The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1892-11-22
THE RAILROAD PLANK.
Of the Platform Adopted by the Labor
Organizations at st. Louis.

The most serious objections urged to
this plank Of our platform are: First,
the greatly increased Government pat
ronage, by reason of the increased
number Of employees; second, the i'm
mense cost to the Government in the
purchase of the roads. The present
number of Government employees is
estimated at about I75, 900. Add to
this the employees necessary for the
telegraph and telephone lines, which
will very certainly be taken charge of
by the Government in the near future,
says $4,000, which will most likely be
voted by the party in power. Putting
the voting population at 13, ,O00, 600,
this would give the Government one
vote in every seventeen and one-third
vOtes-ra her a bad showing for the
people. The question arises, will the
condition Of the people, under these
circumstances, De better Or worse than
it is mo It likely to be under corporate
Influences, With their relentless and
remorseless octopus grip?
Let US see. According to the late
census, there are 1853 900 miles Of rail
road in the United States Jay Gould
and those acting with him control, it
Is ssid, 65, 900 miles of these roads; the
VanderbIlts and Morgan, 25, 000, leav
ing 60, 1000 to be divided among the
other corporations, whose every step IS
toward concentration. The recent com
bine Of the Pennsylvania coal roads
(Reading, etc) may be cited, IS IN
point It Is thought. By many OF the
knowing ones, that in less than twenty
years the entire railway system Of the
c0uatry will be controlled by not more
than three corporations. Corporate
rule is now more despotic than that OF
the a.utOcTat of all the Russi2s. What
may we expect, when this imperial
power is concentrated in g few hands?
With this immense capital Of SO O00,-
900, 900 and their tenaCiouS and reIent-
leas grip on the pockets Of their 500, 600
employees, will they not be able to set
at defiance the people, the law, and
even the Government itself? An ad-
vance of 10 cents a bale freight on cot
ton would give them three fOurths Of
million, with which to buy our legisla
lures and railroad commissioners, and
make laws void, IN our courts.
One cent per bushel Oa wheat, corn,
oats and a few cents On -four, pork,
etc, would give them a corruption
! fund Of millions, with which to control
| ngress-tae edemOnetizatlOn Of silver,
! for instance. an agent Of the bank of
| England came 30 this country IN the
! lntereet of the gold standard Deople,
| backed by a half million ii dollars.
! What became of the half million IS the
question. But there is no question
about silver being then and there de
InOnetlzad. What has been done may
| be done. Knowing the character of
corporations (all stomach, no heart
can we, for a moment, believe that
| they will not avail themselves Of any
and all means to gain their ends? 1t
is said that Vanderbilt, when some
concession was asked by the p8ople in
railroad management said, the peO-
pie be damned Jay Gould is reported
as having said he was the legislature,
and could hire one half the farmers to
shoot the osher half. This is only men
toned to snow the animus, and that
the picture is not OverdraWn.
| Let us look more closely at the prop
| osition of Government ownership of
| the roads. AS | said, putting the Gov
ernment patronage at three fOurths OF
a miillOn-that is, one half million for
railroads, one fourth million for teleg-
raphy, telephone, ETC., or one vote in
every seventeen and one third of the
| voting population OF 13, 600, 900, seeing
| and knowing of this imminent danger,
cannot some plan be devised to so nit
| igate the evils as to render it harmless?
In the election by the people of the
| principal officers, taking the employees
| from the different States through which
the roads pass, secret hall, etc., none
| of which safeguards could be relied on
| against railroad corporations under the
| Government management, there would
| be no more strikes, because every en-
| ploye would know what to expect be-
| fore entering the service, because 1t
would be uniform and systematic. The
traveller and shipper would know what
| to expect from the management-What
would be the price of transportation,
ETC. Fhe system would be quite as Of
! fcient as now, because the government
would employ none but those thor
oughly qualified, both by education
and training, who would be held to a
sharp responsibility.
| Many of the defects Of the present
system would be cured, such as defec
tive car coupling, car heating, ETC.,
| brought about by the desire to save
money to the management. Now, let
| us examine the question OF the cost, to
| the Government, of the lad. The rail
road people estimate their properties at
| SlO, ,UOO, ,OOO, ,UOU-LnaG 1s, Gn6y are capl'
taIIzed at that amount IL is confident
ly asserted by those who txamined into
the matter, that one-half of this capital,
! so, 600, 600, 900, is water-that is, the
roads did not cost more than one-half
the amount, or 5000, coo. 600; taat
they could oe rebuilt for that sum. 1t
is said, and admitted, that these cor.
porations (ralEoade) collect, from
freight and passenger, a sufficient sum
to pay all running expenses, repairs,
ETC., and at least per cent interest on
the SO, 900, 900, 600 capital
We Will say the Government pur-
chases the road at Sc, 600, 900, 900, issu
ing its bonds for that amount, bearing
interest at 3 per cent. Gt is now float