NINETEENTH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK— PART VII 385 



and control, or whether the gvernment should continue its present plan 

 of operation, or whether it should become sole owner of the railroads, are 

 questions on which there is a great difference of opinion. Personally, I 

 am inclined to look upon government operation of the railroads, at least 

 so far as it affects the shipment of live stock, as almost a dismal failure. 

 Never in the history of the business has there been such unsatisfactory 

 service over such a long period as has been experienced since tht govan- 

 ment took control of the railroads. Just who is responsible for this '?"r)di- 

 tlon, or why it should be, is very difficult to ascertain. The present fall 

 and winter have been the most favorable for years for the movement cf 

 trains, and yet the reports are common and numerous of apparently un- 

 warranted delays in stock reaching the market, and terrible losses to 

 farmers and shippers have been caused by these delays. Of course, we 

 must bear in mind the fact, and due allowance should be made for Ih? 

 unprecedented receipts of live stock that have been arriving at the Chicago 

 market for the last sixty days, which would within itself naturally necessi- 

 tate more or less delay in a certain portion of this stock reaching the 

 market. This being true, we must not criticize the service too severely. 



As for myself, I believe if the government is to continue to operate 

 the railroads, that all of the powers formerly possessed by the Interstate 

 Commerce Commission and the various state railroad commissions, in 

 regard to the making of rates and general control over the carriers, should 

 be restored at once, and that any shipper who has a damage claim against 

 any railroad should have the right to bring suit to collect such claim in 

 any district court where he may reside. And until the government takes 

 cognizance of some of these very important questions which are causing 

 our shippers so much trouble and dissatisfaction, and proper remedies 

 are adopted, in my judgment, government operation will continue to be 

 very obnoxious to the shippers of the country. Personally, I believe that 

 the old system of operation by private corporations is much more prefer- 

 able and satisfactory to the public in general than the experiments that 

 have been going on for the past thirteen months. 



The Iowa state legislature is now in session, and there are some im- 

 portant questions affecting the farmers at this time that should have tho 

 attention of this body, and we. believe that now is the time for you to 

 speak out and let the legislators know what you want, and I would advise 

 that you speak to them so plainly that there will be no danger of them 

 misunderstanding your language. 



In closing, I wish to say that your association has a bright and service- 

 able future before it. While the results in some respects during tlse 

 past year have not been as satisfactory as we had hoped for, yet on the 

 whole your organization has done efficient work, and on account of the 

 important part your officers have taken in the many big problems con- 

 fronting the farmers during the past year, your association has baen 

 more in the limelight and come to be looked upon as a most powerful 

 factor in protecting the interests and shaping the destinies of the larmeis 

 and feeders of the corn belt than it ever has in the past. And while, on 

 account of the many war activities and other urgent matters that have 



