Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-11-12
NO GOVERNMENT AID
Wanted by the National Farmers
Congress for Irrigation.
NOT FOR GOVERNMENT RAILWAYS
Georgia's Experiment in State Ownership .
Costly Failure.
THE CORN-CoB GAyEL FOR THE FAIR

SEDAL1A, Mo-, Nov. 1.-THE National
Farmers Congress was late in assembling
this morning. It was IL o'clock before Vice
Preside&Smith let the corn-cob gavel drop,
calling the session to order.
| The following resolutions were intro
duced and referred: By John Church, of
Colorado, urging the Congress ofsthe United
States to cede arid lands in the various
States and TO provide the States with systems
of irrigation; by NJ. B. Warman, of Missouri,
urging the extension of the signal and crop
report system of the department of Agri-
culture; by Virgin Mackay, of Kansas, pro-
viding that the ear of corn used by the
Chairman as gavel be sent to the Worlds s
Fair for exhibition; by G. w. Swinek, of
Colorado, urging national system of irri-
| cation; recommending that the President of
the United States and United States Sena-
tors be elected by direct or popular vote.
The Irrigation Resolution Is Defeated.
The resolutions we're considered seriatim
and were all adopted with the exception of
the one for Federal aid for irrigations which
| the congress struck from the report by a
| vote of A to II. The resolution asking
Congress to improve the harbor at Savannah
was loudly applauded and unanimously
adopted, as was also the resolution demand
| ing the election of the President and Vice
President of the United States and United
| States Senators by popular vote.
The Committee on Finance presented q
report requesting the various State Legis-
latures to make appropriations for the
expenses of the State delegations to future
congresses of this character, in order that
each State may have a full and proper
representation. The report was adopted.
Congressman John L. Heard, of the Sixth
an address on railway transportation. He
said it is subject of supreme importance
to the farmers. One of the solutions Of this
vexed question, he said, was found in State
railway commissions Missouri had been
among the first of the States to deal with
the question in that way, and Missouri's ex-
perience showed that the method had been
success. Another method of controlling
railroad corporations in the interest of the
people is through national railroad COM
mission.
Government Railways Not Feasible.
Some professed to belieye that the rail-
road should be placed under Government
management. Government railroading, he
believed, would be gigantic failure. In
the first place the Government would have
to buy the railroads, and that would cost
$40, 900, 600, 900. That would be practical
impossibility. The purchase of the
railroads would necessitate incurring debt
of gigantic proportions, and he did not be-
lieve the farmers or any one else wanted to
pay any more debt than they are now pay
ing. Another objection to Government
railway control was the increase in Federal
officeholders which it would necessitate.
II. @. Brown, of Georgia, Endorsed every
thing that Mr.. Heard had said. Georgia,
he said, had tried State ownership of rail-
ways. Georgia owned the Western and At
lantic Railway. Under State control the
rates were high, the service was bad and
the deficits were extraordinary. The State
found that it had been to expensive to run
its own railways, and the line was leased to
private individuals. Under private con-
troll the road charged cheaper rates, gave
better rates, paid rental of s., 900 month
and made money for the lessees.
Hon. Martin Mohler, Secretary of the
Kansas State Board of Agriculture, read a
paper on 1.-THE Race Under Conditions of
High Civilization" He took the optimistic
view of the question, and held the higher
the civilization the greater the happiness of
the race.