Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1883-01-11


such an extent that its growth and prosperity
may be thing of slow and uncertain stages,
and 1t should be relieved of these burdens so
that it may continue to rank among the fore
most states or our nation, and that the bust
ness ana prosperity OF our cities ana towns
may increase; that manufacturing establish
ments may be possible and lucrative: that
our agricultural interests may be as profitable
as the fertility OF the soil. the saubrity OF our
climate. and the industry of our citizens de-
serve.
In addition to these oppressive discrimina-
lions against localities and individuals, these
corporations have for ten years persistently
defied the law in refusing to comply with the
enactment requiring them to establish and
keep their general offices within the State.
but have moved them beyond our limits, and
now even deny and defy the Jurisdiction of
our courts, thus violating the viii of the peo-
pie in this regard. And perhaps one of the
worst features of this vexed railway problem
IS the constant tendency on the part OF rail-
road managers to manipulate the politics of
she State; to seek not only to control cOnven-
GiOns, to make platforms to nominate and
elect candidates, but also to improperly in1iu-
ence legislation by substituting and establish
ing newspapers, and by employing paid lob
porate greed may still override and Cypress
the people. 1t il notorious fact that it is
that the railroads of the State have used
money laviShly to corrupt voters, and
Ia h,tFS ~ tLLeG DY coercion, by threats, ana
Dy all appliances at their command to force
their employees to vote against their will and
tor men and parties known to be pledged and
committed to the railroad interest, and upon
their refusal to do so they have been dis
charged from their employ. The public is
aware that in the States of Minnesota and
Iowa n serious complication, growing out of
an attempt to control and apportion the
territory to particular railroad. has just
been adjusted between the parties to such q
compact. Two similar transactions have
occurred in this State, within the past ninety
days. BY this method of appOrtiOning terri
tory to a particular railroad, the building OF
new roads, even when they are needed as a
matter of self defense, either by competing
lines or by the public, is entirely prevented,
or made exceedingly difficult, so that the re-
mote towns and cities and agricultural dis
trlctS are derived OF railroad facilities, obtain
able but for such combinations made to rem
der competition impossible, and the business
OF such unfortunate districts thereby made
nprofitable.
1 call your attention to the recently pub
lished statement of the earnings of one OF the
leading railroads of the State which pub
ished statement has not been denied, so far
as am aware. The earnings of this road for
in round numbers, $l4. SOC, O0O.O0, with a net
earning of over S6.000,0OO Allowing this rail
road to represent one third of the entire
mileage of the State, (Which it does notl on
the same basis of earning, the entire mileage
OF tne state (3967 miles, would be over $45,
OOOOOU;uO, anu upon the same basis of profit
earned by the road referred to, the total net
profit OF the entire mileage of the State would
be over SlS,OO0,O00, SUM that in two years
would amount to more than the assessed
value OF the entire railroad property of the
State, or in other words tallin II this one road
representing less than one third of the mile
age OF the State (WhOSe published earnings we
have Just quOteD as a basis, the entire mile
ming expenses, paws for itself once every two
years, besides paying ali operating expenses.
1t Is shown by the report of the railroad
assessors that the total assessed value of the
railroad property in the state is SIS, 0SS l56.46
:lnd the average assessed rate per mile
Is 20. IS6.43 II the gross earnings of the roais
IS $4,000 000.GO the average earning per mile is
over $l4 10000, sum more than twice the as
seSSed value. When VIC contemplate the
magnitude of these figures and that the bur-
dens they indicate have been borne by our
people it shows a patient submission that
n Wa
power and industry on their part that chal-
lenges the admiration of all.
This financial exhibit presents in a striking
manner, the marvellous wealth. and the pro-
ductive energy of the State, by means of
which the people are enabled to pay such
vast sums annually; and it also shows the
tribute paid by the people, for permission to
do business with the railroads, as well as the
financial burdens which they are cOmpeIIed
to bear; and it calls upon you to inteFpose
the power of the State for the protection of its
Industries. And these vast sums of rnOneTy
are demanded from the people VIII OSe inter
ests are either treated as of secondary imnOr-
lance, or are wholly ignored by these public |
tory of the world, have any people been sub !
Jecte0 to greater abuses than have the people
of Kansas for the last five years No
wonder, then, that from all sections of the
state, and from all classes of people comes !
the demand to remedy these ineXcusabie |
eNllS. NO wonder that the. pent-up wrath, !
and indignation of a wronged people no lon
ger restraints itself, and that the necessity for
prompt, decisive, and impartial action is now !
upon you. The pooling SYSTEM now so |
generally in vogue in this country, and espe-
cially in this State, is in substance cOntract |
or agreement entered into between cerfsin |
roads by which each forming the pool is |
pledged, under penalty, that no matter how |
excessive or eXOrbitant the rates charged |
there shall be no competition between them
and that unless the public pay the rates no |
member OF the pool will transport his pro- |
duce ortranSact his business; and that pro |
rata division OF the profits accruing from the |
poor IS maze 70 the interested parties at stated
pel1ods. BY THIS most unjust system of pool |
ing the people are compelled to paw much |
higher rates than the actual demands of the |
business JuStlEy, or the traffic will BEAR |
and the business of communities thus suffers |
and is in many instances wholly destroyed. |
And when the parties and communities thus
embarrassed attempt to relieve themselves |
by building q new road, the "poor' tenn
porarily cuts down rates below the actual |
cost of transportation, until the new compe- /
tltor either succumbs, or is forced into the |
combination. Whom the building of the new
road can not be defeated by this method, the |
'pOol' refuses to enter into any arrangement |
by which freights are received from and de-
llvered to the new road, and its business is so |
hampered as to drive it into bankruptcy, or |
compel it to transfer its fanchise to its pow
erful rival.
These, then, are some of the evils which |
the people of Kansas, and for which /
tuey are asking relief your hands Hitherto
these wrongs have been born patiently and
the people in their maSnanimity have given
the railroads every opportunity to prove
themselves the real friends of the State, and
action, in the hope that these corporations
would see the Jolly and Injustice of their
u1oGnOuS, anu duOpC u wiser anu more eQ 11ta-
bic policy. 1t seems, however, that fOrbear-
ance on the part OF the public has only en-
OoIdened these corporations to perpetuaGe |
still greater wrongs; for example, when it
was ascertatned chat our wheat and corn crop
OF 1882 was as certainty, the railroads of the
State at once advanced the rate of freighti
above the rate of last year, to such an extent
as to place additional burden upon the
wheat and corn crops amounting to over |
81 100000, so that as we increase the agricul- !
tural products of Kansas, the railroads adopt =
the unnatural policy OF advancing their rates,