The Corvallis gazette., June 18, 1897, Supplement, Image 5

Supplement
COIiVALLIS GAZETTE:
FRIDAY .... . . .-. . .". . JITVB 18, 1S7
JUST TAMA JIM."
THAT'S . WHAT THE FARMERS
CALL SECRETARY WILSON.
n Interesting Man- with a History
filled with Interesting Experiences
-He's a Practical aid -a fecietttinc
Farmer Honors Thrust Upon Him.
. s Friend ,0 the. Farmer.
The present head oi'fhe Agrfcaitural'
Department is an interesting: man and
has a history filled With interesting expe
riences. Tall, slender, gray, rugged in
appearance, with a Scotch accent which
has clung to him since his arrival in this
country in childhood, he, ia a typical rep-!
resentative of what sturdy integrity and
unbending will can- accomplish. . There
are so many interesting things to be said
of 'Tama JimVwho gets this title be
cause his home in. Iowa was in Tama
County, and it became -necessary to in
some way identify him as against an
other .Tames -Wilson in. his own State, that
it is difficult to know just where to begin
and where to end in writing of him. .The
Washington Star, however, in a -lengthy
"article published a few days ago; selects
a number of unique' features in his history .
and some equally interesting chats with
Mr. Wilson.
As a member of Congress, this -Iowa
farmer performed jan act of -, abnegation,
of renunciation, every whit -as knightly
and heroic as the inspired, inspiring self
ishness and nerve of the grimy man in
dungarees who "held her nose agin' the'
bank till the last galoot", got. ashore. It
was the action of "Tama Jim" that re
stored to Grant the military title that
he surrendered when he became the civil
chief of the. nation he had redeemed with
the sword. It happened during the Forty-
PKCKKTART WILSON.
Afr)ith CjmtrTaua vohnrx Grnnl" lav. 1vino
-- " 3 - , ',- . u.uu - .7 - . ' -' 3
at Mt. McGregor. It Wffs a Democratic
House. Carlisle was the Speaker. A
bill was introduced restoring to .Grant
the rank of general. To throttle consid
eration of the bill its antagonists resorted
to filibustering' tactics.
"Tama Jim," for several previous terms
a representative from Iowa, now held his
eat provisionally. It was contested by.
Ben. Frederick, his Democratic opponent.
A contested election case has the right of
way in Congress. The pretext was seiz
ed by the opponents of the urgent measure
to give back to the expiring leader his
military rank. The supporters of . the
Grant bill. .ear-er.1v-.fis thpv rtouiivir- tt rrot
. It through in time, were' not willing to
. ... . . n 4 u in . u n u fly ui
A ay. nnln A 1 1
,v buu iucii cuu, auu Luua lucj wtrre
in turn compelled to resort to filibustering
to prevent tne consideration of the elec
tion case, which was exactly what the
anti-Grant party wished- them to do. The
Grant bill was blocked, with its benefi
ciary close to death.
Then "Tama Jim" rose to the height
of Arthur in his hall. Did he understand
that the mere question as to whether he
was to be permitted to retain his seat in
Congress stood in, the way of a nation!
exhibition of common gratitude to its pre
server? P.Ol.M It ho nnasihlo 4-hof a
contested election case was. to be the
boulder on which, consideration of so pal
pable an act of justice was to split? "If
this is the-case,". ;he concluded, calmly;
amid intense silence, "as it unquestiona
bly appears to be, the obstacle, is easily
removed. Mr. Speaker, I hereby, resign
my claim to a seat in this House to my
contestant, Mr. Frederick." -
The House rang. Every man- in the
body joined in the hoarse plaudit that
followed the speech. The anti-Grant men
were stupefied, and the Grant bill passed
the House amid a hurricane of. cheers. It.
was rushed over to the Senate and imme
diately passed -by that body; and within
an hour after James Wilson, now the Sec
retary of Agriculture, had made way for
Its consideration by surrendering .his seat
In the House of Representatives the bill
was signed by. the President, and became,
t law, ."Tama Jim" went back" to his
Iowa farm. - .
