The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-03-03
FARMERS AND THE
 RAILROAD BILL
By HOLLAND

New York, March 2.-(Special. )--When. the railroad bill which was recently en. lacted by Congress into law was before
 the president for approval or disapproyal. ne had at hand a very significant let ter Wnicn represented the opinion prob aDly Of 20 per cent of the farmers of
 the United States This letter w,> signed by w. l.. Drummond who ia chairman of the board of governors of the international Farm Congress and asso by T. c. Atkeson who is the Wash fnston representative of the National
 orange The presidents attention was
 caiied In this letter to the fact that at the recent meeting at Washington of rep
 resentatives of nearly al the farmers or ganizations of the United States incIud- l ing the American Cotton Association's S
 warm approval was expressed for the main features of the railroad bill then before Congress
 me farmers thus represented went so
 Tar IS to say that the American farm CTS stand fer the safeguarding and pro- lection of every right of private property ,and against government ownersnip c~ continued operation of the railroads by the government. In the letter to the president 1t was also stated that there l Is real necessity for settled conditions in transportation before the next season Of crop movements.
 This attitude of the American farmers as whole represents their desire and nope that there may be such disposition CT the railroad situation as will make 1t possible for the farmers to secure better distribution and ultimately to re- i!eve themselves as far as possible for the considerable burden they have so long borne. which has been occasoned by the cost of distribution. The American farm CTS will be glad if a method is adopted py which they can secure distribution of their crops from the farms to the markets ever the railroads or the water ways without the intervention of the middleman. This undoubtedly will entail co operation and coordination among the farmers but their leaders say that they are ready t. perfect cooperation of this kind if thereby economic distribution Of their crops could be secured They be- lieve that if this be done there will be increased production of crops. both food and cotton. They are ready to support any reasonable proposition which state legislatures or Congress may consider whereby the excessive cost of distr.>I- tion can be eliminated.
 FARMERS AND THE RAILROADS Until recently the opinion has prevailed that the farmers of the United States were in opposition to the railroad and In fact furnished much of the public
  hostile to tre railroads. But the farm CTS now realize that the railroads and the waterways of the United States are essential 10 the unhampered and ulti- mately to the economical movement of thei- croes from the fields to them ar kets. So that now we see the organiza- tiors Of the American farmers warmly approving the return of the railroads to private ownership and also approve the chief features which were written into ti,e railroad bill by Congress They be- lieved that the measure. if adopted would hasten tho methods by which the farm CTS can secure economic distribution of their Irodiscts knowing that this can be done if tLere be cooperation between the farnf rs and the railroad managers of the United States.
 IMPORTANT REVELATION
 It has not escaped notice that the great representative bodies of the American farmers stood squarely and firmly in favor of the railroad bill be- lieying that if it be adopted the interest os the farmers would be we'll served. A few years ago an attitude of this kind would have ben impossible. Therefore it is said that not the least important feature associated with the railroad b.li wrs .he action taken by the American farmers t,.yn"gh their representatives and their organizations in favoy of ths railroad bill, which the farmers say, con- tained intrinsic merits in almost all of it's provisions.
 Today the farmers of the United States as $ whole aTe ready to act fiji cooperation with the railroads of the United States. On the other hand the railroad managers are also willing ard anxious to act in cooperation with the farmers. And as this IS the state of mind of both the farmers and the man. agers it is not unreasonable to hope fof the adoption of such methods of dis.ri- button as will eliminate the excessive cost which the distribution of farm prod- ucts now entail
 MIR. VANDERBILT ONCE MORE
 One of the ablest of the financial lead CTS of New York while speaking this morning Of the latest of the addresses of Frank A. yanderlip said that there is beginning to be good understanding of the fact that MT. Vanderlip was right wren he made his first statement after his return from Europe in which he set forth the deplorable and even dangerousf condition financial. industrial and com me.cial which existed in Europe Now earnest effort is under way which may lead to the adoption of measures. some of them the identical ones suggested by Mir. Vanderlip, whereby Europe can be saved and true peace secured, industriaS financial and trade peace
 Probably not until his return from Ja- pan will MT. vanderlip again make a formal address although as he journeys acros the country to the Pacific he may speak briefly. It is regarded as a highly significant fact that Mir. vanderlip Is now undertaking to be man of action. backing up his words with contemplated action in the far east. He, with two Tor thre others, will in mid-spring be in conference with the leaders in Japan land very likely with some of the lead CTS in China. Those conferences Will supplement those which are to be car ried on by Thomas w. Lamont w.-- :, now on his way to Japan and China a-s sa purpose similar to that which Mir. Nen- 'dorlip has in mind. The financial leaders are confident that important history is to be made in the far east and especially