Practical Papers—Co-operation. 
437 
CO-OPERATION AMONG FARMERS—THEIR GRIEV¬ 
ANCES AND THE REMEDY. 
Read before the State Agricultural Convention, February, 1873. 
BY HOIST. M. ANBERSON, CROSS PLAINS. 
. There is no class of men in this wide world who would be bene- 
v 
fited more, or who have such good reasons for being organized and 
united as the American farmers; particularly those residing at a 
great distance from the Atlantic markets. They have been robbed 
of their hand earnings for many years by combinations of al¬ 
most every kind The much talked of railroad companies are not 
the only combinations that are robbing them : railroads are very 
useful institutions. We want more of them. They are good ser¬ 
vants but bad masters. I will name a few of the combinations 
that farmers have a right to complain of. First, the railroad com¬ 
panies are so organized that they do not compete with each other ; 
but hold secret meetings and agree to . parcel out among them¬ 
selves the whole of the country traversed by railways, so that 
there will be no competition among them in regard to which com¬ 
pany shall fleece the people. Of course there is some rivalry 
among them in regard to which of them shall have the privilege 
of performing to them (not to the farmer) that very agreeable du¬ 
ty. I will give an instance of unfair discrimination in which I am 
somewhat interested. The railroad charges, on live stock from 
Cross Plains to Milwaukee is, $38 per car. The same company 
carries live stock from Monroe to Milwaukee for $20 per car which 
is about the same distance. This is only one among hundreds of 
instances that might be given to illustrate the unfairness of permit¬ 
ting railroads to regulate freights and to discriminate against one 
town or station and in favor of another. 
The freight on a car of cattle from Chicago to New York is at 
present $140. That is the minimum, and for all excess of over 
30,000 pounds is charged at the rate of 70 cents per 100 pounds. 
The charges on a double deck car of hogs is $154. I believe that 
hogs could be taken by rail from Chicago to New York for $54 