Among his old associates In Congress
Secretary Wilson is still affectionately
known as "Tama Jim." The nickname
was conferred upon him because during
bts service as a' Congressman, there was
In the House another representative from
Iowa named James F. Wilson, afterward,
and for many years, a Senator. He died
several years ago. To distinguish the
two men, "Sunset" Cox fastened upon
Secretary Wilson the nickname of "Tama
Jim," from Tama-County, in which is sit
uated Mr. Wilson's Iowa farm.
Mr. Wilson, at the very beginning of
his career as a member of the lower
house of Congress, was' the spokesman
of the agriculturists of this country in
urging the erection of the bureau of ag
riculture, as it was then called,: into a
separate department, with a cabinet offi
cer at its head. His word may be taken
fotit that at that time he never dreamed
that he would himself one day be called
npbri to asshme the management of therde
partment he so zealously strove to estab
lish, the farmers of the United States
are still burdening President McKinley's
mail with felicitations upon his selection
of-a Secretary of Agriculture.
The Man -as He Is.
"I came here to work for the man with
his coat off," said Mr. Wilson. "The man
with his coat off" is-a favorite figure of
his; not unnaturally, for lie has been a
man with his coat off himself all hi Ufa,
His big, muscular, horny hands show it;
his slow, heavy gait as of a man measur
ing the distance between furrows, pro
claims it; so do his tall, rugged, but some
what stooped figure, his lined, wind-swept
countenance, his steel blue eyes, their
singular brightness eloquent of life in the
open fields,' the lids habitually drawn to
gether, by a lifelong evasion of the glar
ing brilliance of the harvest sunT -The
honors he has gained have been thrust
upon' him; literally .by physical force he
was dragged from the farm to the forum.
Now, summoned from the directorship of
an Iowa agricultural college to the head
of the national agricultural institution,
he still professes to be nothing more than
a man in his shirt sleeves,-'working for
the advancement of men similarly divest
ed. In his labor-acquired physique, his
speech, his manner, his movements, ev
ery one of Mr. WiisonV seventy-three
inches unmistakably proclaims him a
farmer; he is. a -;fine-look.ipg,. generous,"
gtnrdy-looking figure of a man who'knows
what the dome of heaven looks: 'like it
sunrise." When the torch of .civil war
gave forth-its first red illumination,, young
Farmer Wilson was all for seizing a mus
ket and rushing to the front. But the
family to which he' belonged was'-large,'
poor; and needed its men, who were strap
ped to the plough; moreover, his brother
Peter, an older man, wanted to go, and
had the law of primogeniture, observed
by the Scotch, on his side. The two men
drew lots, and Peter, went to the' war,
and died in it. The. younger man re
turned to his plodding of the fields, to be
seized upon as a parliamentarian by his
neighbors a few years later. .
' "Among the men with .their, coats off,":
said. Mr.. Wilson the other day, "are Ihe
dairymen" of this' country. They are just
setting about- to tackle "One of the biggest'
jobs .they have ever undertaken, and, if I
have any kind of gift of prophecy, they? re
going to win. The problem is this: Eng
land is buying $65,000.00 worth of for
eign butter a year.- The United States
supplies perhaps 1 per cent of it, or a little
over $600,000 worth, while little Denmark
supplies nearly $30,000,000 worth, buying
American cow feed for the purpose of
holding this immense business. We make
the best butter in the world. Then why
can't we sell at least as much of it to the
British people as a little country like
Denmark? That's one of the things I am
going to find out, if it takes all of the spe
cial agents in this department to get me
the facts; and it will" be one: of the sur
prises of my life if at the end of three or
four years we are not furnishing Great
Britain with at least, one-half the butter
she imports." ,:'.-
Secretary Wilson puts in from nine' to
ten hours a day at his department. He be
longs to the careful, .plodding type of'
workmen. He likes to make the drafts in
his own handwriting of the more impor
tant letters and documents to which he
appends -his signature. : Disaster befalls,
him when, as often happens, his old farm
er friends from Iowa walk in '.upon' him
at his office, for1 a single visitation of this
sort eats a considerable bole in his work-.
ing day; and it does not console the- Sec
retary to be aware that it is his own fault.
