Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1915-01-07

rather than run the danger OF
plunging this mighty industry
into the whirlpool Of party pol
itics for all time, with it atten.
dant opportu 'ity for evil of
which the past affords such
rich variety of experience.
Tile United States is still
young country, and in many
sections only partially develop
ed. Many new lines and extern
sions are needed here and there
to give a wider opportunity t"
expanding agriculture and com.
]merce and nothing could be
more unfortunate or disast Gus
than that these favors could
Ihencetorth be obtained only by
leave of the dominant political
factions which will reign at Il e
national capital in years to
come. Political parties are in
tense human institutions. and
the average cautious citizen
will prefer to leave the railroad
expansion Of the future to the
ecor omic law of supply and de-
mand of the differe Mt commun;.
ties rather than 10 place such a
temptation for power in the
hands OF those who rise and
fall in he field of politics
Furthermore, should the time
evel came then the government
talks over the railroads, it
means that the people will have
to forego the millions of taxes
which they now pay and which
help to support the public
schools, public highways, and
other publ C expenses-and
that henceforth these millions
of revenue will have to come
out of the pockets of the PEG.
Pile.
Many other things could be
said upon this phase of the
question, but space forbids.
For some time, the government,
through the Interstate Com.
MERGE Commission, has been en-
gagged in making a physical
valuation OF all our railroads
as matter of guidance for flu
ture rate adjustments. Again
we repeat, since the people alb
solutely control and regulate
the railroads, is that not
enough? Will it not be better
Ito let we'll enough aloue-to
cling to that winch is good and
eliminate that which is bad in
the present vsteM which, with
all that has been said against
it, furnishes the best a.d cheap
est transportation service in
the world?
INCREASED COST or OPERATE ON
We now wish TO refer briefly
to another phase of the prob
lem. For a number of years
the cry of the "high cost of liv-
inc" has be en- everywhere
ABROAD in the land. Time was,
not so many years ago, when
the farmer sold his corn at 25
cents per bus h e l. Now it
brings from so cents to IS cents
So, I 90. he sod hogs at cents
per pound. which now readily
bring from Z cents to 10 CENTS
while a good steer calf, which
used to bring from $40 to $12.
now sells for from 500 to $25
Nobody who knows anything
about present land values or
the farmers cost of production
will content that he is not en-
titled to these increased prices
AS a matter of fact, unless he
is an exceedingly good mana
lager and utilities the best of
modern agricultural thought he
lis by no means getting rich at
present prices high as they
may seem to people in the cit
lies who do not understand the
cost ATTACHED to present-day
farming. To go back to the
, old prices he used to receive
would bankrupt. in a little
while, every farmer N the coun
try-and the tendency of, the
future will be for the prices of
/, farm products to go still high
| err rather than lower. Agri
culture is the nations greatest
! f,n1, u,onf,l ;pducfrv and Gu