Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1906-11-12
REAL PROSPERITY
The TARIFF A H!NDRANCE RATH.
Err than A help.
Activity in Railroad Building, the
Advance in Steam Facility, the
Increase in Farm Values Through
the Opening of New Markets for
Products, are the Real Factors.

The practice Of att,ibuting to one cause
the effects produced by another and far
different cause--a practical fallacy which
logicians call non cause pro causa-is the
basis upon which the success OF the
republican party has rested for many
years.
1t happens that railroads and tele-
graphs, though they existed prior to the
Civil war, have grown enormously eince
that period. And lie same is true of
steam navigation. TIE great facility OF
travel, trans portation, and communica.
ton resulting from these agencies, has
caused extraordinary prosperity, which
could not possibly have been produced
without them. The prosperity OF the
last forty years is due almost entirely to
these things, supplemented by improve
ments in agricultural, mining and man
ufacturing machinery. Here we have
the real cause. But, instead of attribu.
ting the e1ects-tre great increase in
land values, the growth of cities. the
development of manufacturing, the in
crease Of newspapers, the general pros
perity OF this country-to this real cause,
the republican sophists, whose party
came into power on the slavery Issue,
and enacted high tariff as war meas.
ure, and not as an economic measure at
all. have resorted to the falIacy of non
causa pro causa, and attributed the pres
ence OF prosperity to the existence of lite
high tariff; whereas its high tariff would
have been impossible without the inde-
pendent existence Of prosperity. They
put the cart before the horse.
This argument is full y sustained by
a report on local conditions affecting
farm values, prepared by George K.
Holmes of the Department Of AgricuI-
ture. From this report it appears that
railroads have been one of the most i'm
portant factors in bringing about the
marked advance in the average value OF
agricultural lands in several ways. The
road il constructed in locality which
has been without railroad facilities. In
such cases it is not unusual to lind that
the average values of farms have doubl.
ed or trebled in the past five Year,.
Another way in which the values of
lands have been increased by the rail-
roads, has been through the effect Of the
absorption of local lines Of roads by
large railroad systems, thus giving to the
farms through lines under single man
agement 10 the principal markets OF the
country and making them more inde-
pendent OF local buyers. This absorp-
ton OF local lines has:: also facilitated the
running OF through trains, and has made
possible the fast train OF refrigerator
cars by which the fruits and vegetables
OF the South are placed ia Northern
ern markets.
Perhaps the most important way il
which the railroads have contributed to
the increase in farm values has been by
building up home markets for all kinds
OF agricultural products. The industrial
development of towns and cities has
been made possible only by the cooper.
alton OF the railroads, and each place go
developed has become market for all
kinds OF agricultural products from the
surrounding country. This has given
the advance in agricultural prosper
itv u sound basis and has relieved the
farmer to a great extent, from depend
ence upon single crop.
The great question is the regulation OF
the railroad rates, so that they shall he
reasonable and just to both shipper and
carrier, and not undo the great work of
building up the country by unreasona-
bic charges, which, if continued, will
result IN again reducing the values OF
property.