The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1915-01-14

afford to treat fairly every other
great industry in the nation as now?
Putting it In the terms Of sound
business policy, was there ever q
time when they should do their part
to the end that American labor may
be profitably employed in all the
great channels of industry, and that
our transportation system may be
kept up to high point of efficiency,
so that it may adequately DISCHARGE
the heavy shipping burdens which
will undoubtedly, descend upon 1t IN
the no distant future?
Railroads and Land Values.
No other single agency in the ma
ton has had more to do with the
advancement of land values than
have the railroads, and as evidence
Of this fact the proximity of farm
to the market almost invariably fixes
it's selling value. In no other state
has this been more true than in Iowa
the richest agricultural state in
the Union, with a per capita of farm
wealth which in amount and equity
of distribution is not equaled by any
other commonwealth. AS between
the man who bought Iowa land
twenty-five or thirty years ago and
the man who bought Iowa railroad
securities at that time, who has had
the best of it? And yet, did not
the men who furnished the money
with which Iowa railroads were
built, contribute tremendously TO-
ward the great enhancement in land
values which has taken place in this
state? Would this enhancement,
which amounts to hundreds of mil
lions of dollars, have been possible
without the railroads?
In round numbers, Iowa has about
35, 900, 900 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 lands from
1900 to 1910-a period of ten years.
During the four years which have
elapsed in the meantime it can safe
ly be estimated that the increase has
been brought up to at least 12O 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 values of
Iowa have added one billion, seven
hundred 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 farmers of this state to insist
upon Square deal" for the rail
roads?
AS matter of fact, were it not so
tremendously far reaching in its eff
feet, the controversy over a slight
increase in railroad rates in any
great agricultural state would large
ly resemble tempest in teapot
a matter which should be settled in
the brief space of time required to
apply the remedy. When private
industry, great or small, advances
the price of it's commodities we take
it as matter of course, and say
nothing about it-and in the past
we have opposed advances for the
railroads largely perhaps because the
attention of the people has never
been directed to their Importance to
the community and the nation, be-
cause they were angered at OCCASION
al abuses which strict governmental
regulation has forever eliminated
and because for some years design
ing political opportunists have found
abuse of the railroads an easy road
to public preferment. That public
sentiment, however, is changing rap
idly and that we will soon reach a
sane understanding between the
people and the railroads, which are
SO vitality essential to the agricul-
tural and commercial progress of
every community in the nation, is
becoming more and more apparent
every day. paid adv. To be con-
tinued.)
Notice of Final Report.