The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1888-07-31

OoN
important privileges and franchises,
under which fundamental private
rights are held in obedience for the
common good, it is due to the public
protection that the recipients OF these
favors should be held under restric-
tons which will prevent them from
abusing these privileges to the pubic
Disadvantage" This is sound doctrine,
and when a railroad seeks to collect
charges calculated to yield dividends
either upon watered capital, or to en-
rich the owner thereof beyond what is
legitimate and reasonable, it grossly
abuses the priviles conferred by its
charter, and virtually perpetrates a
public robbery. This appears to be a
perfectly plain proposition, and yet
these glaring wrongs have been toll
Grated so long, without protest, that
not only the railroad officials, but a
good portion of the public even, have
come to regard anything done by rail
roads as a sort of right inherent be-
longing to these corportions.
The people Of North Carolina have
gotten into the tolls of this railroad
power, and consequently pay heavier
freight charges, to say nothing OF
passenger rates, than what is legiti-
mate and reasonable by long odds, as
we propose to conclusively show.
The freight rates, upon the leading
agricultural products of the country,
of the "trunk lines" running between
New York and Chicago, the distance
being one thousand and forty QO4O)
miles, are as follows:
Grain, Csc. per 100 lbs.
Flour, Csc. per 100 lbs.
Bacon, 35c. per 100 lbs.
Leaf tobacco, 35c. per 100 lbs.
The rates on uncompressed cotton
from Cairo, ILL.,, to New York, the
distance being about the same as from
Chicago, are 341 cts. per 100 lbs.
Taking the rates on the same
articles, as a basis of comparison,
charged by the associated railways, Of
which the Richmond and Danville
System is a part, from Charlotte to
New York, the distance being $50
miles, we find the charged rates as
follows:
Grain, 32c. per 100 lbs.
Flour, $50. per 100 lbs.
Bacon, 800. per 100 lbs.
Leaf tobacco, Gle. per 100 lbs.
Cotton, Coo. per 100 lbs.
The difference in the rates of the
"trunk lines" and the "associated
railways" is forcibly shown by the
rates per 100 miles, as follows:
Grain, Flour, Bacon, Cotton, Tob'co
Isgo! R aiRss |S Ss4s o Ss5s S SssS 1881 1881 H 1esS
The charges by the associated rail
ways on cotton and tobacco are more
than three times as much as charged
by the trunk lines; twice as much on
bacon, nearly three times as much on
-four, and more than double as much
on grain.
Observe, please, the especial high
rates charged by the associated rail
ways on the two leading agricultural
products of the South, cotton and to.
bacco, and the lesser rates on the food
products, of which the South buys
largely. 1t would seem to be the
policy of this Unsuitable anaconda to
encourage the growth of these two
products to the exclusion of the food
products and then charge for their
transportation all they will bear; that
is, "take as much out. of the pockets
of the farmers as we can without
actually taking it ALL"
But it is said, when you offer the
freight rates of the trunk lines in
comparison with those of the asso-
ciated railways, that the former doing
so much more business than the latter,
can afford cheaper rates. Well, let
US examine into the profits of the
Richmond and Danville Railroad Co.,
a part of the associated railways, and
controlling, we suppose, more miles
of road than any other railroad COM
pany belonging to that combination,
and see what they are takiag out of
the pockets of the people in excess of
what is Legitimate and reasonable"
In the financial column of the New
York World of the 10th of June, we
find the following:
"The Richmond and Danville Sys-
tenn reports al increase in its net
earnings for May of $7O,954. The
net earnings for the six months for