Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1915-01-20
mliiar and to which 1t IS certain to
require some years to adjust our

require some years to adjust our
selves.
It is the American farmer, how
ever, who has no complications, ahead
of him, and whose flour, pork beef,
mutton and other foodstuffs must be
depended upon to make up the short
age which is already looming big In
the distance because the harvest
fields of the most fertile sections Of
Europe have been converted into a
shambles for the contending armies.
Exports Of breadstuffs from the
United States in November were
valued at $4,25O,000, of almost four
times as much as in November Of
1913, while meat and cattle exports
amounted to nearly $1,000,OO0, or a
gain OF over 20 per cent. over 1913,
and this despite our miserable ship
ping facilities on the high seas. .-.
In the light of these facts, was
there ever time when the farmers
OF Iowa and other Corn Belt states
can view the future with as much as
surance or when they can so well
afford to treat fairly all other great
industry in the nation as now?
Putting it in the terms Of sound
Wnen lney shoulu 40 their paarl TO
che enc tnat anne rican TABOR may zoe
profirably employed In all the great
channels OF INDUSTRY, and that our
transportation system may be kept
up 10 high point OF efficiency, SO
lnat it may aaequately discharge the
heavy shipping burdens which will
,maoubteniy descend upon it In the
nnt distant f1lt1Irai III, -.
hA,ltoaus ana Land Values 49,
No Cuner slng4e .'agency IN the ma
lion mas mao moore 10 40 VAIN the
auvalncelueuL OF la.aa values than
nave une railroads.. aud as evidence
u this tact the proximity OF a tarm
70 the market almost invariably 'Ilxes
4ts SEEMING value. In no other STATE
uas InlsE ueen more true than III Iowa
The richest agricultural state in
che union, with a per capita Of farm
wealth which in amount and county
* 4lstriDutlon IS not equallen by any
oCher commonwealth. AS between
pne man who bought Iowa land
lwenty-1ive or thirty years ago ana
the man who bought Iowa railroad
securities at that time, who has had
the best OF, it?a And .yet, dad not
the men who furnished the money
with which Iowa railroads were
Duitt, contribute tremendously toward
the great enhancement IN land values
which has taken place in this state:
Would this enhancement, which
amounts to hundreds Of millions Of
dollars, have been possible without
the railroads? -.
/ In round numbers, Iowa has about
81, 100000 acres Of farm land. Ac--
cording to the u. S. census reports
there was an increase OF ITO per cent
in the value OF Iowa farm lands from
1900 to 1910-a period of ten years.
During the four years which have
elapsed in the meantime it can safely
be, estimated that the increase has
been brought up to at least 20 per
cent. Perhaps, taking the state as a
whole, farm lands have enhanced
somewhere around $500 per acre
during the above period--but upon
even so low basis as $4,000 per
acre the enhanced land value OF Iowa
have added one billion, seven hum
dred and fifty million dollars to the
wealth Of Iowa farmers during the
last fourteen years, In view of these
facts, is it not to the interest Of the
farmres of this state ito insist upon
a. square deal'' for the railroads!
AS matter Of fact were vt not so
far reaching in its eff
feet, the controversy over. a slight in
crease in railroad rates in any great
agricultural state would largely re-
semble tempest in a teapot--a mat
ter which Should be- settled in the
brief space of time required to apply
the remedy. When a private indus
try, great or small, advances the price
OF it's commodities we take it as a
matter Of course and say !. nothing
about it--and In the past we. have OPP
posed advances for the railroads
largely perhaps because the attention
of the people has never, been direct
ed to-. their importance to the com
and the nation, because they
were angered- at occasional abuses
which strict governmental regulation
has forever eliminated and because OF
some years designing political OPP
portunists have found abuse Of the
railroads AN easy road to public pre-
ferment. That public sentiment, how
ever, is changing rapidly and that we
will soon reach a sane understanding