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SUPPLEMENT TO THE
'COLUMBUS. JOURNAL.
Wednesday June 2.
JUST '"TAMA JIM."
.THAT'S WHAT THE FARMERS
CALL SECRETARY WILSON.
-n Intersfctsn:: Man with a History
Villed with Interesting Experiences
-He's a Practical and a Scientific
-Farmer Honors Thrust Upon Hiaa.
Friend of the Farmer.
The preseut bead of the Agricultural
Department is an interesting mau and
h:is a history IiIKmI with interesting expe
riences. Ta!!. lender, gray, rugged in
appearance, with a Scotch accent which
has clung to him since his arrival iu this
country '.u childhood, he is a typical rep
r'aeiiiatie of what sturdy integrity and
unbending will can accomplish. There
are so many interesting things to lie said
of "Tama dim." who gets this title be
cause his home iu Iowa was in Tama
County, and it became necessary to iu
Koiue way identify him as against an
other James Wilson iu his owu State, that
it is difficult to kuow 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 irforined an act of abnegation,
of renunciation, every whit as knightly
and heroic as the inspired, inspiring self
ishness and nerve of the grimy man in
dungar--s who "held her nose agin the.
bank till the last galoot" got ashore. It
was the action of "Tama Jim" that re
spired to Grant the military title that
he surrendered when he became the civil
chief of the nation he hail redeemed with
.the sword. 1 1 happened during the Forty-
SIXBKTAKY Wl I.SOX.
eighth Congress, when Grant lay dying
at Mt. McGregor. It was 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
seat provisionally. It was contested by
Hen. 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 hack to the expiring leader his
military rank. The supporters of the
Grant bill, eagerly as they desired to get
it through in time, were not willing to
sacrifice their colleague from Iowa iu or
iler to gain their end. and thus they were
in turn compelled to resort to filibustering
to prevent the 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 it. the way of a nation's
exhibition of common gratitude to its pre
server? Could it be possible that a mere
contested election ease 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 lie. the obstacle is easilv
removeil. Mr. Speaker. I hereby resign
my claim to a seat in this House to mv
voiitestanr. Mr. Frederick."
The House rang. Kvery man in the
body joined in the hoarse plaudit that
followed the speech. The anti-Grant men
were stupefied, and the Grant bill passed
11:e 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 wav for
its consideration by surrendering his" seat
m the House of Representatives the bill
was signed ,y the President ami Wnm..
.1 law. "Tama Jim" went back to his !
Jowa farm.
Among his old associates in Congress
Seereia-y Wilson is still atTectionntelv
known as "Tama Jim." The nickname
was conferred upon him localise during
iss 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
for it that at that time he never dreamed
that he would himself one day be called
-upon to assume the management of the dc
partment he so zealously strove to estab
lish. The farmers of the I'nited States
:tr still burdening President McKinley's
mail with felicitations upon his selection
of a Secretary of Agriculture.
The Man at He Is.
"I came heie to work for the mau with
his coat off." said Mr. Wilson. "The man
with his coat off" is a favorite figure of
hi; not unnaturally, for he has been a
eiMmumv . -- .
for itself. It is to be Loped, at least, J WM"'
man with his coat on ntinself all his life.
