An item in the Fargo Forum caught our eye, reminding us of the history of populist farm movements in the Midwest. April Baumgartner reports in ND grain trains almost month behind:
North Dakota’s lone U.S. representative has released a BNSF Railway report that says rail cars carrying grain from North Dakota are almost a month behind schedule.
The report, dated May 2, indicates 15,846 cars were running on average 26.6 days late. The numbers exceeded the goal of past-due cars, set at 11,797 cars, by more than 34 percent, according to the report. BNSF also set a goal to be 21 days behind, but that goal was not met.
“There is a little bit of good news that they are gaining, but the bad news is they haven’t reached their goal,” said Rep. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D.
Montana had 3,038 cars past due, with 32.5 average days late as of May 1, according to a BNSF podcast. Minnesota had 1,848 cars late, with an average 19.8 days behind. . . .
The release of the document comes after heavy criticism of BNSF, which North Dakota producers say is favoring the oil and gas industry. BNSF spokeswoman Amy McBeth has said previously that is not the case.
Cramer said he has made it his mission to follow this issue and keep North Dakota residents informed on the progress and problems farmers face as a result of rail congestion.
If history is a harbinger, Cramer is wise to keep an eye on this issue, especially in a time when some observers like Paul Krugman are exploring Why We’re in a New Gilded Age, echoing an earlier observation by former Labor Secretary Robert Reich We’re living in a new Gilded Age of wealth and power.
While some expressions of populism gave rise to paranoia, racism and anti-semitism, other strains put aside social and racial divisions to focus on a common economic plight:
The party put aside moral issues like prohibition in order to focus on economic issues. "The issue," said one Populist, "is not whether a man shall be permitted to drink but whether he shall have a home to go home to, drunk or sober." A significant number of Populists were also willing to overcome racial divisions. As one leader put it, "The problem is poverty, not race."
The issues that 19th century farmers faced most certainly are not a one-to-one match-up with the current problem with railroad magnates, but as we spend the day lamenting both our lack of money and the ability to purchase a growler of artisan beer, we'll think about the lessons from those departed souls.
Image: A populist cartoon, from The Emergence of Class Politics--The People's Party at America from 1865.
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