The Washington herald., 1912-01-21
SENATOR DIXON, OF MONTANA, BACKS
THE LONG AND SHORT HAUL CLAUSE
Is Opposed by Powerful CapitaliStic Inter-
ests in His Home State, but Is Expected
to Return to Senate.

SONds ana JdLlc6 nm EultL dkElCul-
tural expert, told me recently that in a
decade hence Montana would be cutting
400 900 900 bushels Of hard wheat annually.
Meanwhile many Srchards. now little
seedlings three feet high. will come into
bearing. Foreseeing the possibilities Of
dry farming, and knowing that land cul-
tivated in that way can grow but one
crop IN two years. had the homestead
law changed. Settlers in Montana can
now take up go acres Of dry farming
land on the theory that only half of IL
can be productive during a single season.
HOmesteads which can be irrigated re-
main at $50 acres. Great and marvellous
work is being done in the West, of which
the East has hardly any knowledge and
which. once IL is realized. will seem TO
be too romantic and stupendous to be
true"
Gives Some Sensational Figures.
Thus Grating on a theme that put a
glow into his uncommonly handsome eyes
and gave his words a little extra flow,
Senator Dixon removed his frockcoat OF
rough goods and paraded to and fro in
his shirt sleeves. Tobacco smoke, like a
blue mist, enveloped his robust figure.
Out OF It doomed his deep, melodious
voice. A human ocean liner in fog he
seemed. sounding his way along care
less OF the smaller ships running athwart
his bow.
'T have no quarrel with the railroads.
he said. so long as they are fair TO
shippers and communities. We couldn't
get along without them. But they have
no right TO charge more for transport
ing a car OF freight 500 miles than for
transporting 1t 500 miles. the route being
the same and the conditions Identical
Those Americans who live and do bust
ness east of the Missouri River, except
an occasional wholesale merchant or
manufacturer having commeciaI relations
in the West. do not understand an inn
portant part Of the railroad question in
its effect upon 10000 consumers. They
ought TO understand II, because II vitality
concerns the welfare Of an extensive
stretch Of territory inhabited by about
one-fifth of our people.
Figures are ordinarily wearisome. IL
have some, however. that are almost
sensational They are unknown. 1 am
sure, to the public. The distance from
New York to Seattle is 800 miles: from
New York to Missoula, which is my home.
the distance is $50 miles. ! am taking
Missoula simply for the purpose OF IL
Elimination. Butte or Helena would suit
my purpose just as well. and what 1 say
of MissOula applies generally to hun
dreds Of other cities and towns. Remem-
bering that Missoula is $50 miles nearer
TO New York than is Seattle, you may
be surprised to learn that the freight
rate, on cotton goods Is 20 cents a hun
dred pounds TO Seattle and S3s1 to Mis-
soula. From Chicago TO Seattle the
rate is 30 cents-the same as from New
York-snd from Chicago 20 Missoula II
is S2.76 These figures are typical. !
could give you q string Of them as long
as my leg, on peas and beans, canned
goods, and so on, and all would tell the
same story Of injustice and discrimina-
ton.
Senator SmoOt Also Complains.
The rate on structural iron, for ex-
ample, from Chicago to points in Mon
tana is S1I2k a hundred; TO the Pacific
Coast. much farther. II is so cents. Sena-
tor Smoot tells me that the freight on
structural steel from Pittsburg to salt
Lake City Is $40 a carload and only $50
a carload TO San Francisco, though the
haul to Salt Lake City is 900 miles,
while it is 2,79O miles to San Francisco.
The freight on the steel used in four
buildings recently completed in Salt Lake
City was $4,000 more than would have
been the case had the buildings been
erected on the Pacific Coast
such, then, is the long and short haul
controversy as reduced to concrete illus
trations. We have fought II out In the
West. The Supreme Court of the United
States must decide the issue. We do not
ask to have frelEhts to San Francisco,
Seattle, and Portland raised. The freights
to intermediate points, however. should
be reduced. Favors 10 shippers may
have been stopped by law. Favors TO
communities are equally unjust. and are
being employed to build up some cities
and to retard the development OF others
The tax-and freight is tRx-is paid by
the man who owns or rents a house and
buys food, shoes. and clothing. Eight
cen States, containing. as I have said,
IS 900 900 people, arc being unfairly treat
ed by the different tre-nscontinental rail-
roads II our troubles could be shifted
to the East, especially TO Massachusetts,
New York, and the Central West, the
country would be on fire with righteous
Indignation.
"Stiu 1 might have been less positive
in my language pertaining to long hauls
and short ones had I not gone to Mis-
soula to visit an uncle. was headed
for the Puget Sound country at the time
now the region and recipient of trans
portation favors-when ! thought Of my
relative 1 would make brief call and
travel on. Posters in blood-red ink and
other impressive examples Of the land
agents skill had lured me away from
North Carolina and started me toward
the Pacific Coast. was mixed as 10
intent between Journalism and the legal
profession. "A wild excursion, my father
said when he gave me his blessing and
shook my hand. He was right, theoreti-
cally.
Speeches Made Him Nervous.
II had $500. saved from my salary as
superintendent Of the Dixon Woolen Mills,
which was a small concern, and the
haziest possible notion as to what 1
meant to do. But had been back to
Indiana, to Richmond, where once at
tended Earlham College; had seen the
rich and level country thereabouts, the
driving towns and busy factories, and
was dissatisfied with the South.
IT had gone TO Richmond. in the first
place. from a Quaker school at Gull
ford, near my home. While was there
Henry W. Grady began to talk and write
about the new south Mighty things
were happening. he said. and still might
Ter things were on the programme. The
newspapers printed extracts from his
really eloquent addresses, and the whole
North was fIIe1 with exciting prophecies
about cheap lands. rare opportunities,
and a golden and tolerant epoch right at
hand. I became nervous. thinking every
thing would be gobbled up before 1 got
going on. II a procession had started,
didn't care to be among the old men,
weaklings, and straggiers st the end.
Reaching North Carolina, leaving coll
lege IN the middle Of the year, I was
surprised 70 md the same old red CLAW