THE FAI^MER AXD THE RAILROADS. 171 



It would be unwilling to see this factory crippled by outside 

 competition, and might therefore refuse to join, as part of a 

 through line, in making a reasonable through rate upon 

 competing products. In this case, and in fact in nearly all 

 cases except discriminations between individuals at the same 

 shipping point, the interests of localities, individuals, and 

 industries are inextricably involved. Railroad controversies 

 are usually, in the main, conflicts between the people of differ- 

 ent localities. It usually makes little difference to a railroad 

 company how it shall collect its revenue, when once the 

 amount has been agreed upon, although it will preferably 

 collect it in accordance with the interests of the immediate 

 community served by it. If, however, there is a question of 

 its obtaining the necessary revenue, or if, as usually is the 

 case, it is struggling for all that can be got, regardless of 

 necessity, railroad officials will ruthlessly sacrifice every inter- 

 est except that of their company — precisely as farmers or other 

 peo{)le will do under similar circumstances. Railroad officials 

 are exactly like other people, except that they are usually far 

 abler than most of us. The extent to which railroad officers 

 will go in wrong-doing, the methods which they will employ, 

 and the ability to discern how closely the interests of railroads 

 are identified with those of the communities served by them, 

 depend wholly upon the individual character of the men. 

 Some are far-seeing and honorable. Others are narrow and 

 unscrupulous. In this, again, they are exactly like farmers. 



My object in what has thus far been written has been 

 simply to point out, as clearly as m}^ space will permit, that 

 the preparation of a classification, and a rate sheet based upon 

 it, extending over a large territory of diversified interests, 

 which shall be just to all interests concerned, presents, per- 

 haps, a problem as complex as any with which the human 

 intellect has to deal. The practical question here is in what 

 way farmers, and others who are profoundly interested, can 

 aid in solving it. 



Certainly they can not solve it themselves. Railroad tariffs 

 have been constructed by acts of Legislature, under the pres- 

 sure of popular excitement, but such tariffs have been invari- 



