Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1881-03-04

If the reasons Tor their silence is that, ralis
Dad men are busy men. and that if each
)ne were to attempt for his own company
10 reply to the general accusations and
abuse that appears in the papers they would
have little time for the performance OF their
duties. Besides, they have grown SO &C
customed to this abuse, and are so con-
WINGED of its injustice and unfairness, that
to listen to it makes no impression at all
upon them. 1t is a common saying that
what is everybody's business is nobody's
business, There are some twelve hundred
railroad companies in this country. Vile
MANY combinations and organizations exist
between them, having for their object the
proper transaction of their own and the
pubIic business, there has so far been no
combination formed between the railroad
companies to resist unitedly the unjust at
tacks made, or to correct the many m'srep- |
reservations regarding them. Unity OF ac-
ton in this respect may become necessary |
if these attacks are continued. The rails
road manager who in his own case does not
feel guilty of the charges made against
the railroads in general, is not likely to
take up the cudgel in the defense of l,l99
other roads, and hence railroad officers SO
seldom appear before the public to correct
unjust accusation. No doubt this IS to
be regretted, as the enemies of the railroads
have it all their own way, and 1t Is quite
possible that they may finally succeed IN
creating wrong impressions and preJudlces
against railroads which may ultimately
| result in hostile legislation to the injury
both of the raflr,a and the public. But
railroad managers have an abiding coni>
dence in the sense of justice of the peo-
pie at large and their representatives IN
| legislative bodies, and feel confident that
| before final action is taken by them on
so important a subject it will be calmly
considered, untruth will be eliminated and
the truth recogniz d.
Departing from the general rule of rail
road officers to leave false accusations
unnoticed, | propose to refer as briefly as
possible to the statements made by some
of the speakers at the mass meeting OF
the Anti Monopoly League on Monday
last. jude Black expressed the follow.
ing sentiment, which | fully endorse, viz:
"That if it be false allegation that the
railroad companies have secured un~
counted millions of the peoples money to
which they have no claim, and If 1t be
not true that they are engaged hourly In
this unlawful plumber, then the railroad
managers are in the position OF
much ill-used individuals. They are
being foully slandered by every
. man who talks about them and are subj ects
eff continuous libels in the newspaper press
of the country. If these allegations are
false, then this league ought to be dissolved
at once, and the gentlemen composing ii
L. 40 4hoir chap for %
, ing engaged in movement against the rail
, roads. If, on the other hand, the allega
tons so frequently made against the rail
roads are correct, the Anti Monopoly League
!, is engaged in one of the noblest works tina
human hands ever undertook to accom-
e plish, and if they succeed they will receive
n the gratitude of a redeemed and regener
ated people, agree further with Judg
u Black in this, that it is mere question 0
e fact easily ascertained whether these ale
n cations are true or false. Judge Blac
comes to the conclusion that they are true
e In this | differ from the Judge, and pro
pose to show that the statements made b
Judge Black himself before the meeting
3 and upon which statement of facts, n
doubt, his conclusions have been based, al
/ mere inventions, utterly devoid of an
n foundation in fact whatsoever.
Let US examine Judge Blacks figure
upon which he bases the conclusion th
u the railroad companies are public plunde
= ers. He computes that a late advan'
made by the railroad companies from thi
Re ty to thirty five cents per hundred poun,
I on grain from Chicago to New York ro
y the people annually of $75,0O0,OO0. t
st further computes that, including 9th
70 freiehts besides grain, the robbery amour
~ to 1925, OOO,O 900, and further estimates tn
n present charges are extortionate to the e:
tent of Is cents per 100 pounds, so that t
total amount extorted from the pockets
ne the people in one year is $675,OOO,OO0
IN "enough," says Judge Black, "to pay h'
the national debt; and this is only
al through freights." Unfortunately for Jud
ti> Black, when we consider the carefully COZ
piled statistics which are published by lie
ne nv V. Poor, of New York, in his. rallro
an manual, which work is generally in
hands of all men that pretend to watch
ey progress and condition of railroads, a
he keep themselves informed upon this su
iect, we find there is strange dlscrepan
'fe between the facts as represented by Jud
n Black and the facts as they appear in Poo
Manual. In that work for 1880 we fl
Ut that the total gross freight earnings of 8
I'D 233 miles of railroads in the whole Unit
States in the year 1879, were only $49
VIC 676,l09. This is the total amount of nor
The paid by the people of the United States
the railroads for all sorts of freight ira
VI portation, including all local and
of through freight during the year 1879,
&c which Judge Black computes the railrt
% companies have unjustly extorted Sc
est. 100000 from the suffering people. Ou
these gross earnings the railroad compar
Wy have actually paid, as also appears FIR
try the same book, about 60 per cent, or
3or 1922 100000 for ope-a ting expenses to Il
"0A employees, to manufacturers, ETC., VIII
err leaves them only 1854, 100000 available
o,. the payment of interest or an investm
on' of $4,762,OOO,OOO. The total net earni
ar of all the railroads of the United Sta
rod including the passenger traffic,
$2I9,Ol6,724, or 49 10 per cent. on the c.
on> tai invested. Judge Black says railr
on, companies have right to be reimb1l
rdo all that it costs them to render the serv
" 40 and to receive, in addition, reason;
10 profit on the capital invested. 1t may
be out of the way to say that per C
interest on the investment constitute
On. reasonable profit on so risky an enterp
as building and operating railroads. Tai
8 per cent as a reasonable interest the
'CA road companies of the country in l
failed to be reimbursed for the cost of [