He will not let such visitors depart with
in a reasonable time,"riiuch as they pro
test that they fear they are trenching iip
on his indulgence. He lines up on a" leath
er sofa alongside a couple of these pros
perous looking elderly agriculturists, and.
there ensues a- canvassing of farming
matters,, treated either theoretically, tech
nically .or practically. . .'. ' .' '.'.
Being a scientific farmer, as well as a
practical one, Mr. .Wilson says that he
feels as much compelled to keep up with
the latest, writings of scientific farming
as the ambitions physician is obliged" to
follow the current developments in his
profession. Hundreds of pamphlets and.
publications of all sorts relative to mat
ters of the farm reach him every. week,
and he looks through- them all. ' He has
one pet hobby, which, however, is an emi
nently practical and praiseworthy one.
viz.. the fostering of the sugar beet indus
try in the Inited States. "Why should
the United States pay put $100,000,000 a
year for its, sugar, when we can easily.
raise it at home is an inquiry he puts to
his friends constantly, and before long he
intends to make a personal inspection of
the most important fields in the country
where the sugar beet industry is growing.
"Probably next year," said Mr. Wilson.
"I shall make a tour of the farming dis
tricts throughout -the South and South
west. lam peculiarly a 'farmer of the
temperate"'region in the Northwest, arid
must own to a considerable lack of infor
mation as to the requirements of the' men
with their coats off in the sub-tropical re
gions of the country. But I am -going to
find out as innch about them as I can. and
shall probably proceed as far as' Califor
nia in the effort."
RECALLS CLEVELAND'S RECORD
Ex-President la Reminded of His Own
Party's Delay in Tariff Legislation.
Somebody with a good memory has tak
en occasion to remind ex-President Cleve
land and the public who read his scold at
the Republican party because of its
promptness in carrying out its -pledges
with reference to tariff legislation, of, the
terrible experience" of the people of the
United States during the eighteen months
in which his own party delayed its tariff
legislation. This reminder was brought
forth by Mr. Cleveland's New York
speech, in which he criticised the- Republi
can leaders for.tneir ."hot haste'' in tak
ing up tariff legislation. The eighteen
months which elapsed between Mr. Cleve
land's inauguration in 1S93 and the enact
ment of his. free trade tariff law included
more -than. 20,000 failures, with liabilities
aggregating more than 500 million dollars;
the closing down of over 800 banks: the
appointment -of receivers for about forty-
railroads, .whose . inoeDteoness amounted
to a billion and a half dollars, and strikes
and lockouts costing the workingmen en
gaged 45 million dollars in wages lost.
The total record of the eighteen months
includes strikes in New York and Michi
gan in March. 1893: strikes in Chicago
in April: strikes .and bank failures in Illi
nois arid Ohio In May; runs on savings
banks in Western States in June; suspen
sion of work in mines and numerous bank
failures throughout the West in Julyrfail
nres in New York and" Chicago and small
er cities, followed by riots in New. York,
Kansa.rand--elsewhefej'in-Angust: "strike'
on the "Big Four" and consequent riots
in September; railroad strike m Alabama
and necessity of troops to suppress it in
October: strikes on the Lehigh Valley
road and in Connecticut factories in No
vember; riots in Pennsylvania mining re
gion in December; strikes in New Jersey,
Pennsylvania and elsewhere, followed by
riots, in Jannary; strikes in New York,
Ohio. Massachusetts and accompanied by
lota in Februarv; strikes in New Jer-
DEPARTMENT
N O officer of the new' administration attracts more attention than the Secretary of Agriculture, and as a-consequence
no department home is more Inquired about than the handsome building in which "Tama Jim". Wilson toils ?
