Watertown leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1909-1911, 1909-08-20
YOHKUM URGES
FARMERS UNION
HEAD OF ROCK ISLAND SYSTEM
DECLARES RAILWAY WILL AID
IN COOPERATION.
BELIEVES IN REGULATION
Government Should Have Control of
Corporations to See That Public
Is Treated Fairly
TALKS AT OKLAHOMA MEETING.

| SHAWNEE, Ok, Aug. 1S.-Pledging
| the Rock Island railway system to aid
! the farmers in erecting grain and cotton
| storehOuses to give them market adyan-
! tages equal to the city spectators. B. f.
YOakum, chairman of the executive COM
mittee of the Rock Island addressing
| the Farmers union of Oklahoma, plead
ed for cooperation between railroads and
! farmers.
! incidentally he scored the government
for extravaganza in expenditure and said
! Washington was doing more for trans
| portation in China than in the United
| States.
| He said in part:
The farmers and the railroads are
! natural partners. The first thing in
| quired about by an investor in new rail
road securities is the character Of the
! country which the road will serve. If IL
/ can be shown that the territory to be
! served by the new railroad is a good
farming country, the greatest trouble IN
! finding the money to build has been over
come. On the other hand. the first ques-
| ton farmer seeking a location IN a
new country asks: What are its rail
| road facilities?' The farmer must have
the railroad and the railroad must have
! the farmer Their interests are msepa-
rably linked. The prosperity and success
of one depends upon the prosperity and
success Of the other.
Urges Farmers to Organize.
! 81 believe in organization. 1t is the
| only way to accomplish good results.
! This is a nation of organized interests,
ard under proper management the coun-
| try is better of because of them. When
your products leave you they are taken
by the railroads, which are organized.
They then go to the manufacturers, who
are organized, and when they reach you
again as a finished product they come
from mercantile organizations. The pro
ducers of all this great wealth land
wealth producing products represent the
only link IN the chain that IS not strong
Ly and concretely organized.
''The farmers, properly organized, will
become the greatest factor In American
politics.
''As has been pointed out to you by
President Corners of your state board OF
agriculture, the farmers's product is his
medium of exchange When he has a
bale of cotton or busheI of corn ready
for market he can always sell the cotton
or the corn for the market price. The
only value cotton or corn has to the
farmer is what he can sell it for, and
anything that helps him get better
price puts that much more money IN his
pocket. These products are not perish
able and can be carried at a light charge,
in properly constructed warehouses; The
larger part of the cotton crop of the
south is taken from the fields to the rail-
road station and sold by the farmers
within a period of ninety days at the
prevailing prices during that short time.
If you would prepare to hold your cot
ton crop, or portion of it, extending
the season for selling through nine or
ten months. instead Of being forced to
dispose of it at ginning time, you could
select your own time to SELL
Offers Railroad Help.
IF this is considered desirable thing
for the Farmers union of Oklahoma, in
so far as the lines for which [ can
speak, and no doubt other railroad men
feel as | do. we shall extend every facil-
ity we can to the officers of your organ
iZatiOn to carry out your plan of locating
Il chain Of warehouses so that you can
store your products in your own ware
houses and market them to the best adj
vantage and at the least expense. To
do this and to do it successfully it will
be necessary for this branch of your or
ganization to be handled under the same
principles and business rules that govern
other commercial enterprises
I'VE shall also be glad to join in for
mulating a plan to assist you in expedi-
tiously marketing your perishable prod
ucts. In so doing we will extend to the
officers and agents of your OrganiZa ton
every means and all reasonable facilities
we can under the law to enable you to
keep in touch with the cars shipped to
the market, SO that you may know that
your products are both properly trans
ported and marketed.
Discusses Railway Regulations.
THE business methods of tho co,rntrv
are undergoing an evolution, and one of
the most important problems is the prop
er regulation of the railroads. l am on
record SO often and so earnestly in favor
of fair regulation by the government
that it is almost unnecessary for me to
repeat what | have so frequently stated
pubhcly-that the corporations of the
country should be so regulated as to pre-
vent discrimination or injustice to the
public, giving equal and fair treatment
to all, with favOritism to none"