The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1884-02-14
hogs, 90 per car; horses and mules,

hogs, 50 per car; horses and mules,
81 per car.
Again exsmining the tariff made by
your honorable board on business to and
from Wichita, we ind taat the rates
which would be allowed TO Us for this
nineteen miles haul, would be as follows:
Lumber, &c per 100 pounds, or 81. 20
per car of IL tons; wheat &c Der 100
pounds, or $3.50 per Car of 10 tons; fiour,
&c per 100 pounds, or 81 so per car of
IL tons; COIN and other grain, &c per
100 pounds, or 81 20 per car of IL tons;
coal &c per 100 pounds, or $2.12 per
car of - tons; salt, &c per 100 pounds,
81 so per car of IL tons cattle and hogs,
$3.50 per car; horses and mules, 50 so
per car.
Again you are in error, as the follow
ing Will show: For a nineteen mile
haul your local tariff rate is, in cents
per 100 pounds:
Tariff rates: Lumber &c, wheat Sc,
-four &c. corn Sc. coal Age, salt sc, cattle
and hogs, per car, SO o..
ommissioners' distance tariff rate:
Lumber &c, wheat &c, flour 7e, corn &c,
coal, 334c, salt &c, cattle and hogs, per
car, $1,000.
But what YOU mean is the rate for
nineteen miles at the end of long haul,
from AtchIson to KIngman, for Instance
But this you know TO be misleading.
If you were to divide your road for that
distance into sections of nineteen miles,
and charge the rate for q short haul over
each section, the sum of the rates for the
whole distance would confiscats every
product you carried.
But you add: "a much more impor-
tant point to our company In connection
with this matter is not only the loss of
revenue for this nineteen miles haul, but
the loss of that commercial freedom in
the operation of these auxiliary systems
which has enabled US in The past to
judiciously operate the auxiliary sys-
TENS In connection with our main lines
You speak in other parts of your letters
of the necessity to you of commercial
freedom" which simply means the
power or freedom to chargs whatever
you please.
ANY state that permits the exercise of
an unrestricted power by a railroad cor
pOration to tax the people is derelict in
its paramount duty of protection to its
citizens You may call this communism,
but the alternative is the subsection of
the rights and property of one class to
the irresponsible deSpotism of the
other. In the ordinary business con-
Germs of life, the two parties to con-
tract possess equal freedom, and neither
party has the power to impose his own
terms upon the other. But in the case
of railroads commercial freedom"
means freedom TOR one of the parties
to the contract only. The people are
compelled to employ them, and If their
power is not hunted, to employ them
| upon their own terms. They have no
power of choice to employ these agen-
cies or not, and no option to accept or
reject their terms. Such absolute power
on the one hand and helpless subsection
on the other, means despOtjsm ter the
railway corporations, and slavery for the
people 1t is true that the common law
has put al indefinite limit to this power
of extortion, by saying that the charges
corporations make for services shall be
reasonable, but this Limitation has been
found to be practically unaVailing Tor
public protection, unless enforced by
vigiant supervision. 1t has always been
] found that human greed coupled with
power will ride roughshod over every
right. The people of this state have
declared against the continuance of that
commercial freedom for which you sigh,
and they will never again deliver them
selves into your hands. Railroads are
in the nature OF public agencies. The
public has given TO this class of corpo-
| rations the power to plant their public
works In a definite location and to ope-
rate them there and this carries with it
| the power OF taxation. Where is the
| limit to this power? Your theory evil
| IDENTIFY is that, that limit is only reached
when you have arrived at the utmost
bounds of possibility, g., just short of
exciting open rebellion against your eX-
actions, and this carries with 1t every
| element of despotism. 1t the principle
| of reasonableness, on the other hand,
means anything at all, it implies the
| right to collect from the business suft1-
ctent revenue to pay the expenses of
| management and maintenance of the
property, and fair return upon bona
! fde investment, and in estimating such
fair return, due allowance should be
made for the risks attending this class
| of investments. But eXactIOns to pay
dividends on watered stock, or sioSk that
represents no outlay, and no bona tide
investment, IS neither just nor reason
able.
| We have shrunk from the task of pre-
| scribing rates for your road, not because
it was not clearly apparent TO US that ex-
listing rates were unfair and unreasona-
bly, nigh, but because We desired to alb
stain from every appearance of coercion.
But you have persistently maintained
your rates against every argument and
| remonstrance from US, Notwithstanding
you were heaping up millions OF sur
I plus revenue. You forced US to do what
YOU now complain OF. Have you moi
exerted yourself to create combina-
ton among railroad men to resist what
we believe to be a reasonable demand
of the public? We can only interpret
your objection to be to break down the
law We have labored to deal justly
with your company, and TO do nOlhiDg
that would impair its prosperity. We
are fully satisfied that the rates we have
fixed will leave to your company, alter
paying all expenses, and every Obliga
lion, and the usual dividends to share.
holders, a surplus We have given the
facts and figures in our decision, which
we believe justifies this conclusion
though you have had abundant opportu
nifty, you have never shown the contrary
It is far from the intention of this
board 10 In any manner jeopardIse the
railroad interests of the state, nor do We
give to the law that rigid, lnhexible and
literal construction that you seem dis
posed to apply. The railroads have
done more perhaps towards securing tC
this state Its present prosperity
than all other enterprises combined
The people IF the state fully appreciate
the great good that has been done them
in assisting to build up cities; encourag
: ing immigration, thereby enhancing the
value of lands otherwise comparatively
worthless to the state; 'uniting th'
! prairies of our west with the markets OF
the east" creating market for the pro
ducts of our lands that would otherwise
realize nothing to the producer. Tit
people of the state, therefore, cannot at
: ford to confiscate railroad property, moi
can they afford to. have railroad compa-
mics confiscate their property. Under thu
former management of your company
there seemed to be a disposition to NEE
the people upon a just aud equitable ba
sis, but if we are to judge from the tom
: of your letter of the 31st ult., we fea
the disposition OF the management ha
been very materially changed. Respect
fully, JAMES HUMPHREY,
L.. L. Turner,
Railroad Commissioners.
E J. TURNER, Secret9ry.
Business Review of the Week.
, BOSTON, Feb. l1.-From the Post
The total exchanges oftweniy four cite