The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-12-18
THE RAILRoAD RATE PROBLEM.

To the Editor of the Eagle.
The campaign is over and among its
many surprises perhaps not the least is
the appearance upon the political horizon
| of a new planet, but whether a true star,
or only comet (which from its horrid
hair sheds pestilence and war;" it is yet
too early to determine.
Dropping metaphor, it must be adj
mitted that the Peoples party was an
important factor in the late campaign,
and whether it lives or dies some at least
of its demands must become living
issues Of the near future.
One of these is that the government,
having created, shall control lines of
transportation and intelligence, and as a
last resort shall own them. The present
tendency of corporate ACKNOWLEDGMENT
and contempt of law foreshadows this
result as matter of public necessity.
The question Of their rates and discrim-
nations has been the one thing of chief
concern during all the years we have
lived in Kansas. With the welfare Of
our people they have as much to do as
the sun and rain and the operations of
nature. 1t is of them and their relation
to the public that, with your perm ission,
| propose TO say a word.
You and |, Mr.. Editor, are mott ender
feet in Kansas. We have lived here
long enough to know the genealogy of
every railroad III the state, and we
know beyond a doubt that our people
have dealt most literally by them.
Our enterprise has brought them, l
think without exception, into being
here. and some have been established
upon landed subsidies lii themselves
each a royal domain.
None have ever come which have not
had their right of way freely bestowed
and made plain for them from the sub
stance of our people and our enterprise
and energy have burthened their lines
with business and filled their foreign
treasures with wealth beyond the
dreams of avarice. We have fairly
earned IN fee the right to Just and liberal
treatment at their hands, irrespective of
those rights which are original and
inalienable. Have we had at their
hands such treatment as we had every
right to expect or have we had occasion
TO learn that. whatever republics may
be, corporations are ungratefu?
These overShadowing corporations by
combinations, consultations and a com
mon process of devourng one another
ike the gigantic reptilean life of the
early aeons of tlme-have grown to such
proportions that instea OF being servants
of the public for whose benefit thew were
erected, they have become leaders of the
very lite OF the people and their power
menace 10 the wei! being Of the citizen.
Their ownership Is represented by
stocks issued indefinitely, but always to
many times the cost Of the lines repre-
sente3. and bv the issues of bonds inflat-
ed to the last degree OF endurance meas
ured by their ability 10 draw life into
them and those who are compelled to
use these lines a public necessity.
These stocks and bonds costing always a
fraction Of the par value arr owned
generally by the same peTso1S-some-
where IN the east, largely in London.
Paris and Berlin, aud it IS from that
source that comes the perpetual pressure
Tor rates, rates, aud more rates, 70 pay
dividends on wateVed stocks and inter
est on alratei bonds, until the ingenuity
OF general managers and traffic aSSOcla-
tons Is exhausted in the effort TO satisfy
The rapac.Ey of an lnsaJiate. unsuitable
greed hiding behind the enormous fraud,
OF those corporations, and Ike the dig
nilagies OF The horse beech forever cry
ing more. more.
ar EaIior. the Peoples party may be
composed Of crsaks and their demands
may oe decisions, cut whoever lusgInes
that he enormous outrage 10 pubic
right family outlined ABOVE Is uo5 going
70 De dealt with fairly. carefully, but
rtyectaallv, i himself the victim Of de
fusion. The task may I've diiiicult--it L,
ditficult-made more - by the vicious
EenatI,y OF many WHO set some pSrsonai