THE FARMER'S WAR AGAINST MONOPOLIES. 313 



CHAPTER XVII. 



THE RAILROADS AND THE FARMERS. 



Opportunity of the Kail roads to plunder the Farmers Extent of the Wheat 

 Production of the United States Amount consumed at Home The 

 Western Surplus Amount of Corn produced The System of High Freights 

 The West shut out from Market Effect of the Civil War Burning Corn 

 for Fuel Greed of the Railroad Companies The Cost of getting Grain to 

 Market Facts for Farmers Combination of the Railroads and the Middle- 

 menThe Story of a Car Load of Corn Mr. Walker's Views The 

 Farmers' Complaint Railroads disregard the Law Futile Efforts of the 

 Western States to protect their Citizens How High Freights are arranged 

 The Dependence of the Farmers upon the Railroads The Effect of High 

 Freights upon the Value of the Farm A Startling Exhibit. 



WE have endeavored to familiarize the reader with 

 the greed and tyranny of the railroad corporations. 

 We come now to consider their dealings with the 

 farmers, and to show how the latter are plundered by 

 the corporations of their earnings by the iniquitous 

 rates levied upon them. The farmers of the entire 

 country are sufferers at the hands of the railroads, but 

 the farmers of the Western States are their principal 

 victims. 



The reason of this will be evident when we consider 

 the .relative production and consumption of the various 

 sections of the country. In 1870 the total wheat crop 

 of the United States was 287,745,626 bushels. Of this 

 the Western States, not including the Pacific States, or 

 the Territories, produced over 202,000,000. About one- 



