Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1915-03-29

now, local station agents, attorneys.
and general officers have been going
to the business mon Of the towns and
cities of the state with petitions. ask
ing that the advances be given. In
many Of the smaller towns. practically
all Of the business men have signed
these petitions, which have been for
warded to the members Of the legis-
lature. Last week, the latter presented
petitions said to have been signed by
$4,000 citizens, asking that the adj
vances be granted. Every two or three
weeks, delegations Of prominent rail-
road officials appear before the legis-
lative committees and give their rea-
sons why the advances should be
granted, and the regular attorneys are
camped on the ground and doing per-
sonal work every day.
All OF this work Ii producing Its, ef-i
feet. Many Of the members OF the
legislature are beginning to feel chat
public sentiment will sustain the ad-7
vanccs asked for. They overlook the
fact that the business men who favor
1t are not the folks who pay the
freight; they simply pass 1t on their
customers. And If passenger rates are
advanced to two and half cents per
mile. mileage books will probably be
sold at the old .wo-cent rate to bust
ness houses. Most of the burden of
the advances will fall on the farmers
Of the state and the. small consumers
And as the advances asked for Will
amount to about ten million dollars q
year, the burden will not be light
one.
1t is time for the farmer to take a
more active part in this matter than
he has heretofore. Thru thes warn
ings which have already appeared in
Wallace's Farmer, a large number of
petitions and letters have been sent to
members of the general assembly. but
not enough to balance the work being
done by the other eide. With one or
two exceptions, the daily press Of the
state has lent it's active or silent in
fuence to the railroad side, and with
the exception of Wallace's Farmer, the
agricultural papers have been mute.
one Of the latter has spent thousands
| of dollars and wept buckets Of ink
about an alleged overcharge for state
printing of $4,000 year--but has not
had a word concerning this rate
lovercharge Of $10,000,00O a year. The
publisher Of this paper is evidently
acting on the theory that IL he can
make enough noise, combined with
fearful protestations Of his love for the
farmer, he can lead the latter down
| blind alley where he can not see or
hear the railroad rate advance train
go by.
Our readers should at once write to
their senator's and representatives In
the general assembly and suggest, In
the first place. that they appropriate
100000 to be used by the railroad
commission in making valuation Of
the railroad property within the state
OF iowa; and, second. that all rate adj
vances be denied until such valuation
is made.
The railroads are entitled to fair
return upon the value of the property
used in the business, but at the pres
ent time no one knows what the value
Of this property is. 1t Is time we got
down to business in this matter. Our
first Job 10 to ascertain the value Of
the property. Then We can determine
what are fair rates, and we have a
railroad commission which IL thor
oughly competent to do this. The
farmers Of IOWA want the roads 10
| have fair price for their services
! but they want to know that the price
Is fair. UP to the present time. rates
| have been made in . hit-and- miss
fashion, without system. and without
reason except to set them at the high
est point which the traffic will bear.
It is time to get down to business
basis.
j We urge our readers to act prompt
" along the line suggested. The sit
uation is moro cr!:!ce! than they real
i ize. Write some strong personal let
ters to the men who represent you at
Des Moines, and tell them Just how
/ jyou feel about 4 IS