Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1920-02-09
Monday, February. 9, 1870.
How Some Farmers Feel About Rail.
roads

There are farmers Of ali shades o.
oninion az there are men in every
business 1ho hold different views. OF
course. Ye. sonehow the farmers
seem 70 possess greater solidarity
and fir,ner grasp Of what they be-
.ieve than men Of some other pur-
suits. The farmers are well ground
ID, both literally and figurat!VeiE.
and they usually present things With
convincing sovndness and clarity.
Much has been made by certain
la Dor fac.ionists OF the report that
representatives from several farmers
organizations went 10 the White
House and pied for continuance OF
government operation of the rail-
roads for AZ least tTo more years.
Eot all the farmers. however, are
icpregented-by this body, for anoth-
er BODY Of farmers have flied exactly
The opposite opinion in memorial
10 IOuSIEEc. AS 1GlNSI- Va taso
memorial are the executive heads OF
six national farmers organizations
together with the representatives Of
State bodies and oranges from some
uoZen states. The phraEeology OF
their petition leaTcs 10 loophole fos
ambiguous interpretations. They say
The government ownership Or
continued operation Of railroads is
most emphatically opposed. II Is
against good public policy and the
principles Of sound Americanism.
We are convinced that any possible
emergency calling for such operation
has passed: that its continuance is
costly, inefficient and inadvisable. We
urge Congress TO expedite the enact
ment Of legislation providing for the
proper reorganization. re-equip-
ment and control Of the railroads I'M
der private ownership, that this leg
islation b. as plain as possible. and
providing az few restrictions and
complications as will properly pro-
tect the superior interests Of the pub
lie in the operation Of railroads"
The war is over, there is no emer-
gency calling for continued govern
ment control. costly and inefiici-
cnt" are just the words to describe
the history of the McAdoo- Hines
management. The farmers are en-
tirely within their privilege in hint
ing to Congress that the forthcoming
legislation be "as plain as possible"
Complicated restrictions only make
for further inefficiency Of the service
and add to the cost of management.
The farmers may not equal the
city manufacturers in volume of
traffic but they are affected by lon
ger distances, and the notorious de-
lays and losses Of transportation dur
ing the past two years have worked
incalcuable damage to them. Often
situated some distance from town,
the farmer is dependent upon the
railroad for the necessities of life for
his family and his stock. Many a
farmer has had days On end Of worry
over the delay Of grain shipments
when his supply was getting low.
Delays in shipping perishable pro-
ducts from the farm to town have
resulted in even greater loss to the
farmer. Most farm products must
be rushed to market or they are
valueless.
The farmers put up with poor serv-
ice in war time because It was the
patriotic thing that everybody
thought must be done. After the
war has been over for more than a
year 1t is time to withdraw some Of
the war time restrictions. They
cannot be made an everlasting ex-
cuse for poor service and bungling