Show RUE U ONE FARMERS UNION OFFICIALS THINK RAILROADS ARE EN TITLED TO MOPE REVENUE products of plow and farmer who lives at home shou should id be exempt from increase TER D 4 ii 1 by peter radford Le lecturer national farmers union tho the recent action ot of tho the interstate Cm commerce morce commission in granting in increase in freight rites rates in the eastern classification of tern territory tor the applina tion of the road raids to state and inter state late commissions for an increase in creise in rates ind and the utterances of president wilson on the hie subject bring the farm ars of this nation face to face NN with ith the problem of an increase In creise in freight rates it is tho the policy of the union to meet the issues affecting the of the farmers squar squarely el and v ve e NN will ill do so in this instance the facilities of the united states are inadequate to of et tet fernely ively meet the demands of corn com merce and particular in the south and west additional minay malca 3 is needed to accommodate the move moe ment of farm products it if in the wisdom of our railroad commissions an all acre in creise ase in freight rates is necessary to bring about an improvement in our transportation service and an exten sion of our mileage then an increase should be granted and the farmer is filling illing NN to shire share such proportion ot of the increase as justly justl belongs to him in but ve N e hav have e some suggestions to make as to the manner in which this in crease shall be levied rates follow lines of least resist anee ance the freight rates ot of the nation have been built up along lines of least re si stance the merchant the manu fac ac the miner the miller the lumberman lum bermin and the cattleman have had their traffic bureaus thoroughly organized and in kanj man instances they hate hane pursued the railroad without mercy and with the potter of organ iced tonnage they have hae hammered the life out of the rates and with nith mire strained greed they the leaie lava eaten the 11 vitals atals out ot of our transportation s system starn and since v N c have had railroad rail roid corn com missions these interests intel ests with inith skill and cunning ire are represented at ever heiing in which their busi is I 1 involved oled the farmer is 13 seldom represented at rate hearings as his organizations have haie never neier had the finances to em cm ploy plo counsel to develop his side of the cise case and as a the products of the plow plon bear an unequal burden of the freight ei expense pense A glance at the freight tariffs abundantly proves this assertion cotton the leading a agricultural gri cultural product ot of the south al ready hears bears the highest freight rate of any necessary commodity in corn COM merce and the rate on agricultural products prodoc t s as a whole is out of proportion nith a ath that of the products ol of the factory and the mine wa ave otter offer no schedule of rates but hope the commission will be able to give the railroad such an increase in rates as Is necessary without xit hout levying a further toll upon the products of 0 the plow the instance seems to present an opportunity to the railroad commissions Commis ions to equalize equa liz the rates as between agricultural an aal other classes ot of freight Nit without hout disturbing the rates on staple farm products what Is a fair rate wo we do not know what constitutes a basis tor for rate making and have bane never elicier heard beard of anyone who did alarm to know much about it but it if the prosperity of the farm is a factor to be considered and the railroad commis sion concludes that an increase Inc reiso in rates Is nee necessary e we ve would rould prefer that it come to us through articles ot of consumption on their louincy from the factory to the farm we nc would tor for example ample ei prefer that the rato on bogs remain as a at present and the rita rate on meat bear the increase tor for any farmer can call then avoid the burden by raiding his own meat and i a farm er who will not try to raise his own mea meal t boullit to be penalized we think the rato rate on coil coal and brial can much bater bittar blar bear an increase than the rite on cotton and flour we would preer thit that the rate on plows remain the same and machinery michl nery pianos and such articles as the poor er farmer cannot hope to possess bear the burden of inan aasc the increase in rates should be b so arranged that the farmr who bo lives at home will ill bear no part of the bur den but let the firmer farmer who boards in other stiles states and countries and who feeds his stock in foreign la lands rills pay the price of ills his foil |