The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1888-11-22
An Unusually Fine Lecture by Dr.
nemis Friday Evening,
Az Interested Audienoe--hemArk Made
by Leading oAntoniana'

A gOOdly number OF people were pres
ont last night AT the assembly room 10
hear d. Hemis deliver his fourth leo
tuFs OF a series on economic questions,
His subject last night was "Monop'
oliea," but was more particularly ap'
piled 10 railroad m%onopOliea, Below
will DO found the substance OF his leo
ture in condensed form
"In 1880 there was not q single mile
Of railroad in the United States, and
scarcely any In the European countries,
At tho present time there are over
10000 miles Of railroad, over half OF
which Is ia this country, The amount
Of wealth which these railroads repre-
sent Ii eight billions OF dollars, Five
eightha OF II Ia IN real property and the
rest iain stocks and bonds, The actual
value OF tho railroads In this country Ii
one'tenth OF all the national wealth
The income that 10 derived from these
railroads Ia greater than from all the
other industries combined, The num-
ber OF employees that II takes 10 operate
tho railroads In this country IL three
fourtha greater that the standing army
Of Europe, The gross reeelpta are over
one billion, and the net income Is over
three hundred millions OF dollars,
These railroads arc an abaOlutene cea'
hity, Our National Union Is only
made possible by them, NOOne WlhheA
10 dispense with them 40 has been d0nt
Ia China, but there are serious and
great complaints made about them IN
W their management, and one OF these
complaints Ii high rates, u N SAID
that railroads charge more for freight
than 10 needed 10 pay the running OK
penaeh OF the road and afford them u
good living profit, II Is also said that
| these railroads got large land grants
for nothing upon which 10 build the
go,s ald that they sold OF u great part
Of II and appropriated the proceeds 10
the company, There In an instance OF
lhia kind in Illinois, The Illinois Cen
trail railroad got their land donated 10
them and they sold on a lot OF land 40
that the amount that they retain SIN
compromises them sufficiently for the
operation Of the road, Now u IL
claimed by the public that no these rail
roads got the most OF their land for
nothing they can afford 10 give the
people lower rates,
Many OF these roads were built when
there was not much business done on
them, In regard 10 the earnings OF the
road the figures are corrected every
year, A road making large profits viii
conceal ia profits from the public, and
they will Issue new shares Of stock 10
divide the profits so that the rate OF
dividends VIII not DO 80 large. This N
commonly known aA watering stock
Now, you may ask what business has
the public 20 know what railroad COM
pany'a profits are any moro than they
have 20 know what Il merchants prof
ita are, A railroad corporation 10 n
private corporation andit Ia also u pub
Ito corporation. Its rights, which are
many, are given 10 them by the state.
10 give You an idea Of what rights
railroads have, / will cite u New York
case where II was held that the only
land that n railroad company could not
appropriate 70 lis own use was n GENE.
terry. They can even 90 through q
church yard, Now, because they have
such rights that are given 10 them by
the Legislature the public also have
some right 20 know about their profits,
Now how shall we regulate chargesY
Our courts say that the Legislature
may limit the charges OF q company.
but Legislatures cannot compel u com.
panY 10 lower It's rates TO such an ex.
tent NO that nothing can DO made
The Supreme Court OF Iowa held such
a law 10 be unconstitutional. The lin.
itatlon Of charges should be the hands
Of a commission for national roads.
The complaint made about rates Is
not that they are 10 high but that they
are so unequal. The abuse was great
until the Interstate Commerce law
went into effect, There should not be
q higher rate for one car than for 10
cars. Now II would seem that Pills.
bury Bros Of Minneapolis, who ship
about 80 car loads Of flour q day should
have cheaper rate than some one else
who ships but one car q day. But II
does not cost any more 10 haul n train
of cars made up Of several individuals
along the road than II does 10 haul a
train of cars shipped all by one man
except q little extra expense In switch.
Ing, and courts have held these discrlm.
nations TO be unjust,
Another complaint made against rail.
road companies Is that Of Undertaking..
This liz done by the shipper handing In
less weight than he ships, and this Is
carried on very extensively. Out Of 1871
cars which crossed over Niagara Falls
some time ago, all but six were under.
billed. This Is q virtual evasion Of the
law. The railroad companies say that
they cannot bother with weighing the
cars, and they are obliged 70 take the
word Of the shipper and he d~eeleyeS
them. This difficulty rs renedied Ia
England by a law which fines the ship.
per, A law of that kind should DO
passed In this country. Senator Cul.
ION recommends q law which pro.
poses 10 make II q penal offense for
railroad officials TO underbill u car, by
imposing q fine and imprisonment on
them, 0ne.half of this fine goes 10 the
lnformer.
Another form Of discrimination Is in
railroads charging different rates per
ton for different articles Of goods. |
They haul coal cheaper than they do |
silk, They must charge q higher rate
for costly goods. The principle 10 all
right but II is absurd. Costly goods are
pocked In cheap boxes. silks are often
packed In cotton boxes. In the trains
that left New York City in one year II
was discovered that there were over
5000 cases of wrong shipping We
talk o good peal about the morality Of
the people, but when the temptation is
presented TO us there are few who will
refrain from taking advantage Of a