94 - PROCEEDINGS OF THE 



freights, all these things, costing the individual much more than it would 

 a great co-operative society who were doing all their business through one 

 channel and under one direction, simply because the vast volume of business 

 on the one hand, would enable your shipper to say to a railroad corporation: 

 Gentlemen, we have so much freight to ship, we can pay your road so 

 much per bushel for hauling it; accept it or not. If you do not we will 

 ship it by the other road. The same could be said to a steamship line. 

 And the result would be that you would get just what you asked for, if it 

 was in reason. I know corn was taken from Chicago to New York, the 

 last Summer, by rail, for eight cents per bushel. This was done by co-op- 

 eration, that is, a New York party were going to ship something to Chicago, 

 a Chicago party was going to ship corn to New York. The two parties 

 said to the railroad, we will give you so much freight each way, and load 

 your cars both ways, and the thing was done. 



After your grain reaches Liverpool, or any other port of entry, it is 

 again sold to another dealer at a commission of profit in the shape of one 

 or two cents more, then, perhaps, still another transfer to the dealer in the 

 interior who sells to the real consumers; each of these transactions involv- 

 ing an additional tax of at least one cent per bushel. So we have a total 

 cost of six cents more at a low estimate to be added to the Chicago cost, 

 when exported. The charges from the time it leaves the farm until it 

 leaves Chicago, were nine cents per bushel or $180 on the supposed produc- 

 tion, to which we now add six cents per bushel more, or $120 to the 

 tax. This leaves a total of $300 paid by the western farmer and the 

 foreign consumer, or if equally borne, $150 each. I think the fore- 

 going estimates are all under, rather than over the mark, and this does 

 not take into consideration the loss hy theft constantly going on. Now 

 the question for each western farmer to ask himself is this: " Shall I 

 continue to pay $150 annually to the present system, that is at war with 

 my interests constantly, trying to buy my goods at the very lowest point? 

 or would it be to my best interests to pay this $150 into a stock 

 organization composed of the Patrons of Hunbandry, men whom I know, 

 those whose interests and my own are identical and then jointly to ship 

 our goods, and take our pay out of this joint fund?" The reason you 

 want this fund is to carry your joint shipments to the consumer. For 

 example, we will suppose that you have jointly loaded twenty -five cars of 

 corn, or wheat, or oats at Decatur. They are ready for shipment. But 

 each farmer, that has contributed toward loading them, wants his pay, 

 that he may pay Iiis way and bring more to market. Now the person, or 

 persons, at the Eastern port to whom you are going to ship your goods for 

 distribution to the consumers, or for export, is the person who must pay 

 for this shipment, therefore, a portion of this fund must be where he can 

 command it. Then the farmers at Decatur get a bill of lading from the 

 railroad company for their 25 cars of grain and they go into the Decatur 

 bank, present their bill of lading and make a sight draft upon this Eastern 

 agent for the amount their due. The bank pays over the greenbacks for 



