ing, and the object of the legislative and
judicial powers would be to enable tk
board to convene at any time aud ado,
any measure which be required %
muzzlc the railway.
In Oregon the railway commission
a sort OF u thing, without any attributes
OF life. 1t can only investigate and
recommend. The legislative alone has
authority 10 enact. The commissions
of Iowa and Illinois are vested with lvg'
islative and judicial powers. not very
u'HeTeHN iIoh 'ne i"tef's'o'' '""'"''Ns
commission. The commissioners ot
Iowa are elected by popular vote, hose
of Illinois by the legislature, They
both seem to hold the railways within
reasonable bonds. but neither gives en-.
tire satisfaction. In Iowa fares are
cents per mile, in Illinois 2I., with
ireights in similar proportion. That
railway commission may be established
with legislative aud judicial powers Is
not disputed. The constitution pro-
vides
"a railroad and transportation com
mission may be established and is
powers and duties FULLY defined BY
law"
What the legislature will do Is only
conjecture, but the farmers know what
they want. and the business men OF tie
country towns are with them.