Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1915-01-28
RATE INCREASE
NECESSARY
FARMERS UNION OFFICIALS
THINK RAILROADS ARE en-.
TITLED TO MORE REVENUE.
Products 81 elow and Farmer Who
Lives at Home Should ee
Exempt From Increase.
BY Peter Rsdsord.
CITY Prices

Lecturer National Farmsrs Union.
The recent action Of the Interstate
Commerce Commission In granting an
increase In freight rates in the eastern
classification Of territory; the applicar
ton Of the roads to state and inter.
state commissions for en- increase In
rates, and the utterances Of Pre- -ident
Wilson on the subject bring the farm
ers OF this natio- face to face with the
problem Of an increase in freight
rates. Il is the policy Of the Farmers
Union 70 meet the issues affecting the
welfare Of the farmers squaroly and
we win do so In this instance.
The transportation facilities OF the
United States are inadequate to ef.
fectively meet the demands Of com
merce and particularly In the South
and West additional railway mileage
Ia needed TO accommodate the move
ment Of farm products. II In the wis
dem Of our Railroad Commissions an
increase In freight rates is necessary
to bring about an Improvement in our
transportation service. and an exteu.
sion of our mileage. then an increase
should be granted. and the farmer IN
willing to share such proportion of
the increase AZ justly belongs to him.
but we have some suggestions TO make
as to the manner In which this In
crease shall be levied.
Rates Follow LInes os Least Resist.
anee.
The freight rates OF the nation have
been built up along lines OF least re-
sistance. The merchant, the manu-
facturer. the miner. the miller, the
lumberman and the cattieman have
had their traffic bureaus thoroughly
organized and In many instances they
have pursued the railroad without
mercy and with the power OF organ.
lied tonnage they have hammered the
life out OF the rates and xith unre-
strained greed they have eaten the
vitais out Of our transportation system
and since we have had railroad COM
missions. these interests, with skill
and cunning. are represented at every
hearing In which their business 10
involved.
The farmer is seldom represented
at rate hearings, as his organizations
have never had the finances 20 en-
ploy counsel to develop bis side of
the case and, az a result, the products
OF the plow bear an unequal burden
Of the freight expense. A glance at
the freight tariffs abundantly proves
this assertion. Cotton, the leading
agricultural product OF the South, al.
ready bears the highest freight rate Of
any necessary commodity In CON-
merce. and the rate on agricultural
products as q whole 10 out OF pro-
portion with that Of the products Of
the factory and the mine.
We offer no schedule Of rates, but
hope the commission win be able 10
give the railroad such an Increase In
rates as is necessary without levying
q further toll upon the products of
the plow. The instance seems 10 pre-
sent an opportunity TO the Railroad
Commissions TO equalize the rates as
between agricultural and other classes
OF freight without disturbing the rates
on staple farm products.
What 10 q Fair Rats7
We do not know what constitutes A
basis for rate making and have never
heard OF anyone who did claim 20
know much about II, but II the pros.
perity Of the farm is a factor 20 be
considered and the railroad commits
sion concludes that an increase In
rates is necessary. we would prefer
that IL come TO M through articles OF
consumption on their journey from
the factory % the farm. We would,
for example. prefer that the rate on
hogs remain as at present and the
rate on meat bear the increase, for
any farmer can then avoid the burden
by raising his own meat, and a farm
er who win not try to raise his own
meat ought TO be penalized. We
think the rate on coal and brick can
much better bear an increase than
the rate on cotton and -four. We
would prefer that the rate on plows
remain the same. and machinery,
pianos and such articles as the poor.
er farmer cannot hope 70 possess bear
the burden OF increase.
The increase In rates should be so
that the farmer who lives
at home win bear no part of the bur.
den, but let the farmer who boards
In other states and countries and
who feeds his stock In foreign lands,
pay the price Of his folly.