Jasper County Democrat, Volume 22, Number 104, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 27 March 1920 — RETURN OF ROADS PLEASES FARMERS [ARTICLE]

RETURN OF ROADS PLEASES FARMERS

Urge Policy to Insure Best Service at Lowest Cost Consistent With Fair Returns. OPPOSE NATIONALIZATION. Representative Agricultural Organiza- . tions and Rural Press State Farm-, 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 with/fair returns on money Invested in thcpo Is favored by representative farmer organizations throughout the country. This policy also Is 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 plans. In a letter to the members of the United States Senate T. C. Atkeson, Washington representative of the National Grange, which is said to be the largest organization of its kind in the world, representing more than 1,000,000 farm owners in the United States, states that the agricultural Interests of the country approve of private ownership of the railroads and further declares that persons purporting to speak for the 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, quoting the official action of his organization, “approves of the general principles of 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 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 as common carriers and effectively protect the public against exploitation or injustice.” Many state and sectional agricultural organizations take a similar stand. Immediately after the National 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, Md., voiced like sentiments. The New York State Federation of County Farm Bureau Organizations and the Indiana Federation of Farmers went beyond that and joined the Grange In repudiating the alleged farmer representatives in Washington, who said they spoke for an “overwhelming majority of the farmers.” Urge Reasonable Returns. The railroad policy favored by the New York State Federation of County Farm Bureau Organizations was stated in the following resolution : “Whereas, There have been conflicting statements published regarding the attitude of farmers upon the question of the future ownership of railways; therefore be It “Resolved, That the New York State Federation of County Farm Bureau Associations, representing 70,000 members, in annual session at Syracuse, N. Y., December 19, 1919, hereby Indorses 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 the value of the property and reasonable rates of transportation throughout the country.” ’ Views of Farmer Papers. The American Agriculturist states editorially that the farmers are “dead set against” the “scheme to enmesh the farmers in the web of radicalism.” The Pennsylvania Farmer, discussing the general demand for private operation of the railroads, says: “It is especially true of farmers, In spite of the declaration of a few would be leaders to the Contrary.” The StockmanFarmer adds: “Farmers almost unanimously approve the return of the railroads and the express companies to their owners. The reason Is that farmers, as well as other business men, want service of these institutions, and they cannot get such service under public operation as they can get under the operation of corporations, which have a direct financial Interest in performing it”