Smyrna times., 1890-04-30

the freight market is the result of the
glory policy of the government, and
the farmers themselves are responsible
for that glory policy
By the glory policy l mean that
policy which demanded the expansion
of the development of our country.
The West, in accord with the poetic
epgram, Westward the Star of EN-
pire, etc, etc, had to be developed
unnaturally. The farmers all over the
country were insanely inspired with
these patriotic emotions to build up a
mighty empire here in the new world.
The emigration which we invited from
the old world instead of being turned
to develop the many thousand acres of
undevelOped land east of the Missis-
sippi, were urged to go further West.
The farmers, who constituted two
thirds of the voting power of the peO-
pie, were enthusiastically in favor of
the development of the great West,
and it is fair to assume that they cleo
ted congresses in accord with their
views The natural development of
the West was justly an object of pride.
The unnatural development there was
brought about not only by the consent
of the farmers, but by thoir active CO.
operation. Now it is scarcely neces-
sary for me to explain to you what I
mean by unnatural development of
the West, but that | may not be mis-
| understood. | will here explain. Nat
| ural development Of course means the
| development that would come without
any other governmental aid other than
. hn
tions of savages and robbery by dis
honest whites. and IOwdyism of des-
peradoes. Unnatural development
was that resulting from extraordinary
government aid. Now the aid of our
government was most extraordinary,
and the commencement of the system,
| which was concurred in by the farmers
as a great triumph of civilization, really
marks the commencement of their
downfall both politically and financial
| ly. That government aid was the com
mencement of the subsidy system.
| The voting away 90 the Central Rail
| road of Illinois a land tract was the
| first great error of our government.
Had it stopped there no great harm
could have fallen upon our people, as
| that grant was exclusively within the
| limits of IA single state, and doubtless
aided the development of that state
without infiicting a very great cost on
the whole country. But when after
| twenty years that was used as a prece-
dent and great stretches of land across
| the continent were voted away by
| Congress to corporations in consider
alton of their building railroads across
the great West, the calamity came
upon us, and in a measure the Illinois
grant was responsible, and when at
! last the farmers of the country through
| their Congressman in obedience to
| those glory emotions, voted the credit
of the country to the amount of nearly
! S1OO,OO0,OO0 to build the first Pacific
| railroad, the overthrow of the farmer,
both financially and politically was
complete.
THE disastrous feature of that leg
islation should have been apparent to
the farmers as a class. They should
have known that a great corporation
that was the absolute owner of a belt
| of land lying along the line of its rail-
road, was greatly interested in selling
| land. They should have realized that
such a corporation could and would
bend its energy to sell its land. Te
sell its land it was impossible unless
! freight rates on grain to the market
should be made low enough to enable
| the farmers on its lands to successfully
compete with Eastern growers. A
railroad owning 30.U00,000 acres of
| land could well afford to carry grain at
a loss, if thereby they could dispose Of
a million acres of land per annum at
| So, $40 and SIS an acre. Farmers were
sought for all over Europe by the
! management of the Northern Pacific
railroad and taken from Sweden to
| Minnesota and Dakota at rates lower
than given to any one else. provided
| they would settle upon railroad land,
which was sold to them at from So to
| SIS per acre. What is the result q?
Those two States produce more wheat
than the country absolutely needs, and
the growers there are paid by the rail-
road managers enough to keep body
and soul together, and the freight rates
to market are made so low that at the
same cost of production, a man owning
a Delaware farm for which he pays
from $50 to $40 an acre, could not
more than successfully compete with
them even in the markets of Whining
ton.
"The workmen of Delaware are to-
day eating corn bread made of corn
grown in Kansas and Nebraska, and
most of the -four used (even by many
farmers) was grown in Minnesota or
Dakota. Railroads which will charge
rs cents per hundred pounds to take
to the wheat and corn fields of the
West almost anything that Delaware
farmers may want to send there, will
bring the corn and wheat from there to
compete with your own product for
ten or twelve cents per hundred
weight. That is, the railroads charge
the Western farmers freight enough on
those things that the farmers must
purchase to reimburse them for the loss
on the grain that must be transported
at a loss. By that policy the Western
farmer derives no benefit, but the
Eastern farmer is compelled to produce
grain for an Overstocked market, but
the railroads sell their farm lands,
create new towns and grow rich. To-
day find farmer congressman voting
government aid to the great railway
bG@OSS buo GOubiucilA, NubiuR 10 remit
interest, voting to extend the time for
fulfilling their part of the contract, and
at the same time putting obstacles in
the way of river and harbor improve
ments.
Could I see any improvement in the
mental vision Of the average farmer. 1
would probably have a revival of hope
but I cannot see it. The railroads CON
tinue to own them. The corporations
elect to the legislative body men to do
their bidding, or if they fail to so elect,
they influence by some subtle power
those who have been elected. Am l
not correct in saying this even to q
Delawarean Why did not the Balti-
more & Ohio r. r. get the charter it
asked for? Is there any man who
owns or tills farm in Delaware who
does not believe that competing rail-
road line would be great advantage
to the State and particularly to the
farmers? Yet session after session, all