Next, was the issue of the railroads in the 19th Century. The railroads were very beneficial for the interests of industrialization and urbanization of the Country, but had dramatic downfalls for the farmers, who were already struggling with low crop prices. In an effort to attract larger businesses to their companies, railroads offered rebates to these companies, which had to be made up for somewhere, and it was in the rates set for farmers and local business. One practice used by the railroads was this: they would charge the farmers original rates for the first say 15 cars on the train. Then, as the train moved through the country they would advertise lower rates for additional cars added on. So where the farmers, who relied on the railroads for transportation of cattle and crops, were paying full price other businesses were receiving highly discounted rates. As ma
Lastly was the issue of the demonetization of silver. With this came the discontent of many farmers, as they wanted unlimited coinage of silver to battle the falling crop prices and increase the amount of money in circulation. Another problem that contributed to the shortage of money in the nation was the monopolies in the late 19th century. There were few rich men who owned so many companies; they possessed much of the money that was in circulation, essentially, controlling the market prices single handedly.
In response to these issues, farmers started binding together forming alliances to fight the government, the economy, and the monopolies of the time. These alliances worked to intervene in the monopolization of the nation by setting up cooperative stores that produced items essential to their ways of life.” A major shortcoming of the movement was the failure to address what was probably the root cause of many farm ills—overproduction. There were too many farmers and too much productive land; the advent of new, mechanized equipment only exacerbated the difficulties.”(Contributed by Carrie Mcconnell) They also formed together and tried to elect legislators that would benefit the farmers and their interests. With this came the creation of the Populist Party.
The Populist Party consisted mainly of family farmers who were in fear of losing their farms, or falling to the industrializing economy, by means of falling crop prices and unmanageable debts. The platform for the party was based on the idea of remonetization of silver, government regulation of railroads, and the call to curtail corporate abuse, more specifically break up the monopolies controlling the market. The idea behind the party was to represent the everyday person, and keep the farmers and working class out of poverty. Although the Populist Party had some hold in the late 19th century, it failed to ever win a presidential election, or to bring any major reforms to the farming industry; the party was effective in electing local and state legislators. Populism though, had some effect for the farmers of that time. It enabled them to bind together as an organized group, express their grievances, and gain a sense of belonging to the community they had previously lacked.
In conclusion, the farmers of the late 19th century faced many legitimate problems. With the falling crop prices, dominating monopolies and demonetization of silver, farmers had some tough decisions to make. In the end, they decided to bind together and form alliances that are historical even today. The problem with their grievances was that they were not always relevant to anyone but the farmers. They placed blame on issues that were not necessarily responsible for their downfall. The major problem faced by farmers was worldwide, not confined to the obstacles that they blamed outwardly.
