The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1911-09-26
Mrs. Moore, President Of Gen
.era1 Ee6e tion of Clubs,
is q Speaker
EDITOR QUICK TALKS
Improvement of Social Con.
ditions IN Rural Life is
the Main Topic
IS g Speaker

Women had an Important part in
the third annual Conservation Com
gross today. The subject under dis
cussnon was, Improvement in the
social conditiohB OF rural life.
Among the speakers was Mrs. Phii-
lip NJ Moore. ptssIden1 OF the Gem
eral Federation 81 Women's clubs.
That the future. of the United
States as an agricultural country de-
ponds upon a closer relation between
the farmers and railroads was the
gfst of an address before the con
gress today by Herbert Quick, o:
Madison, Ia, editor of a farm
journal. Mr.. quick said. while the
relations between the farmers and
the railroads are not always
amicable, 1t was che farmers who
really built the railroads and were
then neatly beaten out Of their in
terests.'
Mr.. Quick placed emphasis upon
freight rates.as an index not onlsF7.o
the farmers profit but to the gem
eraI cost of living He charged that
railways in fixing rates often con-
nived with great population centers
to the detriment of smaller cities
and the country In general.
Mr.. Quick enumerated several In
stances of cooperation between far
mer and railway, of the introduce
ton of improved breeds of live stock
along the lines OF his system by
President Hill of the Great North
ern, of the maiusSIning of demon
stration farms on Long sIIand by
the Pennsylvania, and of the run
ming of educational trains for the
purpose OF bringing agricultural
science into touch with the farmers.
Railway aid to agricultural, he said,
has grown to be fashion.
'rBut all these fine things" he
.f'have been done and are
still being done with an eye single
to tonnage. We may trust the en-
Iightened se1dshness OF good busi-
ness to push this sort OF activity to
the limit of its profit But in the
great task of conservation do the
railways owe any duty to the farms
beyond what they are now PERFORM
ing? This phase has not yet been
worked out.
1.-THE greatest transportation facts
faced by the American people is the
problem of developing remote parts
of the country. If the building OF
a national system of waterways be
resorted to, the aid of the railways
must still be demanded II success is
to be obtained.
1.-The railways of the United
States have enormously retarded Hg-
ricultural developments and added
to the expense of living but permit
ting the Judgment in our Transports
ton system of that Industrial para
site, the express company. The ex-
press companies perform practically
no functions which do not belong to
the railways. Every dollar of the
huge profit which the express COM
pAnies make is burden upon I'M
dustry, unnecessary and unjust.
"The farmer must be placed in
such condition that he can work up
trade in the city and ship in small
packages to the consumer at Just
rates"
Mr.. quick then took up the mat
ter Of rate making in the interests of
national development. AS regards
national questions, he said, the rail-
ways must be enlisted in such pol
icies as may be dictated by patriot
ism.
1.-THE whole structure of rates, !"
he declared. las they now exist Is
devised to favor the long haul to
and from market, and make up with
reference to the demand of certain
trade centers. and certain powerful
financial interests, some of which
are closely allied to ownership OF the
railway" He referred to the history
of rates on the border line between
the Gulf trade basin and the terri
tory of the railways running to
Chicago and the Atlantic ports. The
farmers OF Oklahoma, Kansas, Ne
braska, Colorado and much other
territory, he said, are entitled to
the near outlet by way OF the Gulf.
The battle, he declared must be
fought out not along lines best for
the nation but with the sole refer
- Continued nm ga 3 -