Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1873-10-02

mated to exceed $500, 900, 600, equal to eight
hundred thousand homes-comfortable homes
for 5000, 900 people.
On this enormous nominal capital. or. as il
is commonly designated, "watered stock. y
which represents actually nothing dividends
are sought to be made by railway managers.
and, to considerable extent, they have hith-
erto succeeded in doing so. To accomplish
this end, railroads must necessarily charge
unreasonable and extortionate rates, and, un-
less restrained, will continue forever to sub
ject the people to the same wrongs.
Suppose Cornelius Vanderbilt jay Gould.
and some other high representatives of rail-
road cupidity, had, by single resolution.
placed debt ST $500, 900, 900 upon the people
of the United States, and sent out their agents
to collect the interest annually forever. Would
you pay your proportion? This is precisely
what has been done, only it has crept on by
stealthy degrees. The railroad system. under
proper control, as a new manifestation of
power and usefulness, is grand almost beyond
human conception-but not grander than ter
rible, if it takes the form of blindly selfish
and unrestrained giant-an immense vampire.
spreading all over this fair land, sapping from
the people their long-cherished hopes of real
and enduring liberty, and wrestling from them
the God-given blessings of this, our beloved
country.
To secure complete relief, then-and we
cannot afford to adopt half measures-the first
work to be done is to ascertain the actual and
equitable cost of each railroad, having due
regard for the rights of the people and rail-
roads, but without regard to the ability of
railroads to make earnings enabling the paw
ment of dividends on fictitious stock or in
terest on fraudulent bonded debts Until this
just basis is obtained. satisfactory rates can
not be accurately established.
1t will be quite enough if the people consent
to pay tithes perpetually upon the costs re-
sulting from improvident and bad manage
ment, in addition to the necessary charges for
constructing their railways. Upon such a val
uation the property OF railroads should be
taxed the same as individual citizens and from
their net earnings they should be permitted to
pay only reasonable interest or dividends as
for money loaned. They must also be required
to observe strict economy in their manage
ment and prompt and cheerful obedience to
the laws.
The second burden imposed by the RAILROADS,
before alluded to, arises out of the excessive
charges and irregular and unjust discrimina-
tions, especially in the transportation of
freight. TO enter upon this branch Of the
subject in detail would occupy more time than
l have at my disposal. and would involve an
array of statistics and figures more than the hui
man memory could retain, and would be of little
practical value on such an occasion as this.
One striking illustration, generally applicable,
will suffice:
The recent rate upon first-class freight from
the city of New York to Bloomington, in this
State, about 1000 miles, all the way by rail.
has been 30 to so cents per 100 pounds, or an
average of mills per ton per mile. At the
same time, the rate from Chicago to Blooming
ton, via the Chicago and Alton railroad for
the same class of freight, distance of 127
miles, was So cents per 100 pounds, or about 9
cents and i mill per ton per mile-more than
eleven titles greater charge. The merchants
of Chicago may we'll complain of such excess
i've difference in rates as destructive to their
business but it is not the recent law that has
pro iuced this injury to Chicago, as has been
stated. This vicious condition of rates has
existed substantially for many years-the
price for transporting merchandise from the
seaboard cities being frequently less than the
price charged for the same freight from
Chicago to the same points.
One of two things must be true either that
the through rates from the seaboard cities to
the interior of Illinois and adjacent country
are greatly too low to be remunerative or that
the local rates from Chicago to the same points
are oppressive and extortionate.
If the former be true, then the loss upon
the transportation of through goods must be
made up by excessive charges upon local
transportation; and the latter is therefore
charged, not only with its reasonable cost, but
also with the burden of the loss occasioned by
an unjust discrimination against Chicago in
favor of it's rival seaboard cities.
Although primarily the injury thus produced
may be said to be borne by Chicago and other
interior cities, yet, in the end, the losses fall
upon the consumers of the goods and upon
the producers of the State, whose products are
charged with excessive rates for local service
and for transportation in seeking market to
make good the losses occasioned by such, If
they are, unreasonably low rates.
The geographical position of Chicago ordi-
narily guarantees cheap rates for transpor-
tation to and from that point by natural lines
OF transit. 1t is a great commercial center by
reason of those advantages the influence of
which. in q great degree. controls the rates
charged by the railroads which center there.
But, if all other points at the West are to have
low rates equal to Chicago, and, to make good
the losses on such low rates, extortionate
charges are made on local neutrality-suspicious.
going to, and merchandise shipped from, Chica-
go,-the effect will soon be apparent. Indeed,
the serious results upon Chicago and this State
of the vicious freight system during the past
ten years can be quito clearly apprehended by
any intelligent person who will take the time
to consider the subject.
The local rates within this State for trans
porting articles Of prime necessity such as
fuel, lumber, stone, agricultural products and
implements, are from three to ten, and even
twenty, times greater per ton per mile than the
rates on higher classes of freight to and from
the seaboard States.
1t is quite clear that all kinds OF articles
manufactured at the East are brought here by
rail at unremuneratiye rates, and also grain
shipped to the Eastern States by rail at loss,
else the local charges on the roads in Illinois
and all the States are outrageously wrong
full and extortionate. If the first be true, it
presents an unjust and vastly injurious dis.
elimination against Chicago, st. Louis, and
the whole Northwest i'll favor of the manu-
featuring States at the East, sustained by ex-
tortionate local rates.
If the rates of freight charged by the rail-
roads were reasonable and just-an equal
charge for the same service, as rule, based
on just and equitable scale,-and such as
would, if proper, in the aggregate produce to
the railroad companies of the country the
same amount Of gross earnings as they now
receive, the effect Of the change and equaliz-
alton would be to relieve the people OF this
and other States from the burdens imposed by
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