432 WISCONSIN STATE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
DISTRUST OF COURTS. 
Coupled with the desire for special legislation is, in apparent 
direct opposition, a feeling of lack of confidence in our legislators 
—sometimes well founded—and of distrust of our courts—gen¬ 
erally unfounded so far as the higher courts are concerned. 
Nothing is more to be deplored than a loss of confidence in the 
judiciary of any country. The intelligent farmers of the country 
do not, they cannot believe the judges of our highest courts, na¬ 
tional and state, are corrupt. The elevation of any man to so 
responsible a position in itself tends to impress him with its re¬ 
sponsibilities and to lead him to careful conservative judgment. 
Most unwise is the too common feeling in favor of substituting 
the hasty enactments, generally necessarily ill considered, of large 
bodies of men, for common law principles, thus thrusting aside in 
contempt the wisdom of all generations since civilization began. 
THE RAILROAD QUESTION. 
No one question, in connection with this movement, has been 
more discussed than that of railway transportation. In itself this 
transportation business is plain and simple. Partly purposely, on 
the part of men connected with it, and partly because of the 
way in which it has been discussed and legislated upon, much 
needless mystery has been thrown about it. 
The one thing which makes the railroad question one of the 
most delicate and difficult which our statesmen have to consider 
is the great accumulation of capital placed in the control of one 
man, or, at most a few men. This gives gigantic power for wrong 
if these men so choose. Wisdom and care is needed, lest we, in 
our attempt to prevent wrong, cripple and retard one of the great¬ 
est material blessings of our times. 
We need increased transportation facilities, but, the opinion of 
able men to the contrary notwithstanding, not by the general gov¬ 
ernment building more roads. The conflicting interests of various 
sections would seem an insuperable objection to the selection of 
any one route, were there no other difficulties. We need a better 
management of the roads so as to prevent extortionate charges 
-and unjust discriminations, but the best way to secure this is not 
by accepting the astounding plan, although advocated by good 
