National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1875-01-18
HE CHANGERS ON CHEAP TRANsPOR-
TATI0N,

TATIoN.
| A convention of the Patrons of Illus
bandry of the State of Virginia has jus
closed its sessions in Richmond. One o
the Richmond papers publishes lengthy
report from a special committee on the sub
iect of transportation, from which it ap
pears that the Changers of Virginia art
deeply interested in this question. Tho
expenses of transportation in some in
stances, says the report, care so great as
absolutely 10 prohibit the movement of the
products of the soil, while in other in
stances "a large proportion of the value o.
such products is paid to the transporter. u
After referring to the statement of the
United States Senate Select Committee on
Transportation Routes, to the effect that
it costs more than forty-ive cents to fetch
bushel of wheat from the Mississippi to
TIE seaboard, the present report goes on to
state that the Virginia farmer pays them
from four to five cents per ton per mile for
the transportation of his grain. For one
hundred miles the average charge is about
five dollars ton, or about fifteen cents q
bushel. If the charge, say the committee
of the Changers, were one cent per mile,
instead of five cents, the saving on each
bushel would be twelve cents; and, sup.
| posing the average wheat crop of Virginia
to be 10, 900, 900 bushels, and that one third
OF the crop is moved one hundred miles,
| the annual tax on the farmer on this article
alone amounts to $500, 900 per annum.
The exorbitant charges on their corn, to-
bacco and other products are to be added.
'1t is a reasonable conjecture" it is re.
marked, 'that the farmers of Virginia, in
"their present struggling and impoverished
condition, pay an annual tax of this sort
"of a million and half or two millions of
"dollars."
The report proceeds to suggest that the
construction or improvement of the water
lines is the remedy to be looked to to cor
rect these evils. The committee speak in
very harsh terms of the selfish and oppres-
sive policy of the railroads of the State. 1t
is stated that most of the railroad compa-
mics disregard their obligations and utterly
IGNORE the maturity of their bonds; and
"three of them have failed to meet their
Interest, while fourth only accomplishes
"this labor by Systematically neglecting to
"pay its employees. One of them pays
"neither interest nor employees" The
report proceeds:
at is notorious fact that notwiths; anding
the exorbitant charges on transportation over
all of these roads no effort is made to econo-
mize their expenditures, but, on the contrary,
the cost of administration is increasing steadily
and enormously. No dividends are declared
to the stockholders, as the tendency of exoTbi-
tant charges is necessarily to drive off business;
and the management, which absorbs all of the
profits, seems to be satisfied If their salaries are
paid. On some of these roads the salaries have
been greatly increased, if not doubled, since
the close of the war, and are greatly dispro-
portioned to those paid for similar, and in many
instances greater services, requiring higher
qualifications and the discharge of more i'm
portant duties to the State and the country.
The salary of the Governor of the State is
$4,000; that Of the Attorney General, 50 900;
the Judges Of the Court Of Appeals, $1,000
each, with the addition of $500 to the presi-
| dent; while the salaries paid to railroad presi-
dents in this State before the recent panic
ranged from 5000 20 S25, 900 each per an
mum; the counsel for the railroads are paid as
much as 5000 per annum, with assistant
counsel at the rate Of several thousand dollars
in addition. And some of these roads have
vice presidents, also receiving large salaries,
besides members of the boards of directors,
who are also paid officers. In addition to
ah.,ra a.
has an army Of friends riding dd ibitum on
free passes, and, perhaps, subsidized thereby
to sustain them whenever and wherever neces-
sary, and burdening the cost of transportation
to the detriment of those who pay for it in
money. These privileged classes embrace off,
GERS of the Government, and particularly men,
bers of the Legislature and their families dur
ing their term of service. Is it remarkable
that the legitimate owners and patrons of these
roads should reap little or no profit under the
| above condition of affairs, or that our legisla-
tive bodies should present a scene of bitter
and acrimonious railroad contests and strug-
giles, periodically, concerning which charges
are rife, and generally credited, impugning the
honor and integrity of members and degrading
| our State in the estimation of the world Is
| it not manifest that large sums of money are
expended by these railroad corporations in pay
ing lawyers and lobbyists, if not in bribing
members themselves, to promote their schemes
by corrupt legislation?"
The completion of the Virginia canal,
uniting the waters of the James and tie
Ohio, is, as we have stated, suggested by
the committee as offering probable solu-
ton of the transportation question in that
State, and in this convention attention is
called to the fact that steamers during the
past season were running on the Erie
canal and transporting wheat for five cents
bushel from Buffalo to New York, Give
hundred miles.) This report was unani-
n,ously adopted and ordered to be printed.
We have referred TO this movement
among the Patrons OF Husbandry in Vir.
ginia as one Of the signs of the times.
There is a pretty general understand
ing and concert of action among
the Changers throughout the whole
country, and it is probable that the senti,
ments so plainly expressed by the Order in
Virginia reflect widely extended feeling,
modified, of course, by local interests and
| evils
There is unquestionably much discon-
tent prevailing in all parts of the country
among our agricultural population, and a
general complaint Of the unsatisfactory
character of our transportation facilities.
The report of the Senate committee, point
ing out the enormous burdens of the exist
| 1 IT,
and give direction to this sentiment
sentiment that is destined to grow and
deepen.
LOUISIANA.
The Debate in the Senate.
| WAG n n