from1 early morning until long after the close of ordinary business hours, in behalf of the farmer."' A half century
ago a merely - nominal -sum of -$10f,000 was at the instance of the Commissioner of Patents, Hon. H.'I. Ellsworth,' devoted
:' by- Congress, for . the purposes .of agriculture... 'For two years prior to that this patriotic gentleman had :been distributing
seeds and plants gratuitously, and. for the nine-years of his entire' term of office he continued this good work. His
- successors, Ju the. Patent Office -continued the practice, buH.t was not -until 1862 that the Bureau Of Agriculture was
, formally organized. It was not, however,- until the beginning of President Harrison's term of, office that the head of the
Bureau of Agriculture was made a cabinet officer, its chief having prior to. that time been, termed the Commissioner 'of
Agriculture.- .When President Harrison, elevated the position to the dignity of a cabinet office its head became the "Secre
tary of Agriculture," the position first filled by "Uncle Jerry" Rusk of "Wisconsin, next by Hon. J. Sterling Morton of
' Nebraska and now by 'Tjtma Jim" Wilson of Iowa. The home of the Department of Agriculture is a handsome brick,
building located upon the mail' which run's westwardly from the" Capitol, and is about midway between the Smithsonian
Institution and the Washington Monument It is surrounded by spacious conservatories and wide blooming gardens, and
-. every.plant and tree in the grounds is indigenous to our native soil, from the luxuriant specimens from the Southern States
' to the dwarfed and hardy foliage of. our northern borders. Good sized gardens occupy the rear of the building, in
- which are carried on -tests, of varieties of fruits and plants, experiments in methods of grafting and budding and studies
in- the diseases, of. plants,. Seeds of new and superior varieties are tested and various and extensive experiments carried
- en. . , ' . " ' ."'"-'-.,". '-.'..' -
.The department maintains" at least one correspondent in every county in the United States, through whom statistics
of .quality and -quantity of. crops are forwarded to Washington, to be there distributed by means of monthly and yearly
.' reports." Specialists are , also employed to prepare from these reports instructive articles on suitable topics. . The department
has been of great .benefit to the farming and fruit growing industries of the country in the determination of . diseases of
plants and trees and in testing-' remedies for. them and distributing information to the country generally. Destructive
insects which' have''threatened to, exterminate certain fruit industries have been investigated' by the department 'arid -means
found for their' own destruction and check, proving of " incalculable benefit'to the farmers. As civilization advances and
' exchanges are, made with foreign'' countries Of commodities and fruits, various insects and foes appear which were iri vears
gone ,onthought-of, and the department is constantly watching and experimenting to. be able to meet and counteract the
work pf these destructive ; foes when they appear. The Agricultural .Department is in communication with the leading
-. - . " , , r .. i T - J t. .... 1 . 1. X. .. J. ...L..' l V. 4 .. I..... e 1 . ....
lorein agricultural socrcues, auu iuv iun uao ueru uur uuiy wi-uaupe ui reyui w uut ui almost every Known Tspecimen
ef.r seed,: shruby vegetable and fruit. --'The shade 'trees of -our entire conntry axe represented. in the grounds,. oyer 1.500 -native
varieties,. having been, planted. - The display .of flowers in the grounds is -also pnderful and will soon equal any like .
. display in. eorld. ' ... "-' "" - : . '
r -W-fst Virginia. Pennsylvania find;
Colorado. .-accompanied .'by, riots ; aad:ithe.
use oi; troops iv auficoa ,,w4tv.w,
5Jjirch: strikes in Ohio," Pennsylvania,
South' Carolina.' Alabama and 6 the Pa
cific coast, .accompanied; by riojs, which
were suppressed by State troops,; in April;
bloodshed and use of -troops i io: Pennsy
vania in May; strikes and riots ,:in Mary-
linl Mnnthna- Ohio. Alabama, VV lscon-
,io - Ponncvirnmia- and Michigan, wnicn
were only suppressed by the use of troops,
in .Tune : strikes in Chicago, Indiftnapo,is
and elsewhere, followed; by-use of, troops, I
in JoIv; strikes in New orK. Juasbacuif
setts" and -other Eastern States Por"t
final enactment of tariff law-on Aug. -8,
1S!)4. ' ; '- ' : it ' -
Why -Business Moves Slowly.
