1. Railroads- Railroads in each area were often controlled by one company, enabling those railroads to charge what they wanted. Railroads were the only way for many western farmers to get their produce to market and high prices were always charged. Railroads controlled storage, elevators, and warehouses so the prices the farmers paid were very high.
Middlemen- Middlemen set the price of the produce low when they sold because the market price was unpredictable.
Bankers- High interest rates caused the farmers to pay even more when they didn’t have the money to pay.
Trusts- Trusts such as McCormick, makers of farm machinery, set the price for the farm machinery. Many farmers relied on McCormick farm machinery to grow crops, so the price depended on whatever McCormick charged. Trusts formed in the railroad industry as well, which enabled the railroad companies to set a high price.
2. Railroads- Railroad companies would say that farmers could find an alternate route of......
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