His big. muscular, horny hands show it;
his slow, heavy gait, as of a man measur
ing the distauce 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 iu the
opeu fields, the lids habitually drawn to
gether by a lifelong evasion of the glar
ing brilliance of the harvest sun. 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 shirr 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. Wilson's seventy-three
inches unmistakably proclaims him a
farmer; he is a fine-looking, generous,
sturdy-looking figure of a man who knows
what the dome of heaven looks like at
sunrise. When the torch of civil war
Save forth its first red illumination, young
Fanner 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 weretrap
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, aud Peter went to the war,
and died in it. Tba 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 the
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 $i."i.000.000 worth of for
eign butter a year. The United States
supplies perhaps 1 per cent of it. or a little
over $00.O00 worth, while little Denmark
supplies nearly $:t0.000.000 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 PpnJe as a little country like
Denmark? That's one of the things I am
going to find out. if it lakes 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 iu
his own handwriting of the more impor
tant letters and documents to which he
I tilinftitia !? ?.... Tt: i i ii
..,-,..i..c un aiKuuiiiic. isisasicr oeiaus
him when, as often happens, his old farm
er friends from Iowa walk in upon him
at his office, for a single visitation of this
sort eats a considerable hole 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, much as they pro
test that they fear they are trenching up
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 tip with
the latest writings of scientific farming
as the ambitious 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 leet indus
try in the United States. "Why should
the Knifed States pay out $100.000.HIO a
year tor 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. I am peculiarly a farmer of the
temperate region in the Northwest, and
inns own to a considerable lack of infor
mation as to the requirements of the mm
with their coats off in the sub-tropical re
gions of the country. But I am going to
find out as much about them as I can. and
shall probably proceed as far as Califor
nia iu the effort."
RECALLS CLEVELAND'S RECORD
Kx-I'rewident Ih Reminded of Hla Own
1'artT'a 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
Tinted States during the eighteen mouths
in which his own party delayed its tariff
legislation. This reminder was brought
forth by Mr. Cleveland's Xew York
sKech. in which he criticised the Republi
can leaders for tiieir "hot haste" in tak
ing up tariff legislation. The eighteen
mouths which elapsed !etween Mr. Cleve
land's inauguration in 1893 aud the enact
ment of his free trade tariff law included
more than 20.000 failures, with liabilities
aggregating more than fiOO million dollars;
the closing down of over SOO banks: the
appointment of receivers for about forty
railroads, whose indebtedness amounted
to a billion and a half dollars, and strikes
and lockouts costing the workingmen en
gaged 4Ii million dollars iu wages lost.
The total record of the eighteen months
includes strikes in Xew York and Michi
gan in March. 1SSK5: strikes in Chicago
in April: strikes and bank failures in Illi
nois and Ohio in May: runs on savings
banks in Western States in June: suspen
sion of work :n mines and numerous bank
failures throughout the West in July: fail
ures iu Xew York and Chicago and small
er cities, followed by riots in Xew York.
Kansas and elsewhere, in August: strike
on the "Big Four" and consequent riots
in September: railroad strike in Alabama
aud 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 Xew Jersey.
Pennsylvania and elsewhere, followed by
riots, in January; strikes iu New York.
Ohio. Massachusetts and accompanied by
riots in February: strikes iu New Jer-
CtlllUlou -
I Cashing,
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE.
NO officer of the new administration attracts more attention than the Secretary of Agric,!.. - . a nil as a conse
quence no department home is more inquired about than the handsome building in -.xhieb "Tama Jim" Wilson toils
from early morning until long after the close of ordinary business hours, in behalf of the farmer. A half centurv
ago a merely nominal sum of $100.0(10 was at the instance of the Commissioner of Patents. Hon. II. L. 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 in the Patent Office continued the practice, but it was not uutil lSt?J that the Bureau of" Agriculture was
formally organized. It was not. however, uutil 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 "Tama Jim" Wilson of Iowa. The home of the Department of Agriculture is a humlsomc brick
building located upon the mall which runs westward!- from the Capitol, and is about midway between the Smithsonian
Institution and the Washington Monument. It is surrounded by spacious conservatories and wide blooming 'aniens, 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 buildiu-. in
which are carried on tests of varieties of fruits and plants, experiments iu methods of grafting and budding and studies
in the diseases of plants. Seeds of new and superior varieties are tested and various a::d extensive exp.-riments carried
on. - - . . Z'UZC 1 Z- . Hyi -" -- --. - &..!-"
The department maintains at least one correspondent in every county in the United States, through whom statistic
of quality and quantity of crops are forwarded to Washington, to be there distributed by means of monthlv and vearlv
reports. Specialists are also employed to prep.ire from these reports instructive articles on suitable topics. The iH part men t
hjjs been of great benefit to the farming aud fruit growing industries of the country in the determination of diseases of
plants and Irocs and in testing remedies for them and distributing information to the country generallv. Destructive
insects which Irave threatened to exterminate certain fruit industries have been investigated by the department and 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 iu vears
gone uiithought of, and the department is constantly watching and experimenting to be able to meet and counteract the
work of these destructive foes when they appear. The Agricultural Department is iu communication with the iea'ding
foreign agricultural societies, ani the result has been not only exchange of reports but of almost everv known specimen
of seed, shrub, vegetable and iffiit. The shade trees of our entire country are represented in the grounds, over l.r.T.0
native varieties having beeu planted. The display of flowers in the grounds is also wonderful and willson!! equal any like
display in the world.
