The advocate and Topeka tribune., 1892-11-09
About Transportation,


transportation being a means OF ex
change and a public necessity, the gov
ernment should own and operate The
railroads in the interest of the people,
Party platforms are sign boards to guide
public opinion in it's travel, and mark the
mile stones in nations progress. In
dustry is the basis and producer of al
wealth, and the question is not how
much wealth and prosperity have we az
a nation or state, but how much ls re-
tanned by the producer Of it per individ
ual. With facilities Of exchange open tc
all industry alike in productive nation
such as ours, we will be the miracle oi
all present and past civilization. Our
railways are the wonder and admiration
of the world. and yet, as now operated,
they are at war with Americanized inde-
pendence in locating trade centers- lin
saying what tribute a community shall
pay corporate right They are to ex-
change what snobbery is to republic
what funkylsm is to self respect. Cor
porate ownership Of railways is from it's
very nature subvertlve to public equality
ofopportunity in labor and trade, because
it naturally bases its charges for service
on it's power to exact as tribute "Rll the
tariff will bear" which means the strong
shall despOil the weak.
Notice the various devices of favorit-
ism in classification, in commodity tariffs,
and special rates, and so-called local
rates based on double or more the
through rate per ton per mile. The
average citizen, regardless Of political
bias, should give this matter attention.
We have no poet laureate in this country,
but we have blathersklte laureates like
Ingalls,, Depew and Thurston, who paint
on our minds livid hue on the wealth Of
the nation, and our railway systems run
by men whose text is, the 'public be
damned" The interstate commerce facts
show that the average haul, regardless of
classification and distance, as in postal
system, allowing the roads the same
gross revenue as they now charge, was
$1.l3 per ton. AS a nation, we are de-
lighted at the low rate we pay, but as an
individual, if in Nebraska or Kansas,
what do we pay? Ii at Kearney, Neb.,
we ship a ton Of first class goods from
Chicago, the rate is $27 against S1.13. If
at Hastings, a ton of groceries mot
otherwise specified) to Alexandria, the
charge is S7.20 for the sixty mile haul.
If to Alma from Hastings, where two
competing ~ roads strive for business, it
is $94O ton. A car Of empty oil bar
rels from Kearney to Omaha costs $15. A
30,0O0-pound car of canned goods, same
haul, costs $40. The same car, same
weight, loaded with fourth-class goods,
such as many kinds of groceries are
classed at car lots, will be $l20. Grocer
les are used by the individual citizen,
and scatter him into the ranks of the
four political parties. and it is easy for
the strong railway to despoil the weak
citizen, which accounts for the high rates
on that which all must buy. The man
who sees no injustice in freight rates
based on ton-per mile rates, and those
rates based on the whim of some traffic |
manager, is fit for serfdom, and gets what |
he deserves. Let US demand postal sys-
tenn Of transit, distance and classification |
the rate to be based on aver
"A L