416 THE GROUNDSWELL. 



der impossible what their handiwork makes quite possible. 

 The third section tolerates the wrong. It was the one most 

 wrangled over, and was the joint product of both Houses. 

 It was thrown out as a soothing concession to the &quot; poor 

 farmer.&quot; Carried into effect, he will find it allows discrim 

 inations in favor of one who can ship a large quantity 

 giving a man an advantage over his neighbor proportionate 

 to his means ; or, in other words, creating a privileged class, 

 of which wealth is the distinctive trait. True, there are con 

 ditions under which it is perfectly sound and proper that a 

 discrimination should be made when large amounts are 

 shipped; but as to the articles whose transportation chiefly 

 interests farmers, viz.: grain, cattle, and lumber, it is clearly 

 meant to legalize preferential advantages to the one man 

 merely because he has great possessions. The articles enu^ 

 merated are carried by the car load, and the charge should 

 be so made ; then the man who ships one hundred car loads 

 will have to pay the same price per car load as the man that 

 ships but ten. Otherwise, the small dealer has not an equal 

 chance in the market. If a man can ship one hundred car 

 loads for five dollars less than the man who can only ship 

 ten, the former can afford to do his business for five dollars 

 per car less profit, which might leave no margin to the small 

 shipper. Should both have to buy from the same producer, 

 the man of small means is unable to compete against his 

 rich neighbor. Granted that men of large means always 

 have the advantage over those less favored, the wrong con 

 sists in authorizing railroad companies to widen the differ 

 ence, by giving a preference to the rich man who does not 

 need it. This unjust principle the law specially counte 

 nances, working injustice to the poor man by placing the 

 control of the market for grain, lumber, and stock within 



