Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1888-01-05
TWO ITEMS.

.hanSdS 1oIlOW Tie lead OF their east
ern leaders too far; before they join
the whoop now being melted for the
purpose of driving the whole organ
ization finally to the defense of the
present tariff with all its grinding
tyranny over business, they ought, If
no more, to consider the cost in dollars
and cents to themselves of few items
in the list.
Kansans have boasted to the world
for two years over the wonderful rail-
road building by which the western
part of the state has been SO rapidly
made available for settlement. Great
as has been the railroad building it has
not kept pace with the needs of the
people. One reason for delay has been
the difficulty of obtaining material.
The manufacture of rails has been ex-
clusively in the hands of a combina-
ton. This combination has fixed
prices at what itpleased. When build
ing was low they sold steel rails at
$27 ton, and sometimes for less.
When the railroad companies began in
response to the demand of the people
to construct new lines, the rail COM
bination began to run the price up.
Last year the demand was pressing.
The roads needed rails and had to have
them at almost any price. The COM
ii xaritltRnt mo iya hn
cost of raw material or wages to just
ify them, had the price up to S42 ton.
1t was shameless eXaction, but Mr..
Blaine's theory applauds it. The Ia
borers who made the rails got no more
money. The difference went in the
form of profits to a few firms.
Suppose 1000 miles of railroad have
been laid in Kansas in the past two
years. This estimate is less than the
fact, but we will state it so. Suppose
it takes sixty pounds of rail to the
yard. This would give III round num-
ber6 ninety tons to the mile or $50 900
ton is an extravagant price, allowing
for any rate of wages or cost of pro-
duction. If the Kansas roads had to
pay $50 a ton, then a permanent debt
of over 81 ,000. 900 has been laid upon
the people of Kansas hy the rapacity
of the combination, or, at per cent,
a tax of 100000 a year, not to mention
the destruction of the rails by wear
and tear. The calculation is not!based
on the cost OF the rails in England, but
on the difference between the cost here
and the natural price compared with
what the combination forces out of the
people.
For it is the people who bear the
burden. Most of the Kansas counties
are the owners of railroad bonds.
Money directly from the pockets of the
people is paying for railroads and in
directly 1t viii have to reimburse the
companies for every dollar they have
invested.
Another item OH the tariff list stands
out prominently. The duty on nails is
AZ per cent. which is intended to be,
and practically is, prollibitive. Being
prohibitive it has brought into exis-
tence another beautiful combination.
The price OF nails is fixed and the
amount dealt out to the market measnr
ed by combination as strong as the
steel rail ring. At least cent a pound
is the difference between the cost, al
lowing fair profit TO the nlanufactur
er and the cost as it really is to the
man who builds his home. The Kan
sas farmer gets not more than cent a
pound in all for his wheat. For every
pound of nails lie uses he gives to the
Pennsylvania nail ring Il pound of
wheat, not to support laborers in nail
mills for they would get exactly the
same wages if the cent were knocked
off, but to keep up the combination.
1t is reported that the rail combina-
ton threatens to shut down the mills
if proposition is made to lower the
duty. That is their game. To shut
down costs them nothing but con-
traction. of the market They shut
down every little while anyhow in or
der to keep up the price by limiting the
supply. They enjoy shutting down.
They never attempt to produce as much
as they can except when the price is
somewhere near $40 a ton.
1t would be interesting to hear from
the Santa Fe. the Missouri Pacific and
the Rock Island about what trouble
they have had in getting enough rails
for the money at their disposal to do
the building they wished to do.
The Union Pacific has laid out sys-