sey. West Virginia. Pennsylvania and
Colorado, accompanied by riots and the
use of troops to suppress violence, in
March: strikes in Ohio. Pennsylvania.
South Carolina. Alabama and on the Pa
cific coast, accompanied by riots, which
were suppressed by State troops, in April:
bloodshed and use of troops iu Pennsyl
vania in May; strikes and riots in Mary
land. Montana. Ohio. Alabama. Wiscon
sin. Pennsylvania and Michigan, which
were only suppressed by the use of troops,
in June: strikes in Chicago. Indianapolis
and elsewhere, followed by use of. troops,
in July; strikes in New York. Massachu
setts and other Eastern States prior to
final enactment of tariff law on Aug. 2S,
1S1M.
Why Business Motm Slowly.
The bad effect of the election of Grover
Cleveland and the free trade Congress
was felt in a single month after the elec
tion because the merchants stopied or
dering from the home manufacturers in
the expectation of -getting cheap goods
from abroad under a low tariff. The good
effect of the election of McKinley and
the protection Congress cannot ie te.i as
promptlv 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
bly have a year's supply in hand before
the new law gets into effect. This ac
counts for the delay in activity among
our manufacturers and for the delay in
the business revival which will surely
follow the resumption of business by
them.
The Parmer and the Senate.
The farmer is likely to be well taken
care of bv that dignified body, the I nited
States Senate. The tariff bill, reported
from the Finance Committee of that body,
has added a duty of 1 ''" 'pr I'0.""'1
on hides, increased the rate on wool of the
third class, and cut out the clause in the
House bill which exempted Hawaiian
sugar from duties, thus reducing that
competition with beet sugar. The duty
put on hides, tea and other articles which
were formerlv on the free list will im
prove the opportunities for advantageous
reciprocitv treaties for which the Senate
will provide, and which will greatly bene
fit the farmer. It is believed the House
rates on wools of the first and second class
will be restored by the Senate or confer
ence committee.
A Chilly Yesr Tor Silver.
This has been a chilly year for the sil
ver cause. The population of the nations
which have rejected the silver standard in
the past vear is more than three times as
great as that of all those taking this sten
during the ten years previous. From ISSTi
to lS!r the nations which adopt wl the
gold standard were Egypt. Rotimania.
Austria-Hungary aud Santo Domingo,
having an aggregate population at that
time of fifty million people. The nations
which have aba niloned the silver standard
in the past year are Bolivia. Costa Riea.
Chili. Peru. Japan and Russia, with an
aggregate population of 180 million, to
say nothing of Chitin with her 400 million,
which has gone a longdistance toward the
adoption of the gold standard.
Cleveland's Little Joke.
Nobody ever before suspected Mr.
Cleveland of being a humorist. Upon no
other theory, however, is it possible 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 enjoyment of the fruits of
industry, economy and thrift." The ex
perience of the "humble toiler" since Mr.
Cleveland came to office four years ago
will hardly enable him to agree with that
gentleman in this statement.
ana nm uaugt
POOLING LAW NEEDED
RAILROAD INDUSTRY KILLED BY
IGNORANT LEGISLATION.
Absolute Necessity for a Pool ins Law
if the Koads Are to Prosper and
Continue to Give Work to Their
Kisht Hundred Thonsund Employes.
