STATE CONVENTION—PATRONS OF HUSBANDRY. 297 
All of our farm products ought to be shipped as direct to the 
consumer or the principal markets of the world as possible. This 
the Patrons of Husbandry are doing in some states, and soon will 
be in this, by selecting one of their number, who is a good practi¬ 
cal business man for an agent, and locating, say one in Milwaukee 
and one in Chicago, which would be all that would be necessary to 
sell the farm produce of the state, thereby saving the margin that 
scores of dealers make by handling it. 
By shipping produce in large quantities, we make it an object 
for the transportation companies to get our trade, and they can, if 
they will, make it an object to us to ship in that way. 
We are not organized for the purpose of waging war against 
any corporation, association, or business firms that are doing an 
honorable, legitimate business. And to all that are associated to¬ 
gether for the purpose of creating monopolies we say, “ Our mot- 
toe is live and let live. Deal with us on a fair, honorable basis, 
and we can deal with you.” 
Cheaper transportation to the seaboard is necessary in order to 
make farming a very remunerative business in the West, 
at least the production of wheat, oats and corn. It costs too much 
to get it to market, to leave the farmer a reasonable profit on the 
money invested. 
A better water Communication between Lake Michigan or the 
Mississippi and New York is very much needed. The through 
lines of railroads from Chicago to the seaboard are not sufficient 
to transport the products of the West to the East, providing a 
very large portion was to be shipped by rail. To make up this 
deficiency, there is already a bill prepared to go before congress, 
asking the general government to build a double track railway 
from Council Bluffs to New York for the purpose of carrying 
freight alone. The estimated expense of building, equipping and 
running such a road at rates that would pay running expenses, and 
pay for constructing the road in a reasonable length of time, 
would fix the freights on wheat from Chicago to New York at not 
to exceed 12 1-2 cents per bushel. This subject is being agitated 
through the land, and in my opinion such a road is one of the 
things soon to be. 
Through the educational feature of our order, farmers have much 
