The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1875-08-20
THE ANIER1CUs CASE.

On Tuesday Mr.. NJ. p. Cogswell,
the highly competent and popular
travelling freight agent OF the M, *.
& I. railroad, called upon us to cor
rect our statement of last week,
that $S5 per car load of wheat was
charged from Americas to st. Louis.
Mr.. Cogswell said that the tariff
from Americas TO st. Louis was $65,
and that if the railroad agent gave
the charge as S85, il was decided
mistake. Admitting, of course, that
Mr.. Cogswell is correct, are not
these mistakes of railroad agents
somewhat singular? We know that,
as we stated, SS5 per car was de-
manded from Americas to st. Louis,
last week, and now, after we call at
tention to this absurd charge, $65 is
the price. Here is a difference in
favor of the farmers who want to
sell wheat at or ship it from Amer
icus, of 6 cents per bushel, and we
are very glad that we called atten-
ton to the mistake, and thus had it
corrected.
Mr.. COgswell, who has for a num-
of years been a very component and
successful freight agent for the NJ,
X. & t., has, to our knowledge, al
ways done his utmost to compete
sharply with all other lines, and is,
in fact, known among railroad men
as one of the agents who is always
ready to cut freights down and give
the public all the benefits and ac-
commodation that railroads can rem
der. As a matter of course, what
ever we have said, or may say, rela-
tive TO railroad charges, is not said
in criticism of the agents or en-
plOyes of the roads. So also in re-
gard to telegraph or express COM
panIes, or to the business of any
corporation. The rates are set by
their managing officers, and in ac-
cordance, no doubt, with tie views
of the eastern capitalists and mo-
nopolists who generally have the
controlling interests in all such cor
porations. The real parties against
whom the people have to contend,
are not the agents and employees,
who are almost uniformly court
eous, intelligent, and liberal mind
ed gentlemen, doing all their in
structions allow to accommodate
the public. They are not respon-
sible for extortionate charges, or
insufficient accommodations, and
we trust that in no case any such
parties will take our criticisms as
applied to them.
We contend, in behalf of the peo-
pie, against all monopolies and I'M
fair burdens, and especially against
the gigantic evil of high railroad
freights and fares, and propose to
keep right OH in this good cause.
transportation is a pure tax, and
ought to be in all cases just as light
as possible. 1t adds nothing to the
quantity or quality of any article. 1t
does not change its form, or i'm
prove its condition, but merely
transfers it from one location to an
other. Take a car load of wheat
or cotton, and put it through a mill
or factory, and it comes out in an
improved shape and with a greatly
enhanced value and usefulness. But
railroad it from San Francisco to
New York, and it is just the same
wheat or cotton when it is taken
out of the car as when it was put
into it. Transportation hasn't done
it any good whatever, and therefore
transportation is a pure tax, is in
itself a burden, and yet large part
of the cost of everything we use
eat, or wear, is simply the cost OF
transportation. That is whv we re.
gard transportation as something
that ought to be carried on, for the
public good, at the lowest possible
figures for which it can be done.