The bad effect of Jhe election, of ,G rover
Cleveland and the free trade Congress
was felt in a single month after the elec
tion because the merchants -stopped ' or
dering froin the home manufacturers in
the expectation of .getting cheap goods
from abroad under alow tariff.- The good
effect 'of the election' of McKMey'-aod
the protection Congress cannot be felt as
promptly as was the bad effect of the elec
tion of" Cleveland, because those same
merchants are still buying goods abroad,
in enormous quantities; and will proba.
blv have a year's; supply in band before
the new law gets into. effect. This ac
counts for the delay in '.activity among
our manufacturers anu ior
hBiTit. revival which will surely
follow the resumption
them. - ' - ?
of
business, by
The Farmer and the Senate. " -
The farmer is likely to be well taken
care of by that dignified-body, the United
States Senate. The tariff bill, reported
from the Finance Committee of that body,
has added a duty of 1 cents per pound
on hides, increased the rate on wool of the
third class, and cot out the clause jn the
House bill which exempted Hawaiian
sugar from duties, thus reducing that
competition with beet sugar. The Jaty
put on hides, tea and other arfccles which
were formerly on the free list; will im
proWthe opportunities for. advantageous
reciprocity treaties for whichthe .Senate
will provide, and which will greatly bene
fit the farmer. It Is beliSvedr.tne House
rates on wools ot tne nrsi a3iuHei.u
will be restored by the Senate ot onfer
ence committee. .. ... , ' ,J" ''
' '" A Cblilg Year fop Silver.
This has been a chilly yeaF foi the sil
ver cause. .The population ofi the nations
which have rejected the silver, standard in.
the past vear is more than' three times as
great as ttiat of all thosft.taking this step
during the ten years previous!: Prom 1885
to 1895 the nations which adopted the
gold standard were Egypt,. Roumania.
Austria-Hungary and Santo Domingo,
having an aggregate population at that
time of fifty million peopte. The nations
which have abandoned the silver standard
in the past year-are Bolivia. Costa Rica,
Chili. Peru. Japan and Russia', with an
aggregate population of ISO million, to
say nothing of China with her 400 million,
which "has gone a long distance toward the
adoption of the gold standardV.:"'
',;-' Cleveland's Little Joke. ''
Nobody ever, before suspected'. Mr.
Clevelandjbf being a hujhorist.' Upon no
other theory, however, is rtvpossible- to ex
plain his assertion made in his New York
speech the other night,' that his. party
"defends the humble toiler against oppres
sive exactions in his home and invites him
to the utmost eujoymerit df the .fruits of
industry,, economy. and thrift." The ex
perience of. the "humhle toiler" since Mr.
Cleveland came tobffice four years ago
will hardly enable him to agree with that
gentleman in this statement . '
OF
AGRICULTURE.
POOLING LAW NEEDED
RAILROAD INDUSTRY KILLED BY
IGNORANT' LEGISLATION.
Absolute Necessity for a. Pooling Caw
if the Roads Are to Prosper, and
. , Continns to Give Work, to .Their
"Eight Hundred Thousand Em ployes.
. Railroad President's -Views- .
Mr. E. B. Thomas,-in response, to an in
quiry from the-Washington Post regard
ing.hvs. viewa.-as to the relation -of -the
railroads Of the country to the prosperity
of the people, and particularly as 'to his
views upon- the pooling bill .now before
Congress, says: .'-,--
There exists in the public mind, an ap
prehension 'that the railways are opposed
to the. public interest, and thakany legis
lation which' restrains railways-is of ne
cessity for the good of the people at large.
