The Rock Island daily Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1872-1873, 1873-03-19
Letter from a Cordova Farmer.
HOW THE COST OF RAILROADS Is EN-.
HANGED BY A HIGH TARIFF
How the Farmers Pay it in Increased Cost Of
Transportation.

How the Farmers Pay it in Increased Cost OF
Transportation.
To THE EDITOR OF The Rock ISLAND
ARGUS, Dear SRI do not believe that
the producers as a class have any desire
TO curtail the usefulness of the railroads.
by any action of theirs; they simply deny
that their privileges are above the control
and regulation of the lawmaking power
of the State and they propose 10 bring
that power to bear upon the railroads 10
the extent only of compelling them 10 re
main within the bounds of justice and
right in their dealings with the other inter
ests of the country The producing inter
/ est should be the last in the world to try
to cripple the railroads, for without them
their products, in times of abundance
would be almost valueless, as it now hap
pens with them ! Do not agree with
those who lay all the blame for the present
depression of the producing interest to
the extortions of the railroads | believe
that MeSsrs. Harris, Newell, and Carter,m
the main represented the railroad interests
correctly before the railroad committees OF
the Illinois Legislature the other day, that
is. from their standpoint Mr. Harris
says sixty five cents of every dollar Is eX-
pended to get the dollar then there re
mains one-third applicable, first to the
payment of interest on the bonds, and
secondly to dividends on the stock. Now,
il they were T. reduce the tariff On freight
and passengers one-sixth, he says, as is
demanded by the producing interest they
could make no dividends at al that is,
the capital in the railroads would earn
nothing This may be true, as stated, but
| deny that all their expenses arc neces-
sary and legitimate for instance The
ten thousand dollars expended to elect
Harlan, 70 the t. : Senate, and the thirty
thousand dollars to elect Caldwell and a
similar amount to elect Pomer1y. The
producers protest that these sums should
not be taxed out Of them and put to the
necessary expenses of the railroads By
reducing the cast Of building railroads
there might also be a reduction in the tar
if ON freight and passengers This the
/ producers can 10 by electing men to Con
/ gress who are opposed to class legislation
OF protective tariffs The railroad manual
Of II. V Poor puts the cost of the Illinois
railroads with their equipments, at S4T,-
uHu per mile Now. one mile Of road
takes 1GHp ties which at 30 cents apiece
would be $500 tax on lumber under pres
cnt tariff, ~ per cent tax on ties $3.50 steel
rails % tons, tax So per ton or S2250;
chairs or straps and bolts, l ton. tax $40
per ton 81 ike> ,! tons. tax So per ton or
SI25. This estimate is too low because it
takes no account of side tracks yet here
we have total tax per each mile of track
Of S2h75 add to thi, the tax on the lumber
and iron used in constructing depots. ears,
and locomotives lumber tax ~ per cent,
iron and steel used on locomotives and
cars pays tax Of % u 60 per cent. 1t is
difficult To get at the exact amount Of tax
paid on the full equipments OF the road
per mile but it Is safe to estimate il al
double that of the track which gives a IN
tai on equipment of $3.50. This makes the
tax. under the present protective tariff
which the producers pay through the rail
roads on each mile $SO25 or a little more thar
ane-sixth Of the cost Of the road. and thi,
tax goes into the pockets of the iron and
lumber manufacturers FARMER
CaRpaVA March 18th l>7a.