Railroad President's Views.
Mr. E. B. Thomas, in response to an in
quiry from the Washington Post regard
ing his views as to the relation of the
railroads of the country to the prosperity
of the people, and particularly as to his
views upon the (tooling bill now before
Congress, says:
There exists in the public mind an ap
prehension that the railways are opposed
to the public interest, and that auy legis
lation which restrains railways is of ne
cessity for the good of the people at large.
This mistaken idea has had much to do
with shapiug 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 Jo recall a single legislative
measure, national or State, proposed, ad
vocated or enacted for the benefit of the
railways, whereas during that period hun
dreds and even thousands of propositions
have been brought forward, many of them
unhappily enacted into laws, which seri
ously injure railway property and cause
great loss to those who have invested
their money in this form of security.
I.arcest 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 I'nited States were
even fairly prosperous the amount of
money it would annually distribute over
this broad laud woulrl exceed $!.:l0O.O0O.
MH. Comparing our railways with our
national government, which is regarded
as a pretty big business, we find that the
(overiinient disburses on an average
about $400,001 IA)WK or one-third as much
as our railways. Take the Erie Railroad
system as an example: With a gross in
come of about $"0,000,000 pvr annum, it
distributes in wages among about 30.0110
employes, over Slti.OUO.IHiO. and for ma
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 I'nited States is about SOO.OIIO and
the total expenditure is over $7U.".000.t)OO.
Taking as an average .five individnalsMo
a family, we see that there are some 4.
000.OU0 of people directly dependent for
their existence upon the railroad indus
try, and I feel safe, therefore, iu saying
that iu 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 Sums Annnallr Expended.
Oreat and far-reaching as are these dis
bursements, the StiTiO.OOO.OOO 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 m our 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 putting
$70,000,000 per annum into their road
beds, $33,000,000 into new rails and ties,
and over $15.0u0,000 into new bridges.
ga gssss- - '"'fjgaefsf Sgj"l"JJWWMIhsisM
The fences to keep off cattle and the sign
posts to warn people at railwav crossings
cost over $3.r.!!U.0UO per annum, or more
than the legislative branch of the na
tional government. Even the newspa
pers and printers are deeply interested,
for $8."O0.(:0i) was, s,,nt jn printiiiir and
advertising. The United States Postoffice
Department is considered an important
business, and yet the aggregate expenses
-It '.Hi! ,el,ar,IUt 5" 1SU-" were $1)0.
.H4.::. while for repairs and renewals of
.ocomotives. passenger and freight cars
"'! fai!w'y expended in the same vear
T..n-i.ww. a moment's thought will
make it clear that nearly all of this vast
Mini is annually spent for mechanical la
bor of all kinds, for nearly every branch
" "idMstry enters into locomotive and car
bin.'dinp. In times normally good you
tuny safely figure on upward of $100.1)00.
MMi per annum for this purpose as :) regu
ar p.-irt of keeping the rolling sfocl: f
r.i.Iwity up to date and in good r.piir. to
say nothing f in additional ten miil-on
for other mechanical work incidental o
keeping the plants of transportation iu
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 pro
rties without at the same time seriouslv
injuring almost nil other occupat:onsand'
curtailing the prosperity of the entire na
tion. It has lieen aptly stated that unless
the people are pro.-.perous the railroads
cannot nourish. Is not the converse equal
ly true: can the people prosper when so
large an industry languishes, whin its
.S4NMHIU emp.oyes 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 Com mere-.
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 remedv. and
has done much toward bringing bankrupt
cy and ruin lo nearly half the railwav
mileage of the country.
"Protection to American industries" 1m
ever been a cardinal principle in this coun
try. They have almost invariably receiv
ed fair treatment at the hands of the na
tional Legislature. Why should an in
dustry employing more labor and a great
er proportion of Americau-born labor in
which the cnfdtnl invested is greater,
which expends for suimlies in this mnntrr
alone sums far in excess of any other in
dustry, be debarred from fair and legiti
mate treatment and liecome the prey of
unscrupulous demagogues and dishonest
politicians, and the target for newspaper
abiiseV Iu ! new country, under new
conditions, and with a rapidity that has
astonished the older world, we" have built
up a railway system equal in mileage to
all the railways of the rest of the world
combined.