This 'riitstaken idea has had much to do
with shaping the State legislation that
has in many instances so severely crip
pled railway, enterprise, and, in a large
measure, this, impression was- prevalent
when, ten years ago. Congress took its
first step in? dealing with -the railway
problem. Looking back for twenty years
it 'is difficult to recall a single legislative
measure, national or State, proposed, ad
vocated or enacted for- the benefit of the
railways, whereas during that period hnu
dreds and even thousands of propositions
have been brought forward, many of them
unhappily enacted into laws, wliich seri
ously injure railway property and cause
great loss to those who have invested
their money in this form of security,
larceet Employers of Labor.
Railways are not only the largest em
ployers of. labor direct, but they are enor
mous purchasers of supplies. If the rail
way system of . the ' United States were
even fairly prosperous the amount of
money It would annually distribute over
this broad land would exceed $1,200,000,
000. Comparing our railways with our
national government, which is regarded
as a pretty big business, we find that the
Government disburses -on an average
about $400,000,000, or one-third as much
as our railways. Take the Erie Railroad
system as an example: With a gross in
come of about $30,000,000 per annum, it
distributes in wages among about 30,000
employes-over $16,000,000, and for in
terial nearly six millions, the greater part
of which goes to the labor producing, the
manufactured articles. -
The total number of railroad employes
in the United States is about SlW.OOO and
the total expenditure is over $723,000,000.
Taking as an average five individuals to
a family, we see that there are some 4o
000,000 of people directly dependent for
their existence upon the railroad indus
try, and I feel safe, therefore; in saying
that in the conducting of transportation
the railways distribute more actual money
to a greater number ; of individuals
through more numerous channels and over
'a wider area of country 'than any other
industry. -. .. '-.,..:--;
.Vast Soma Annually Expende?!., -
Great and far-reaehing as are these disbursements-
the. $250,000,000 per,annum
expended in late years. in"what. may be
termed keeping this property in good re
pair, give employment to hundreds . of
thousands Of track laborers, skilled la
borers in Onr rail mills, locomotive, car
and machine shops, and so on through an
immense range of trades and occupations.
Even during these bad' years; and with
uncertain rates, the railways are patting
$70,000,000 per annum into their road
beds, $33,000,000 into new rails and ties,
and over $15,000,000 into new bridges.
The fences to keep off cattle and the sign,
posts to wrn people at railway crossings
cost over $3,500,000 per annum, or more
than the legislative branch of, the na
tional .government. Even the newspa
pers and printers are deeply ' interested,
for $8,500,000 was spent in printing and
advertising. The -United States Postoffiee
Department - is considered an Important
business, and yet the aggregate expenses
of that department in 1S95 were $00.
544,322, while for repairs and renewals of
locomotives, passenger "and freight cars
our railways expended in the same year
$93,707,989. A moment's thought will
make it clear that nearly ail of this vast
sum is annually spent for mechanical la
bor of all kinds, for nearly every ..branch
of industry enters into locomotive and car
building. In times normally ; good you
may safely figure on upward of $100,000,
000. per. annum for this. purpose as a regu-.
