The Rock Island daily Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1872-1873, 1873-08-08

special correspondence Of the N Y. Tribune.
KEwANEE, Henry Co., ILL.,, July 20
1--WE think the leading railroads Of this
State, besides charging us too high rates
for the benefit of the stockholders, are not
managed as economically as they might be-
and that there are rings connected with
some of them which are increasing the
cost of running the roads for their own
benefit" said Mr.. Smith, the chief mana
ger Of the Farmers Movement in
this State, continuing the conversation
partially reported in my last letter. 1t
is generally hard to discover just where
the swindle is, because when the officers
of road manage it so that the dividends
come Regularly, the stockholders are not
often very watchtul over them. Some
times, however, we get hold OF fact. |
Now here is the Burlington and Quincy !
road, which has in kewanee a patent |
shoot for coal. 1t takes at this point forty
tons a day. The miner will sell me coal
at the bank for seven cents a bushel-that
is. 81, 75a ton He carts il mile and de
livers il in the railroad shoot for eleven
cents bushel, or 81 10 a ton. He pays
one cent bushelo or % cents ton for cart
ing This leaves rs cents a ton or $50 a
day on the amount delivered, which the
miner charges the railroad company buy
ing coal at wholesale in excess Of what he
charges me, when buy by the single ton.
Now there must be some cat under that
meal Again, met recently, q gentle
man who is engaged in coal mining in In
diana lie told me that a shaft had been
opened few rods from one of the branch
es of this Burlington road, and, having
agreed with the owner to take his coal at
81 % a ton, he went TO the railroad COM
pany to arrange for its transportation. A
few miles further down the road was an
other mine, and he thought he ought to
have rates similar to those the company
mining there had. The general freight
agent refused to supply him with any cars
at ALL suppose he pretended not to have
them. An investigation showed that at
the old mine the railroad company was
paying 81 70 a ton more than it was worth
there-and there are strong grounds for
suspecting that some Of the officers of the
road are interested in the mine.
RATES OF FREIGHT FIXED WITH REFER
ENcE TO THE DIVIDENDS
THE railroad managers say that while
the fast freight lines may conflict with
the interests of the stockholders of road,
they don't injure the farmers. | contend
that they do. The rates of freight and
fare are fixed with reference 10 the divi-
dends that il is desired to make. Any
thing. therefore, that reduces the profits
TO the stockholders increases the rates
which the farmer has to pay. Suppose
this Burlington road should actually make
only per cent this year, don't YOU sup
pose they would raise their rates the next ?
At the same time the ring, comprising
some Of the officers Of the road. m"-
making enough on fas' ~ VI
palace car L. --. freight lines
RANCE ..les, and other inside ar
.-hents, to increase the dividends very
greatly were the profits divided among tn,
stockholders These are but few of tn,
abuses of which we complain. On sOm'
Of the roads there are construction rings,
and rings of various kinds. All we asl
is that the railroads shall be honestly man
aged that the rings shall be broken, ant
then we are willing 10 pay for moving GU
crops such prices as will fairly remunerat,
the railroad companies.
How 90 you proprose to bring abou
this reform ?? ! asked.
I'VE hold in the first place, that tn
Legislature has a right to control the rail
roads 1t has a right to know just hoy
much the service which they render costs
and to enact that higher than certain rate
are extortiUuate. The act that was passe,
really strikes only at unjust Determinations
and has increased the burdens of the farm
ers at all competing points as well as a
many others. Now hold that a lowe
rate at a competing point is not prim
.fdcie evidence OF unjust Discrimination
But that is what this law says
Suppose the courts decide that you
law fixing maximum rates Is uncOnstitiDT
al, ! suggested.
Then we must change the Constitution
But first we want decision into which thi
question shall enter We object to the RI
peated quotation Of the Dartmouth Colleg
case, and desire TO see tins question take
up by itself and disposed Of iudependently
II it Is then decided that the railroad con
panies are superior 10 the people and tn
State, that they are sovereign powers. an
that they have the right, by raising or r.
duclng their rates at will to fix the priC
we shall get for our produce, why then v
must resort to the last remedy. ! thin
now that | have explained o. you pref
fully our position on the railroad questio
Some enthusiastic men indulge in denu
unwise threats, but the great body
farmers are not unreasonable in their
mands
THE FARMS MORE HEAVILY TAXED TII'
RAILROADS.
One other thing in connection wi
this We think that there has been uniu
discrimination in the matter Of taxatiO
Mr. Harris, General Superintendent of d
Burlington road, testified before a IIegisl
tive committee, last winter, that the roi
cost 81, 900 n mile. But they have on
been taxed on from two 10 five thousal
dollars mile for road, rolling stock, depot
side-track, and everything, while the farr
ers have been taxed for nearly the ca
value of their property. This we doT
consider fair.
Referring again TO the low price of graf
] suggested that the low price may be pa
italy due 10 over. production
Mr.. Smith admitted that the amount
the crop greatly affected the price Of graf
but said that there was another reas
why the farmers got 50 little for their Gro
they are 50 constantly in need Of mon
that they are obliged to sell for what til
can get, instead of fixing their own prit
Suppose, he said, that each of our q
GERS in town should load up "A wagon eve
morning and send it into the country wi
instructions 10 the driver u sell t out
whatever It would fetch, aud bring Ia
corn; don't you suppose groceries weu
be cheap and corn high2 Reverse the p
ture, and you have the state of affa
actually existing The farmer must h,,
tea and coffee aud sugar. lie loads up
wagon with corn and takes it 10 town. T
grocer says This tea cost NE dollar
pound; / will sell it to you for dollar a
fifteen cents; the coffee cost me fol
cents will sell ii to you for fifty I
farmer is obliged to take them at tn,
prices or not at all He has no money a
must sell his eOrn in order 10 purehi
them. But he is not allowed 10 say to
grocer This corn cost me twentyf
cents a bushel | shall have to ask )
thirty. The grocer, on the other hal
says to him III pay you twenty cen
Nnxp fhtg MIL ,nntsuuu mot l.ner