THE FARMER'S TVAR AGAINST MONOPOLIES. 371 



as at many others. Now I hold that a lower rate at 

 a competing point is not prima facie evidence of unjust 

 discrimination. But that is what this law says.' 



" ' Suppose the courts decide that your law fixing 

 maximum rates is unconstitutional/ I suggested. 



" ; Then we must change the Constitution. But first, 

 we want a decision into which this question shall enter. 

 We object to the repeated quotation of the Dartmouth 

 College case, and desire to see this question taken up 

 by itself and disposed of independently. If it is then 

 decided that the railroad companies are superior to the 

 people and the State, that they are sovereign powers, 

 and that they have the right, by raising or reducing 

 their rates at will, to fix the price we shall get for our 

 produce, why then we must resort to the last remedy. 

 I think now that I have explained to you pretty fully 

 our position on the railroad question. Some enthusias- 

 tic men indulge in denunciation of the railroads as such 

 and make unwise threats, but the great body of farmers 

 are not unreasonable in their demands. 



*' ' One other thing in connection with this : We 

 think that there has been unjust discrimination in the 

 matter of taxation. Mr. Harris, General Superintendent 

 of the Burlington road, testified before a legislative 

 committee, last winter, that the road cost $47,000 a 

 mile. But they have only been taxed on from two to 

 five thousand dollars a mile for road, rolling-stock, 

 depots, side-track, and everything, while the farmers 

 have been taxed for nearly the cash value of their 

 property. This we don't consider fair.' 



" Referring again to the low price of grain, I sug- 

 gested that the low price may be partially due to over- 

 production. 



