Lewiston teller. [volume] (Lewiston, North Idaho) 1878-1900, 1881-03-31
The AmericAa Railroads.

The American Railroads.
New YORK, March S.-Albert Fink
publishes in the World an answer to {,
Judge Black, as follows: i,
In the explanation by Judge Black o
in your issue of March 2, 1881, Of his d
estimate of railroad extortion, showing v
how he arrived at tho marvellous re- I
suits commented upon in my former a
communication, he makes the addition
Of 2S5, 100000 of dollars to his former j
estimates for them of robbery commit Z
ed on local freight trains, which had G
been nittedin thereport of his speech !
before the anti-monopoly league Feb,
2lst- thus really estimating the total |
robbery at 900,000,000 Of dollars a
year, Robbery Of course would be !
somewhat less in years in which bust
ness was not 40 heavy as in 1880.
After sa'irical illusions to Blacks
confession of inaccuracy of figures
which he (Black) gave in his letter, he
says:
propose to show conclusiveli that
railroad monopolies have not only
been more moderate in their exactions
than he had supposed, but thai they
have co cmitted no robberies at all
Yes, more; that they have not even
been repaid for services which they |
have rendered to the people of the
! United States, and that they are no
monopolies at ALL The facts are these:
The grain crop in 1879 amounted to
2,424 100000 bu shells. / have again
, to use statistics for 1879, as those for
1880 are not yet published, and call
! special attention to this fact 80 that
e another case of "suppressio veri" may
$ not be made cut against me. Those
: who have later information can readily
s make the corrections. OF the 2,424,-
d 600, OGO bushels of grain raised in the
l. United States in 1879, 26l 100000
r bushels found thir way to the four At
l. lantic ports, and of these, 60,00o,000
g bushels were carried by canal, and the
r remainder by rail. About 80 per
e cent of the grain which arrived at the
!, seaboard was exported in 1879. Five
is cents on this grain amounts to $l0,-
is 900, 1000, and the total earnings from
OF export of grain carried by railways
n. east Of Chicago to about 81 100000
ne Surely these amounts cannot be looked
Of upon as tax paid by the people O
O. the United States. 1t is actually q
at sum collected by the people from the
n, consumers of American grain in for
he eign countries, railroads acting only as
ut collectors. OF the amounts collected
n GO per cent. is paid for working expen
err ses Of the roads to their operatives, t.
ng wood choppers who furnish iirewoo.
N or cross ties, men working on the tract
sh to merchants, to engineers and trail
1t men, to clerks and officers. to manu
nd facturers Tho furnish material to rail
nd roads, and to laborers, to manufactui
ar ers, employees, to miners of coal an
Tor ore, to butchers, tailors and merchant
ne, who supply food and clothing to al
,m these people--nll get a share of tn
he money collected from the foreign cor
h" sumer for transportation services rer
ri dered him by the railroads of thi
No country There is SO much veal h ae
nst ded to this na.ion instead Of a ia
he levied upon the people. Then the otl
he er 40 per cent. Of money collected fro'
md other countries, being about - p'
'se- cent. on the capital invested, goes
the citizens of this country who, |
their capital, enterprise and publ
spirit, have furnished to the people
ent the United States a great system
nth railroads extending into the far we'
, 70 and who have made it possible by Il
ices lowest railroad transportation chars
the known in the world that the farmer
'all Kansas and Nebraska and Iowa CT
ock compete in the markets of Europe
ent the products of his labor with the +;
, of mer that lives on the Black Sea Al
ton, other grain producing countries in ea
'an- ern Europe thousands of miles nea,
'age to market. Only 40 per cent. of t
not total amount collected for transpor
sur ton services, representing only SIN
ons. interest on the capital invested, goes
resi- those fellow citizens Of Judge Bla
nher whom he is pleased to designate as r.
bert bers and public plunderers, and wh'
Senator Window believes will ina
out deprive this great country of its lib
ents ties and prosperity.