AS A POLITICAL FORCE 113 



Another scheme for increasing the transportation facilities 

 of the country, which was extremely popular with the granges of 

 the interior, was the construction, preferably by the federal 

 government, oi a double-track freight railroad from some point 

 in the Mississippi Valley to the Atlantic Ocean. 1 The attitude 

 of antagonism to railroad corporations, which had been assumed 

 by the order in the Northwest, led the granges in that section 

 of the country to oppose strongly any further grants of public 

 lands to aid private companies in the construction of new lines ; 2 

 and in general their schemes for increasing transportation facili- 

 ties looked toward direct participation on the part of the govern- 

 ment. In the South, on the other hand, where the need of more 

 railroads was greatest and the abuses of railroad management 

 had been least felt, the granges were inclined to favor the con- 

 tinuance of the system of federal aid for the construction of lines 

 by private companies. Thus the Texas State Grange adopted 

 a resolution asking Congress to extend aid to the Texas and 

 Pacific railroad, and the matter was brought before the National 

 Grange at its eighth session, with the result that that body also 

 adopted a resolution favoring federal aid for the project, but 

 under such restrictions as would guarantee the government 

 against loss, and protect the agricultural interests against unjust 

 discriminations. 3 This session of the National Grange was held 

 at Charleston, and appears to have been somewhat under the ' 

 influence of the southern wing of the order, for several other 

 projects for legislation to encourage the construction of railroads 

 by private companies received its approval. These measures 

 were opposed by most of the delegates from the northwestern 

 states, 4 in a number of which, state and local granges afterwards 



1 National Grange, Proceedings, vii. 85 (1874); Iowa State Grange, Proceedings, 

 iv (1873); Wisconsin State Grange, Proceedings, ii. 25 (1874), iii. 59 (1875). 



2 State grange proceedings: Indiana, iv (1874); Michigan, i (1874), iii 

 (December, 1875); Ohio, ii (1875). 



3 Resolutions of Legislatures, Boards of Trade, State Granges, etc., favoring Gov- 

 ernment Aid to the Texas and Pacific Railway (pamphlet, Philadelphia, 1874), 

 35-38; National Grange, Proceedings, viii. 85-88 (February, 1875). 



4 Ohio State Grange, Proceedings, ii (1875); Prairie Farmer, xlvi. 84, 99, 107 

 (March 13, 27, April 3, 1875). 