Iar .part' of keeping the roiling stock of
railways up to date aridiu good repair.' to
say nothing of an additional fen million
for other mechanical work incidental to
keeping the plants of transportation in
good running order. I. only refer to these
facts for the purpose of showing how in
timately the successful conduct of these
great properties is interwoven with other
industries of the country, and how im
possible it is to injure our railway prop
erties without at the same time seriously
injuring almost all other occupations and
curtailing the prosperity of the entire na
tion.. It has been aptly stated that unless
the people are prosperous the railroads
cannot Bourish. Is not the converse eanal-
!y true; can the people prosper -when soj
large an industry languishes, when its
800.000 employes are working only part
time and its forces are reduced to the
lowest possible limit repairs and replace
ments postponed to better times? ,. ,
Disturbance of Commerce,' '
Not only do the continued attacks on
railways thus fall heavily upon the indus
tries of the country at large, but they
bring about a disturbance of commerce,
and cause men who would otherwise put
their money into co-operative industries
to withhold it, and thus cripple existing
and prevent new enterprises of all sorts;
Instead of benefiting the public, much of
the so-called railway legislation has been
a decided detriment. It creates uncertain
ty where certainty should exist. It breeds
many of the ills (such as discrimination
in rates) which it seeks to remedy, and
has done much toward bringing bankrupt
cy and ruin lo nearly half the railway
mileage of the count ryj
"Protection to American industries" has
ever been a cai-dinal principle in this coun
try. They have almost invariably .receiv
ed fair treatment at the bands of the na
tional Legislature. Why should an in
dustry employing more labor and a great
er proportion of American-born labor in
which the capital invested is greater,
which expends for supplies fn this country
aione sums far in excess of any other in
dustry, be debarred from fair and.ilegiti
nmte treatment and become the prey of
unscrupulous demagogues and dishonest
politicians, and the target for newspaper
abuse?-- In a new country, under now
(-conditions, and with a rapidity that has
astonished the older world, we have built
up a railway' system equal in mileage to
ail the railways of the rest of the -world
combined. - .
- - -- . . . - 11.
-The men responsible Tor the w,ork have
used their best judgment, given their best
thought, and many of them the best years
of their lives, in honest endeavor to make
the. most of the enterprise in which they
have embarked. Are not the purposes
of this industry as necessary, and legiti
mate, are not its owners entitled to as'fair
m return upon .their investment as other
industries? Are not its officers and em
ployes as honest, efficient and patriotic
as those in other avocations? Why not
give them a fair chance? Out of the com
plex problem presented there ' hat beet
solved the question of moving a ton of
freight' a greater distance for a less sain.
o. money than any other country. Our
.nassenser service, in sneed. comfort, reffn-
Tlarity and safety has been the'admiratioa
of the. world. Let Legislatures, the press,
and the - public give fair support to this
great Industry, helping to conserve instead
of to destroy, and the railroads of Amer
ica will make such progress as will wring
admiration and praise from even their un
friendly criyes.-
To Prevent General' Demoralization;
.Though the present outlook is far from
encouraging, and the recent decision of
the Supreme Court declares ..that all. at
tempts at uniform action are illegal," we
seek for no legislation that will increased
rates or add lo the burden of the general
public. -The proposed pooling bill recently
introduced in the United States- Senate
by Senator Foraker of. Ohio means at'
the best a sort of breakwater to prevent
p. - ... n . ucaimaiiiiiiuuu . 11 10 I lie iit-L
means thus. far devised to legalize free
dom of agreement between competing.
reasonable and uniform rates. - In -the na
tional Legislature of ten years. ago the ne
cessity for uniform action regarding rail
ways'was recognijtted, and this measure is
only taking up the question where Congress-laid
it down and carrying the legis
lation a step further. To hold these prop
erties together and to give the people the
full benefit (as I have shown) of a dis
bursement reaching nearly twelve hun
dred million a year, we must get nearer -a
uniform management. The work of the
railways- must, in short, be carried on
with uniformity and method, v This can
best be done hv thn BAroral rnilwoir nro.
tems working as they do. Under the law,
as proposed, when the :raes are finally
azreed linorr by 'thA rrmtfipHnir rnnria -nnli
passed by. the Interstate Commerce Com-.
mission as reasonable, and. just, power,
should be given to the roads to enforce
them. This is a reasonable and fair de
mand, "and one "that Congress should, at
once grant. .....
The proposition which has been suggest
ed by some theorists for enlarging 'the
Interstate Commerce Commission and
permitting it to initiate rates would be a.
fatal mistake, and a system based. upon
such an idea vicious in the extreme. The
railways not only have the ability, but'
the facility to make rates; It is expert
work, requiring judgment and a thorough
unowieuge 01 an local coduiuuub. 10
have the rate-making power removed to
Washington and . absolutely fixed by a
commission, no matter how able or hosv
honest, would work incalculable injury.