The men responsible for th- work have
used their lest 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 pnrpose's
of this industry as necessary and legiti
mate, are not its owners-entitled to as fair
a return upon their investment as other
industries? Are not its officers and em
ployes as houest. efficient and patriotic
as those in other avocations? Why not
give them a fair chance? Out of the com
plex problem presented there has been
solved the question of moving a ton of
freight a greater distance for a less sum
of money than any other country. Our
passenger service, in speed, comfort, regu
larity and safety has been the admiration
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 uu
friendly critics.
To Prevent General Demoralization.
Though the present outlook is far from
encouraging, and the recent decision of
the Suprem Court declares that all at
tempts at uniform action are illegal, we
seek for no legislation that will increase
rates or add to 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
general demoralization. It is the best
means thus far devised to legalize free
dom of agreement between competing
lines so that all shippers may secure just,
reasonable and uniform rates. In the na
tional Legislature of ten years ago the ne
cessity for uniform action regarding rail
ways was recognized, and this measure ii
only taking up the question where Con
gress laid it down and carrying the legis
lation a step further. To held these pro;
erties together and to give the people the
full benefit las 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. This can
best U done by the several railway sys
tems working as they do. Under the law.
as proposed, when the rates are filially
agreed upon by the competing roads, and
passed by the Interstate Commerce Com
mission as reasonable and just, power
should lie given to the roads to eu force
them. This is a reasonable and fair de
mand. nml 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 bs -fatal
mistake, am! a system based upo
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
knowledge of all local conditions. To
have the rate making power removed to
Washington and absolutely fixed by a
commission, no matter how able or how
hor.ost. would work incalculable injury.
It 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. I: would simply be
unendurable, and lead to rate complica
tions heretofore unheard of. even in our
present imperfect system. The possibili
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 i's own folly and imprac
ticability. Wonl-1 Benefit the Whole Conntry.
In the bill referred to. the public, 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 repul
lic. Congress should, therefore, approach
it in a spirit of fairness and justice, and
not with temper and politic.nl prejudice.
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 newuess of our
common countrv.
THE FARMERS AND PROSPERITY
Com- Sens'hle- Suiceestinna. Kven if
They lo Coins from the Kant.
The common cry from the various Dem
ocrats floating around in cold and muddy
water since the Hood of November, that
may be placed in language easily compre
hended, is as follows:
"Look here, you fellows have promised
the country good times, general prosper
ity, all that sort of thing, plenty of good
money, if McKinley should be elected;
now. where is the money to come from
and how do you expect to get your good
times? There are just about fiw million
farmers watching yon. and if you cannot
do something fnt them, you arc gone.
Can'i 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
salisfy them? You warn us that they are
revolutionists except on conditions de
tine the conditions."
And the answer is that the farmer-
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 ilo not give them aid. the
farmers will turn the whole Government
over to the Populist Democratic party,
and that is just what is iu the wind now!
As for the farmers of America, they
will have to remember that they have not
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 iu 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 cheap steel, been made com
paratively small The lines of steel rail-
across continents spanning great river
on steel bridges the lines of steel steam
ers across the oceans--ten thousand ton
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 nations that
carry on manufacturing industries cheap
food along with frugal power and fast
transportation. Well, is this to be regard
ed as a calamity? This very cheap jmwer
and rapid movement enlarges the area
that the men who work in shops can live
iu gives wife and children good air and
a chance for shade and grass and milk 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 butter goes with white
bread.
How are the farmers to be compensat
ed? There i one sure way. It is the es
tablishment of home markets through the
diversity of industries. We cannot better
the condition of farmers by multiplying
farmers. New York Press.
Greece and Corhett seem to be ia ibm
same class. Boston Globe.
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