The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1884-02-21
sss.AsT SO g

Improvements made IN kansas sos ooi 81
sss.4s1 SO IS
In other words there was spent In The
state In these nine years. $5 ,O0i ,2259 9B
more than the entire freight earnings re-
csived for carrying Kansas freight, and
all other freight across Kansas. 10 9th
er words up to this time the Aichieon
people IS fast IS they have earned inter-
est on their Investments IN this state,
have reinvesied It in The state, besides
spending millions of money outside of
Kansas IN order to increase the business
of their road across Kansas. .
Ne. 5. You say in speaking of our
auxiliary lines. usually called the
branch roads, these auxiliary lines
have not been built by money furnished
by the stockholders of your company"
These roads are IN fact an absolute gift
to the stockholders from the tolling
masses, from which you are gaining vast
revenues and still you are ciamoring for
millions more"
The injustice and untruthfulness of
this statement must strike every one who
reads n.
II is true that the counties have to
limited extent aided in past years in the
construction of the main line and some
of the branches, by issuing their bonds
for that purpose, but such AID has ret
represented one-tenth, and on the main
line, not one-twentieth of the cash cost
of the road. And were these bonds q
gift? Were not these bonds in the na-
ture of an advance or loan3 Was not
the stock of the road issued in exchange
therefor? And in the case of the main
line and some of the auxiliary roads,
would not the counties have realized
dollar for dollar on their stock had they
possessed that faith and courage to hold
on to it until at the end of ten years
when the stock became worth par and
more than par
All we'll conducted and established
roads have discovered that when coun-
ties and communities give aid In bonds,
they invariably afterwards regret it, and
in one form or another they make Ftpri-
sails against the corporation accepting
such bonded aid.
It will be found in the present day
that only roads which are built for spec
ulAtIve purposes accept this bonded
aid, and communities have learned to
understand that as soon as their busi-
ness development iustifies it, they Sc
cure the construction of roads without
giving bonded aid. In the year 1888,
ton of $50 miles in Kansas, and com.
pleted 100 miles without dollar OF
bonded aid.
Every dollar that has bet u paid out in
the construction uf those auxiliary lines
| in past years, has been subscribed di
rectly by the stockholders of the road
and their desire to specially develop
Kansas has been shown in past years by
their building auxiliary lines chiefly
and almost entirely in Kansas. patty
with money earned by their extensions
| in other states and territories, and part
| ly with money honestly earned 10 Kan
| sas, and partly with new money takeu
| from other Investments of theirs in 9th
/ CT states.
No. 6. You say, you say that the
property of your company is OF the val
ue OF 500, 633, 639.37," every dollar o
these bonds, and every cent of accrulng
interest will have 10 be paid by the peO
pie who will never get dime of divi
dend from the earnings of the road"
1t is difficult IL believe that any hon
est citizen. still less an officer of the stale
| should make such a statement as this.
The property of the company, which
represents the aboye cost, lies In seveI
states and territories. The large sun
that 1t has cost represents money actual
ly paid in one form or another, as shown
in another part of this letter. Are thu
people TO have the use of this railroaG
which has bt en- produced by other pee
pies money and draw dividends on III
money invested also? How long will
be before similar sentiments will be ex
| press, in regard to every other mann
featuring and business enterprise in tn
state?
If there is not rank communism il
this statement, where is communism Il
be found?
No. Z. In speaking of the Atchlsol
company's actions In the past you sa..
among other severe things, "Such abso
lutte power on the one hand and helples
subsection on the other, means despoi
ism for the railway corporations anG
slavery for the people"
I ask you in common honesty, wher
in the world has ever another corpora
ton existed, which in good times and il
hard times has done more for its peopl
than this railroad? Along the who'll
line in Kansas whether competition ex.
listed or not, the rates have always beer
fair and reasonable. The through
traffic OF the road permitted the company
to make reasonable rates for the Kanss
business, and therefore every industr,
has thrived in the most wonderful way
If the condition of the people on the lin
of the Atcbison road is slavery, where j
freedom to be found? If it be slavery 4
live on this line. why are there sever
counties in the state, in which the Atch
ison road does not yet run, that are oil
iering us everv inducement TO build on
road INTO their precincts?
You use the word "despOtiSm." LIE
as examine your own acts
The entire power which has been Civ
en- you Iy the law in the making of rate
is as follows: Whenever complaint il
made by q community that the rate
charged for freight ''are unjust, unrea
sonahle and extortinnate, and the boar,
shall find such complaint to be true, the.
shall require q modified charge for tn
service" land such adjudication shall
be prtmG fdcte evidence of what Is a res
sonable charge in all actions for sucl
service"
This is the limit OF your power; nov
let us see how you have gone beyond i
You have received from the one thou
sand miles of main line and auxiliar.
roads in Kansas, operated by this com
pany, so-called complaints from thre
points. All the evidence before you il
these complaints has gone to show tbs
the rates charged were reasonable froE
every point of view, but finding tina
the company was in fairly prosper
Gus condition, you have arb
trarily decided 10 reduce the reN
euues of the company, in the Who'll
state, and without eUeR color Of lao. go
make a tariff for the aoIs0Ie line OF roG'
. reducing its rates fifteen per cent. who
you say will reduce our earnings 'tn'
to exceed nine hundred thousand dolial
. per year :" Without color of lao you d
! ! eide that all the auxiliary lines of OF
Z road must adopt common and dcoI
tinual mileage with the main line regarI
: less of the rights of the other owners
. these auxiliary lines, and when We a:
: if we are at liberty tooperase these Foa'
: separately, You answer, IF by reason
the less profit8bleDe-s of any auxillal
| or leased line under the new rates,
J were to be Topped of, his would swe
! the aggregate earnings Of the main o.
TEN, and would afford a margin for sti
; greater reductions"
Without color Of tGtc yon select thr
points ON the Missouri river 10 and fro
Il which you make q system of specI
: rates, to the disadvantage Of iuteri
z !, cities, unless 8 proportionate TeductIt
= is made every where.
In your first decision of January
1884, you fix q standard OF rates tor q
u first seventy miles OF rosd; you pr
claimed these rates 20 be Teasonab
judged by any standard of comperiso
q and end by saving "they should not
, disturbed Less than thirty days aft
q wards, without complaint from the pt
pie and without notice 10 Us, sou pI
coed, DtthOut c0Ier Of EaU, to low
. them, explaining this arbitrary act
= saying, I'VE have deemed il just n
d proper to make several notifications
g the distance tariff schedule"
Z venture to say that since the birth
81 this state no more despOtic acts have be
y committed aeies0ut color Of tGse. tb
n those which you have attempted.
No. 8. As regards the incorrect stat
e r.n1r,An rrrrl a aua made nhofIH the Z ans