The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1915-01-22
RATE INCREASE
NECESSARY
FARMERS UNION OFFICIALS
THINK RAILROADS ARE EN-
TITLED TO MORE REVENUE.
Products Of PIow and Farmer Who
Lives at Home Should Be
Exempt From Increase.
BY Peter Radford.
Lecturer National Farmers Union.

BY Peter Radford.
Lecturer National Farmers Union
The recent action Of the Interstate
Commerce Commission in granting an
increase in freight rates in the eastern
classification of territory; the appl1ca-
ton of the roads to state and inter-
state commissions for an increase IN
rates, and the utterances OF President
Wilson on the subject bring the farm
ers of this nation face to face with the
problem of an increase in freight
rates. 1t is the policy of the Farmers
Union to meet the issues affecting the
welfare of the farmers squarely and
we will 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
is needed to accommodate the owe
ment of farm products. If in the wis
dom of our Railroad Commissions an
increase in freight rates Is necessary
to bring about an improvement in our
transportation service, and an extern
sion of our mileage, then an increase
should be granted, and the farmer Is
willing to share such proportion Of
the increase as justly belongs to him,
but we have some suggestions to make
as to the hammer in which this in
crease shall be levied.
Rates Follow Lines of Least Resist
ance,
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
tumberman and the cattleman 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 with unre-
strained greed they have eaten the
vitals out Of u 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 is
involved.
The farmer is seldom represented
at rate hearings, as his organizations
have never had the finances to en-
ploy counsel to develop his side of
the cas- and, as a result, the products
Of the pillow bear an unequal burden
of the freight expense. A glance at
the freight tariffs a~bundantly proves
this assertion. Cotton, the leading
agricultural product Of the South, al
ready bears the highest freight rate Of
any necessary commodity in com.
merce, and the rate on agricultural
products as a whole is 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 will be able to
give the railroad such an increase in
as is necessary without levying
a further toll upon the products Of
the pillow. The instance seems to pre-
sent an opportunity to the Railroad
Commissions to ~equalize the rates as
between agricultural and other classes
Of freight without disturbing the rates
staple farm products.
What 10 a Fair Rate?
We do not know what constitutes q
for rate making and have never
heard Of anyone who did claim to
much about 1t, but IL the pros
perity Of the farm is a factor to be
and the railroad commits
sion concludes that an increase in
is necessary, we would prefer
that it come to us through articles of
on their journey from
The factory to the farm. We would.
Tor example, prefer that the rate on
1ogs remain as at present and the
'ate on meat bear the increase, for
my farmer a then avoid the burden
raising his own meat, and a farm
Or who will not try to raise his own
ought to be penalized. We
,hink the rate on coal and brick can
much better bear an increase than
he rate on cotton and -four. We
would prefer that the rate on plows
'emain the same, and machinery.
,ianos and such articles as the DOOR.
n farmer cannot hope to possess bear
he burden of increase.
The increase in rates should be so
arranged that the farmer who lives
It home will bear no part of the bur.
len, but let the farmer who boards
n other states and countries and
Who feeds his stock in foreign lands.
'ay the price Of his folly.