Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1886-04-20

II 4 80
i assert and maintain the principle ior sH'E
I pers and railroads alike.
FL Dir. President, this IS
NO NEW POSITION
with ne. l advocated the same pIlncipt
in the Forty.eighth Congress Wnen a.
amendment similar to the one now pro
posed only received II votes IN THIS oouy
/ quote from my speech in the Congres
sional Record, pages $50 and s87:.,
"Inmy Judgment, many o 1.-THE evils com
plaintd of against the railroads are the re
anti of unwise and undue competition De
tween the roads which forces them to q
things which are unnatural and unnesltn!
in a business point of view, and l oeiiev'
that careful aud progressive legislation VII
result in great advantage to the railroads
as well as TO the people by protecting the
roads from the necessities OF their own Ct
rors for in nine cases out often the unWlse &C
ton of one road in making undue discrim'
ination forces allthe other competing r0au'
not only to do the same thing and TO sdop'
for the time being the same policy, ou'
even at times to go to a further extreme
in the Sans direction.
II isnow a well.established principle IN
~railroadiug that the movement OF cirlosos
of freight coets the railroad so much per
ton per mile on the average. This amount
is ascertsined and known oy each road with
almost mathematical eXsctness. We may
assume, il you please, for illustration, that
this cost is at the average rate of | cent
per ton per mile for all the freight hsuled
over the whole libeot road, and it Is equally
we'll known that long hauls can be made at
somewhat less cost in proportion thar short
hsuls. Il is, therefore, a fundamental prln'
ciple in ~railroadiag that the average
rates of tonnage per mile must be kept
I'D to a point necessary to yield the road a
fair profit on its capital from its gross buzz
ness. Nov, when d road takes its through
freight from competitive polats on a i0lg
haul at less than it can afford to c0 the
business and pay actual expenses, 1t must
make up the deficiency on it's average
business from non.competiuve points be-
tween the starting place aud the market to
be reached, and the lower ii is forced to
take through freight the higher 1t must
charge on liz local freight. :.
This is tbs result, of competition forced
upon railroads by themselves rather thar
their voluntary action. For 1t is fair TO
presume that railroads as q matter OF bust
nsss would not of choice discriminate IN
Justly between shippers, but would equAllze
rates to a reasonable extent to produce the
average earning per mile required If they
could follow out their v Judgment Of
what would be equitable audtslr and their
own inclinations 10 do 1t.
Aud again: :,
There can be no good reason assigned
to Justify rail Dads III making these dis
ordinations, and | do not think they do
make them from choice, but from necessl'
~, to bring up their average earnings
there can be no more reason TOR q rail
road chsrgiog more for halt the labor thai
for twice the amount Of labor than there
would be for any other interest governed
by the rules affected by machinery and
labor, or than there would be for charging
more for making one plow than tor making
two plows, or for q cart 10 charge more tor
carrying u load halt o mile tsan 1t would
for a mile over the same road; or tor q
hod-csrr;er to charge more to carry brick
TO the first story OF a house than he would
10 carry the same brick to the second story
over the same ladder by which he reached
the first story. The cost of transportation
to q railroad ia measured by the wear and
tear OF the road aud equipment, and the
expenses per mile for fuel aud labor IN
moving the train; and there is no theory
hat | have ever seen advanced that salts
ties my mind that these physical cQndi-
tons are varied TO any great extent per
mile in proportion 10 the distance"
IT MAY re URGED
BIZ Senators from the Western States that
this amendment will tend to increase the
through rates from Chicago, ST. Louis aud
other large Western competitive points. l
admit that on its lace it will have this ten
dency. but il will have tue CouGterbsisRc-
ing effect in reducing the rates TO shippers
in the same States outside Of the large
cities. Under the operation Of the amend
meut they will be relieved OF burdens nov
borne on shipments into these cens'r5
| from the interior, aud so the principle will
in the end adjust itself without detrimen,
10 the consumers or unjust lntluences on
the LARGE commercial CeGter5. J have no
COMPLAINT to make ot the cheap rates given
10 the Western cities. | have no objection
to that. What | van is that the nearer
shipper shall not be charged more than the
more distant shipper, and 10 that extent be
made TO assume and bear his burdens
But why should shippers from the far Wes,
cultivating cheaper and more productive
lands, ask to receive cheaper transporta
ton for the same kind Of products than is
| given to persons nearer the market cultivate
less productive aud more expensive lanis2
Why should the shipper OF the same kind
| of p,oducts in the States OF Indiana, Ohio.
Tennessee, kentucky, West Virginia, Eir,
ginia, Maryland, fennsylVauIa aud Gthsr
States similarly situated geographically be
discriminated against and com pelled to
pay more than ia charged from Chicago or
St. Louis. | think it is too plain for argu-
ment that the true principle is, that the
nearer AkipCers should not be charged
more than the shipper al 8 greater distance
under any circumstances or under any c)n'
ditions.
Mr.. President, | have directed my re.
mark, mainly to that clause in the section
limiting its provisions to the same original
point Of departure, because that limitation
embraces BY tsr
THE WIDEST RAEGE
Of exceptions 10 the application Of the long
and short haul principle. Its application
embracing all sections Of the country
gives it almost universal application, and
for that reason is Of much greater i'm
p~or;auee than the provision extending dis
cretionary power to vary the rule where
there are competing water ways. This
only Affects soupsratise iy lev localities
but that provision, in my Judgment, is also
very Objectionable, for it discriminst.
against water transportation by allowing
} the railroads to compete against sucl
transportation at ruinous rates in order Il
take the freight that naturally belongs Il
such modes OF transportation.