If would be far better for the Government
to purchase the railways and assume the
whole responsibility, than for the Govern
ment practically to undertake . 'the regula
tion and management of the property of
private individuals. This is undoubtedly .
the most mischievous proposition thus far
evoked by demagogues and anarchists for
the wiping out of the capital Invested in
railway enterprises. It would simply be
.unendurable, and lead -to rate complica
tions heretofore nnheard of, even in our
present imperfect system. The po'ss:b':li-;
ties of corruption would be tremendous:
the pulling and hauling at Washington
for favored rates for special communities
would bring the whole system down with
the weight of its'bwn folly .aud'iuiprac
ticability. -.' .
Wonll Beneflf tbe- Whole Conutry.
- In the bill, referred to, .the pb'ic,.the
shipper, the railway employe and the rail
ways have all been fairly considered. If
it becomes a law the results must be ben
eficial to the whole country, because our
railways penetrate all parts of the repub
lic. Congress' should,-therefore, approach
it in a spirit ot.lairness ami justice, ana
not with temper, and political prejndiee.
It Is an honest effort to adjust satisfac
torily difficulties that have grown up by
reason of the magnitude of our transpor
tation industry and the newness of onr
common country.
THE FARMERS AND PROSPERITY
Eome Scns'ble f O'fjrerions, Even 'It
They l o Come from the Enst.
The common cry from the various Dem
ocrats floating around in cold and muddy
water since the flood of November, that
may be placed in language easily compre
hended, is as follows: . .
"Look here, you fellows have promised
the country good limes, general prosper
ity, all that sort of thing, plenty of good
money, it Aicivuney slioulu be elected;
now, where is the money to come from .
and how do you expect to get your good
times? There are just about five million
farmers watching yon, and if yon cannot
do something for them, you are gone.
Can't you see it already?"
In this connection it is customary to ask
the questions. "What is it precisely the
farmers desire and expect? What would
satisfy them? You warn us thnt they are
revolutionists except on conditions de
fine the conditions."
And' the answer is that -the- farmers
have not been making anything and they
want more money, and mean to have it
from one party if not from another. If
the Republicans do not give them aid, the
farmers will turn the whole Government
over to the Populist Democratic party,
and that is just what is in the wind now!
As for the farmers of America, they
:n 1. .. .... tA -..v.wniVw... ,.., , 1, h,vD- f,fr
I 111 11,11 IT ls 1 I 1111 llll.'l. 1. 11 LI 1 an,... uu
the monopoly of' grain and meat produc
tionthat the vast wheat fields of Argen
tina. India, southern Russia. Hungary:
and the Dakotas. are plowed .and sown
and reaped by machinery, so that wheat
is grown at less expense" than in any
former age., because there is less labor
needed to till the ground. More than that,
the world has by cheap power from cheap
coal. and. by chpap steel, been made com
paratively small The lines of steel rails
onrnea nont-inpiit sn.innin.? fireat rivers
on steel bridges the lines of steel steam
ers across the oceans ten thousand tons
of freight driven five hundred miles a
day. finds the workingmen of the cities
in white bread. Farm products are cheap
ened by giving the populous natious that
carry on manufacturing industries cheap
food along with frugal powr and fast
transportation. Well, is this to be regajjd
ed as a calnmity ? This very cheap power
and -rapid movement enlarges the area
that the men who work in shops can live
in crives wife and children good air'and
t'a chance for shade and grass and tuilk di
rect from the cows in the summer time.
Butter comes from Australia by the thou
sand tons and breaks the butter markets.
so that golden outter goes wuu wuu
bread.,
..How are the farmers to be compensat
ed? There is one sure way. It is the es
tablishment of home markets through the
diversity of industries. We caunot better
the condition of fanners- by multiplying
farmers. New York Press. . , . . ". , .'
Greece and Corbett seem to be in
same class. Boston Globe.
the