, 1872-10-26

For the laat nVe years, lne average charge 1or
carrying 100 pounds, fourth-class freight, from
Toledo to New York, has been 45]]5 cents; for
a bushel of Sc pounds, 26 cents from Chicago
to New York, for 100 pounds, 56 4-5 cents, for
buahel 81 4-5 cents from st. Louis to New York,
for 100 pounds, 661 cents; for
bushel, SIX cents. The average Of all
these charges was for 100 pounds, 69M
cents, for bushel, SO 40 cents. From
the six interior competing points-Mattoon,
Decatur, Pana, Terre Haute, Keokuk, Dubuque
the average charge was II cents for 100
pounds, and 99% cents for q buahel. But other
charges are to be added, since the farmer must
move his grain from his farm to the interior
station, when it comes to some one of the points
named above This additional cost is from 15
to Is cents, according to distance, and makes
the cost Of moving grain from the three chief
cities named above 991 to 1888 cents
for 100 pounds, and 81 6-10 to 60
2-10 cents for bushel; and from the
six interior points makes it IS %
centa bushel. As corn at these points brings
only Is or 20 cents bushel, the Western farmer
sells three or four bushels to pay the freight on
product is given to the railroads to carry the
other quarter to market: Can you be surprised,
asks Mr. Ferguson, that
the Western farmer Is unable to pay the interest
his mortgaged farm Was ever people taxed by
King, Emperor, despot threequarters Of their pro-
ductons7 Does not the query force itself upon the
minds Of all intelligent persons II continued, where
will 1t end The tendency is toward consolidation
among all through lines, to crush out al cope-
ttton and permit two three railroad Hngs to dictate
to the people how much they ehan pay
for their food, fuel, and clothing. Already
the railroad system Of CUR country {com-
pEisng 1000 miles and fast increasingly is in
the hands Of half dozen men, who can tomorrow
morning telegraph orders from their headquarters
that will raise the barrel Of -four you buy at noon S1
per barrel the pork you buy and centa per pound,
the beef yon eat the same, the coal you burn 81
ton every bushe Of grain in the country 8, and 10
cents per bushel putting into their purses millions Of
dollars before night to the disadvantage Of every man,
Womau, and child, and to the benefit alone Of half
dozen mi1l1onaires.
kr. Ferguson shows next what is the actual
cost to the railroads Of the service for which
they charge SO eztravagant1y. By the testimony
OF a prominent official in the Iron
Mountain Railroad, Of the President
Of the Virginia Central, and Of the Superinten-
dent Of the Schenectady Locomotive Works, it
is shown that a ton can be hauled one Thousand
miles at an actual outlay Of 92.6377s, ali ex-
pen8es, time, labor, interest On cost Of road and
equipment included. But the charges for that
distance have been 313.28 between st. Louis
and New York, and s11.36 between Chi
cago end New York. Further, this actual
cost OF 92.634 ton is for trans-
portation under bad management. Calcula-
tions based on the accounts Of the New
York Central and the Erie Railways show that,
with proper management, q saving Of one-half
could be effected, reducing the actual cost Of
freight from the Mississippi to New York to
s1.s196 ton. This would be & saving Of 30
cents q bushel from st. Louis, and 2415 cents
from Chicago.
The remedy which A1r. Ferguson proposes is
to have the railway business Of the country done
for the people, at cost, by the people. This to
be done, not through the agency Of the Govern
ment, but through the National Board of Trade.
This, we may remark, will be possible when the
National Board Of Trade OWLS the railroads, and
not before.