The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1893-09-06
WOULD 1T DO
ANY GOOD
A Freight Rate Convention to
Regulate Tariff.

We have received the following
letter from prominent alliance
man of Grant county.
HON. IGNATIUs DONNELLY.
My dear friend:-I have few sug-
geStiOnS that / wish to lay before
you.
think that now is good time to
bring pressure to bear upon the
railroads, to have them make re-
duction on their freight rates. At
the present low price for farm pro-
duce, and high rates of transporta-
tion, the railroad companies take
the lions share' of what we have
to sell. as you will see by the en-
closed newspaper slip. Ca. w. Hix-
son is brother of Senator Hix-
son, apd an honest and hard work.
ing farmer.) This convention
should also be called at as early a
date as possible, and would suggest
september 20, or sooner if you think
best. l would suggest that the con-
vention be made up of farmers, busi-
ness men and laboring men; also
invite the two DakotaS to join in
said convention.
also think that the farmers alli-
ance should have regular business
meeting, and therefore would sug-
gest that you call them together the
day before this other meeting, and
it they will not get through in one
day, to adjourn until after the other
convention. This would give the
farmers alliance chance to start
| the ball rolling, and if the other con-
ventiOn (you might call it Railroad
Tariff conventiOn) will not fix up
things to suit US, we could improve
on them. HENRY G.. LILLEMON.
The extract enclosed in Mr.. Lille
mons letter is as follows:
'"This summer A. w. Hixson ship
ped four car loads of bailed hay, one
car to St. Paul and three to Duluth.
On the car load shipped to St.
Paul he realized 1870. From two
car loads shipped to Duluth. S23 and
$27, respectively. From the last and
largest car load shipped to the last
named place he received the returns
yesterday. This was sold for $23. .92.
| out OF this amount the railroad COM
pany received for freight charges
5000, leaving Mr.. Hixon balance
of 1922 for his labor of cutting. bail
ing, hauling it to town and loading
on the car. The commission house
even was ashamed Of this last trans
action and charged him nothing for
handling and selling, otherwise he
would have had to pay $1.7S out of
his own pocket"
This is certainly shameful state
of affairs and represents a suicidal
policy on the part of the railroad
corporations. They are killing the
geese that they expect to lay the
golden eggs. Mr.. Liliemon's sug-
gestions are excellent. The only
considerations which cause the REP
REsENTATIvE to hesitate are these:
1. Are not the times so hard that
but few farmers would travel any
distance to attend such a conven-
tion?
Would not convention that
would be a ''fizZle" be worse than
none at all?
2. Will anything the people can
say or do have any effect on the rail-
road corporations? We fear not.
They have been educated for twenty
five years into the profoundest con-
tempt for the popular feelings and
interests. They buy up our legis-
latures. our courts and our juries.
and laugh in our faces. There is
only one way to control the railroad
companies and that is for the peo-
pie to take possession of state and
county governments and put men in
power who will not be the tools of
the corporations. They will under
stand that. They will understand
nothing else. Instead of getting
down on our knees and begging
them to do us justice, let us elect
legislature that will fix freight rates
and give the afflicted people
chance to live. This would not only
be just to the producers, it would be
the very best policy for the COM
panies. They are slaughtering the
farmers and at the same time de-
stroying their own prosperity.
Every time crop-raiser is wiped off
the face of the earth there are as
many less bushels of grain for the
road to carry.
| And yet while these are the views
that first come to us we may be
wrong. We would like to hear from
leading men in differant parts of the
state. How many will attend? If
there is desire to hold such con-
ventiOn, and to make it a success.
the REPRESENTATIVE will issue the
call, and the President of the state
alliance will be there to assist, as
suggested by Mr.. Lillemon. It
might be that instead of trying to
hold one state convention, which
would require long and expensive
travel, half dozen legislative dis
trict conventions could be held.
What say you, friends? Say one at
/ I11,. INc11 - 4