Omaha daily bee., 1885-02-20

hbAtacbuhblN plOAuhHtui 1tb Nho OWb'A 49,
not be justified in leaving IN excavation made
by him without proper barriers and safe
guards to prevent accidents; nor will the fees
that there is q good sidewalk on the opposite
side of the street be a defense for such neg.
Get.
The Poor, Prosecuted Railroads.
To the Editor of The Bte.
FULLERTON, Neb., February III
have read a synopsis Of the speech OF MIR.
T. L. Kimball, made in behalf of the
Union Pacific railway, before the joint
commit ee Of the two houses Of the Ne.
braska legislature on the proposed bill to
req ulate railroad tariffs.
/ had been led to suppose, previous to
hearing from the Union Pacific, through
Dir. Klmball, their advocate, that the
pee pie Ct Nebraska had some just cause
for grievance against the transportation
comparies. Now l Sc, it was all q mis-,
take.
Mr.. K,mball says: "The people,
through q want Ct thorough understand,
ing of the question, wera led to demand
of their legislators the enactment of radi.
cal rate regulation laws, which, it would
be easy to demonstrate, would work ae
O~erious harm 10 the people as to the rail.
ways"
Last GUNNER Mr.. e. B. Spackman, a
Hardware merchant in Fullerton, bought
a carload # brhei wire from the fac.
tory at Marshalltown, Iowa. For the
transportation Of this cargo 2O6 miles the
G. & N. w. railway charged $50 30.
For hauling the same cargo 1877 miles,
the U. p. charged S102. OF course The
ignorant ia, msts who bought the wire
thought the U. P. tariff YVES too high, but
now we zee clearly it was "through a
want of understsr ding the question"
Last fall "a. B. Shaw & Co. crocers OF
Fullerton, shippeia bill Of crockeEy from
Chicago. Distance from Chicago to the
MISSOURI river 500 miles: freight, S. 81.
Oser the U. P. 20 Fullerton, 127 miles,
the freight wac over $31.
she believed that with proper inquiry
and investigation the people VIZ uld find
their theories to be g%roundless."
Yes, Mr.. Kimball, we plead guilty.
We did have a theory" that the Unlon
Pari6c tariff was tro high On those goods,
but your speech ~olsarly shows thaS it WIS
the result of unaduiterated Ignorance,
and entirely "groundless."
"He believed that the difficulties which
lie in the way Of t1us understand ne
bet aeen these interests arise from y mis-.
taken notion that rhe profits of railways
resulting from their tariffs aio' very
great, ard out of Reasonable proportion
to those of other Industries in this stats.'
In November l9s'G a dealer shipped 8
car lead of apples from Columbus to Fn'-
ler,on over the Union Pacific line, dis
lance thirty.four miles; freight, psid,
$9l.2O..
Now, we confess we did think she prof
Its of the Union Pacific on that shipment
must have been livery great" ana "out
If reasonable proportion to those OF
other ipdustrits in this stats.' But sirce
hearing from you, Dir. Kimbalb we see
1t WAS entirely q mistaken notion re-
sulting from "a want of thorough under-
standing of the quessicn.'
"He claimed that the policy of bis
lines had been exceeding liberal and
proved tss pc ition,by showing the grad
ual decline of the tariff from tho time the
limo was est ,blished, in 1861 down 10
this iate, and by comparison with the
rates paid for like ~service in older snd
more populous STATES in European COIN
tries.
OF course these, railroads are
fast. becoming charitable Institutions.
Mr.. Ktmb.ll adm IS ,hlt hal III 81 goods
reen hauled by his company prevlOu, TO
1881 the tariff would have been much
higher. No doubt he exhibited to the
joint committee duplicate copies C each
of'5he f eight bills | hs 70 mentioned
above t, prove that "lES policy OF his
lines had been exceedingly liberal" ~
"3y comparison with the rates paid for
like terviccs 10 older and more ~papulous
ST ates."
His opinion, based upon twenty-five
) ears Of active service III the I nttic anG
transportation department of -allrosds
was that there is not naturally, necessar
lily such q con iIlct Of interests between the
.Yeople and the railways ss to call foe rad
icsl lrgisls, on OTTO prevent even. handed
justice bstween them"
Correct, Mr.. Kinball! But as YOU
conn any arc ~volunts My re ducing their
rat 5 so iAst, according to your showing,
wouldn' ii be well to amend the consti
tut IN ofthe stats of Nebraska 50 as t.
p ev'nt tie managers, from 9mm't'ml
financial suicide tn noueh their great .sa
to benltt the producing classes Of thu
s'a'cf OF coU rse the few case, If ratel
which / have quGEed in this letter ATE no
tho only enc, Others showing squt
generosity on the psri Of railroads 10 thil
state can be produced if called for
Enough is shown to prove to any fa'l
m aded C tizen that tic railroad com
Phniss are not gazing corpora q moncp
o 81, b. t purely benevolent institution
orsrat'd solely for the public good
tE' pm g that the BEE wi | con iaue to us,
los pc "erful colOmus in defense of the''
mncf abused and wrcnged, but real,
eh7r table companies, l am very trul!
yoFLs. j. A. WILLIAMS.
Captain Ericsson is writing a hit tories