Show RETURN OF ROADS PLEASES FARMERS urge policy to insure best service at lowest cost consistent with fair returns OPPOSE nationalization representative agricultural eions and rural press state farm i ere era attitude toward railroads want private operation private ownership of the railroads under a policy of government regulation which will insure the best possible service at the lowest cost consistent returns on money invested in them Is favored by representative farmer organizations throughout the country this policy also is s supported generally by agricultural newspapers which state emphatically that the farmers are opposed not only to government ownership of railroads but also to all nationalization plan in a letter to the mem members bers of the united states senate T C atkeson washington representative of the national grange which Is said to be the largest larger t organization of its kind in tile the world representing more than 1000 farm owners in the united states states that the agricultural interests of the country approve of private ownership of tile the railroads and further declares I 1 that persons purporting to speak for the hie farmers in support of government ownership are neither farmers nor representatives of any considerable number of farmers favor private operation the grange says mr atkeson Al keson quoting tile the official action of hla his organization approves of the general i t principles of 0 railroad legislation now pending in congress to return the railroads to their owners to bring about the reorganization of the railroad companies into strong systems with cap capitalization based on actual value and to create a control commission which may enforce the superior interest of the public to that of any other interest in the operation of railroads us its common carriers and effectively protect the public against exploitation or injustice many state and sectional agricultural organizations take a similar stand immediately after he Nati national onil grange expressed its attitude toward the railroad question the american farm bureau meeting in chicago voted for private operation and the national farmers congress in session at hagerstown Hagers town ltd i voiced like sentiments the new york state federation of county farm bureau organizations and the indiana rede federation ration of farmers went beyond that an and joined the grange in repudiating the alleged farmer representatives in Wah washington lugton who said they spoke for an overwhelming wh elming majority of the farmers reasonable returns the rall railroad rond policy favored by the new york state stale federation of coubry farm bureau organization was stated in the follon following ing resolution whereas there have been conflicting statements published regarding the attitude of farmers upon tile the question of the future ownership of railways therefore be it resolved that the new york state federation of county farm bureau associations representing members in annual session at syracuse N Y december 10 19 1819 1019 hereby endorses indorses Indor ses the action of the american farm bureau federation in urging congress to promptly return the railways to their owners under such conditions as will insure reasonable returns on tile value of the property and reason reasonable rates rate of reasonable ible snot transportation till throughout hugho tile the CO country 11 views of farmer papers the american agriculturist states editorially editor lally that the farmers are dead set against the 11 scheme to enmesh the he farmers in the web of radicalism the pennsylvania farmer discussing the general demand for private operation of the railroads saya say it la especially true of farmers in spite of the declaration of a few would be leaders to the contrary the stockman farmer adds farmers alili almost ost unanimously approve the hie return of 0 the railroads and the express companies to their oN owners iners the reason Is that farmers as well as other business me men want service of these institutions and they cannot get such service under public operation as they can get under tinder the operation of corporations which have a direct financial interest in perform lne IU it |