Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1890-10-08
THE RAILROAD QUESTION.
Some Illustrations of Corporate Methods OF
Robbery and Oppression.

~~~~~@~S@D
Junction City, says:
The readers attention is now asked
to some illustrations of corporate
methods of robbery and oppression.
The Government of the United States
paid the company that built the Union
Pacific railroad in Kansas IL, 800 acres Of
land and $40. 900 per mile for building
said road in the State of Kansas The
company report that they obtained SS
an acre for the lands The total SUBJ
sidy then, was $54, 400 per mile for
building the road. This sum should
have paid the cost of building and
equipping the road about twice, and the
road should have been turned over
to the Government as public highway,
free from incumbrance, to be operated
in the interest of the people at
mere cost of running expenses and re-
pairs. This, however, is not the condi-
ton of matters The company has re-
tanned the road as its own property, and
has loaded it with burden of stocks
and bonds amount ting to Sl05, 454.7S per
mile, on which the people must pay
dividends and interest. These official
figures are found in the annual reports
of the Board of Railroad Commissioners
OF Kansas volumes and z.
They show that, after the General
Government has paid for building the
Union Pacific railroad in this State
about twice its actual cost, the people
must still pay interest and dividends on
four times its cost for the privilege of
using the road.
The seventh annual report shows,
also, that about $3.50, 600, 900 of debt bur-
den rests upon the railroads of Kansas,
on which the people must pay dividends
and interest forever, with no oppor-
tunity of paying or removing the bur-
den itself! This burden, too, rests on
roads largely paid for by the people and
the General Government with munich
pal bonds. cash and public lands
This capitalization is, to great ex-
tent fraudulent known as 'watered
stocks" costing the companies only the
expense of printing and selling certif-
Gates! The certificates are sold in the
open market as genuine, for spot cash,
and the money is used in making mill
ionaires! The collection Of dividends on
this fraudulent paper is now making
homeless farmers, tenants, serfs and
tramps. Is it any wonder that farmers
are organizing that revolution seems
to permeate the very air we breathe,
and that laboring men, business men and
all patriots are crying out: What must
we do to be saved?"
Kansas is not alone in this perdition
of distress. On the country at large
there rests railroad burden of over
nine billion of dollars $50, 062 446, 365)!
We talk of the country being out of
debt; yet here is debt burden more
than three times the amount of the Ma
tional debt at the close of the war, on
which the people are paying an average
Of oveF four per cent. per annum! This
burden is largely water, or forged stocks
and bonds, manufactured at cost of
paper and printing and sold for billions
of dollars to fill the pockets of million
aire spectators. A controlling amount
of these stocks and bonds are held in
London, and our American railroads are
operated in the interest Of our British
masters, whom our fathers are said to
have conquered at Yorktown and New
Orleans. Here Is the testimony:
A case now pending before the Inter-
certain classes of goods of similar quail
ity in Philadelphia are to be sent to
Chicago for sale. Some are of British
manufacture. some American. On
British tin-plate the freight from Phila-
delphia to Chicago was 16 cents per 100
pounds; on American tin-plate 1t was %
cents. On Scotch linen the freight from
Philadelphia to Chicago was 46 cents;
on other linen 50 cents. From New
Orleans to San Francisco 70 cents was
charged on British-made agricultural
implements; on American-made imple-
ments ia cents. On Onimplements shipped
from New York the regular rate
was 13O cents; if from Chicago, 119;
while from Liverpool to San Francisco
the rate was only SO cents.
These facts and figures can be multi
piled indefinitely. They are the straws
which tell which way the wind blows.
They prove that our greatest American
highways are controlled and operated in
the interest of the British money power!
And that our British masters at this
moment are discriminating against
American products on our own rail-
roads, and taxing at will all our vast
industries!" Yes, that colossal London
money power, which by fraud, usury
and force, has robbed India, and Turkey,
and Egypt and Burmah; and which,
like the great red dragon of Scripture
is reaching out into all the earth for
further investments of its stolen bill
lions, is now the important master of
the public highways of America! Levy
| ing tribute on all our vast industries,
''all the traffic will bear!''
Men of America! We must organize
in our own interest and no longer suf-
fer ourselves to be arrayed in parties
against each other! We must study the
facts of our condition and do our own
thinking! Then. when there is united
will there will be a way! Our relief
must come through just and reasonable
legislation. We must learn to vote for
our friends instead of our enemiesl Be-
| fore the uprising of a great and united
| people our oppressors will be as the
breath of an instant in a cyclonei
That money power, which the fathers
of the Republic and the earlier patriots
| were so careful to warn US against, is
now stealthily assuming power and con-
! troll in this country. But recently, un-
der the Administration of President
Arthur, one Hugh Mccullough, Brit
ish banker, doing business at Al Lom-
bard street. London, was Secretary of
the United States Treasury! And, at
this moment, another British banker.
who is the head of the banking house
of Morton, Rose & Co., London, is Vice
1 President of the United States, and
President of the United States Senatel
With our great public highways under
British control, and the leg Station and
administration of the American Govern
ment dominated by British interests is
it any wonder that our people are fall
ing into bankruptcy and vassalage, and
that everywhere they feel that their
| liberties are unsafe!
A way must be found out of this
L