EAILWAY LEGISLATION AND RAILWAY REFORM. 251 



tendance, and the Convention being thus ready for work, 

 permanent officers were elected, as follows : 



President Hon. Willard C. Flagg, of Madison County; 

 Vice-Presidents S. P. Tufts, 0. E. Fanning, H. C. Law 

 rence, John H. Bryant, and M. M. Hooton; Secretaries 

 S. M. Smith and S. P. Tufts; Treasurer Duncan McKay. 



Several hours were given up to the discussion of Farm 

 ers Associations as business organizations. The fact was 

 clearly brought out that these organizations had, for two 

 years past, made large savings to the members, both in sell 

 ing their products and in purchasing supplies, so that there 

 had been already a large advantage gained through co-oper 

 ation. The experience varied somewhat, as it necessarily 

 would, in different parts of the State, but the advantages 

 every-where were decided. 



RAILWAY LEGISLATION AND RAILWAY REFORM. 



The President addressed the Convention on the subject of 

 railway legislation and railway reform, giving a history of 

 the railway systems in various countries, their growth, costs, 

 tariffs, etc. He said : 



&quot; These systems have grown up under various governmental pro 

 visions, and may be classed as follows : 



&quot; 1. Roads built, owned, and managed by governments, as in the 

 case of Russia and other despotic countries. 



&quot; 2. Roads partly built and controlled by government, so that pri 

 vate and government enterprise compete on parallel lines, as in the 

 case of Belgium. 



&quot; 3. Roads built on guarantees and subsidies offered by government 

 to private companies, as in France, Austria, India, and in the case 

 of our own Pacific and Illinois Central roads. 



&quot; 4. Roads built under charters granted by government. 



&quot;Looking at all these facts, and at others, not in the line of argu 

 ment, I can not pronounce the railway systems of England and 



