People's voice. [volume] (Wellington, Sumner County, Kansas) 1890-1917, 1896-06-18
ACETATE! ACETATE !!
BIT WHY SHOULD WE NOT ACT?
The Farmers Appear to Be Ready
Will the Merchants Join Them?

A few days since W. A. Maxey
told Mail reporte- that he believed
the greatest issue before the people
now was getting a lower freight rate
to gulf ports. He said it was evil
dent that our western roads were I'M
der the domination OF eastern lines,
and to some extent helpless. He
thought the papers OF Sumner coun-
ty ought to take the question up and
agitate it. The Interstate Com
merce Commission should be given
greater powers so that they could
interfere.
The GoICE is always glad 10 help
in any agitation that will do the peo-
pie good, bat We can not see any
good to come from this everlasting
toying with an evil. We do not
know what limit there is now on the
powers Of the Inter Commerce
Commission, but we have no hope
of relief in that direction. Any
modification that might be made in
the law would be anticipated by the
railroads and way provided for its
avoidance before it became effect
i've, as has always been the case
heretofore. No single handed ship
per, save some gigantic corporation
like The Standard Oil Co., can cope
with the railroads in a suit before
the courts or the Interstate Com
merce Commission. The amount
involved is generally too small to
make it profitable. The railroads
are natural monopoly and ought
to be owned and operated by the
people at cost.
What good has come from the
recent Sumner county railroad con-
vention from which emanated an ap-
peal to the railroads for relief? Do
you suppose it created ripple OF
interest beyond derisive smile at
headquarters Mr.. Lingehfelter
well said in his speech before that
convention, "You had as we'll try to
physic an Egyptian mummy as to
accomplish anything by petitioning
the railroads"
Recently the Kansas City Board
of Trade sent out a blank form of
petition all over Kansas requesting
signatures asking the railroads for a
cut Of two cents on freight rates.
One of them fell into the hands OF
Hon. R. II. Galloway, prominent
farmer Of Bourbon county. Mr..
Galloway turned the blank over and
wrote the following reply to the re-
quest. 1t is so much in point here
that We quote it in full below:
Messrs. Haskell and Troup, President and
Secretary Of Kansas City Board Of Trade,
Kansas City, Mo-;
Gentlemen: Your letter to Ross
Williams, chairman Of the Peoples
party central committee, containing
petition for farmers to sign, asking for
reduction of 2 per cent. per hundred
pounds, has been handed to me for
reply.
We may as well talk fiat footed.
We have got down on our knees and
petitioned railroads, commissioners
and boards Of trade for the last twenty.
five years TO lower the rates, and we
have been tauntingly told, we should
have to stand las much as the traffic
would bear.n
We have petitiOned commission cen.
tiers, boards Of trades, bank syndicates
and congress, which includes all Others
to give US better prices byremonetizing
silver and coming more greenback. but
our freight rates have steadily ad-
vanced and our prices steadily de-
clined.
Now when distress is wide spread.
when our homes are ruined and tears
are daily wrung from the helpless, you
hand US another petition and expect
US 10 beg with bated breath and
whispering humbleness for the rail-
roads to lower their rates 2 cents.
God save the mark!
That's another batch Of soft soap"
for the farmers.
We are not 10 SUI plcating vein.
We are not talking that way now.
/ We nnnit care what har INN ln,nn- H.