The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1892-01-31

which have during tho last Few go 49, rafcs
! 49, "L1avr frat,ic IN coal at very ipN lHt.s 80
Very nes '' .p.s AZ already stated. come down
no faisr than 1889. bat - showing ~ "iljeeol a.
low fgures the Two ROADS hhhleu a.. zen he
,,>o,s freirht We may point out that ili IN ~. ~
-. 70 ,,er ton Ter mile on the NoiiVih "ut
Western was only 9.I-i01 Or cciii, VIZ VIZ On
/ the Ghesaposke and ONO me aNeI"to l 10 90
rer milo for tho year endlhE June |, sf.',.rss
aro taxing Che latest year for when IA ~ 4, .
J lave been reported IN each casel Wt' ~. ~
Ihe latter road also furnishes the h1oi'~ ilv
! he coal ireilLt alone. which are es 49,
/ r'ert.ncnt in this discussion u apieai. va.
me a,ora2e on shipment, elsewhere ihsh ~ 10y, ~
soalOdrd va. only 4.lDoo. while on the se"r,iiii
| slfUmen's, whore c0mftllOA ~ D',t 90 -
active only 3ls- IEO-that il. less IAN q lhit ~
I y cent yer ton per mle-Was reai1el, iis'''o
which must certainly lie as low as any ii t,'' h,
Dc 81 ll be seen. Therefore. that the reason WY
/ fhe averages for .Ae Southern section a.,
/ preached so closely 20 those OF The olieI elit
/ older sections is that tho conditions ih soino
essential Iaru ulars are tpiIoaciili'- 80
nearly % an EQUALITY with those OF the fecl iYls
/ in question. 10 also follows, from Whal LAS
/ been said. that there must have beeh F.. NJ
worthy increase in traffic during me u'ca4v,
and this the statistics bear out, IN ~ to
number OF tons Of freight moved by tne l".l-
roads in the states ~ Virginia Nes. 49,
and North and south tarolira was oh ~, -
To-: for 1883 80 fine the total up 90 over i"en.f-
three and O. haif million tons .~''2'..-.t
t0nsi Still moro striking has been me gro" ~
in tonnage movement ono miict Ivi as
reanst Oniv 30 million tons '5Dss-'1o IONS
moved in 1880 the aggregate I'D l.'5 ma IlseN ~
over g. lJrO,DNl '.JfJ,lJlNfji touN. h7 $500
tie absolute amount Of increase comparisons
with the Middle or middle western seer lvl'
would have little value. since IN the nIet I. Seo
the mileage in those sccuons is lars @f anu ~
the second place the traffic Us So nuch ocii.tI,
but We can a. least got an loea or CROWN @"lHE
on ~ comparing the ercentHGes OF lhcIrsrg il
each case Hence % Is useful 40 KNOW lhHt LILO
for the nine years from 1870 20 l'~+ INC ipA-
mage OF the four Southern States was 2is per
cent and tho tonnage movement ono me IS
much AZ rs Yer cent. the increase il lle lg PIE
mage OF TIE Middle western 9ta. wa ou.5 10
yer cent and IN the tons one mic yer CENT
whilc for ihe Middle States the percentages arc
respectively only G6 and Sj
u should boromcmhcred that the foregoing
apples to roads in the Nirginlas and arohnas 10
and including 1850. and that cny one %, ih.'e
States lad q railroad commission. amt lnAt me
least important of the fonr ID question o. rail-
road fOuUago-gl/.. $50 I'D Carolina.
Lot us now see what tho same expert authoIl Y
On railroad matters has 90 say FOR the coinnls-
si0n-ridden roads Of Texas Chronicle. Jan. -
ISf2l and ask ourselves whether % $ WISE 10 Ic-
duco our roads TO such % condition.
Bot tit Is hardly necessary g. demon irale
that Texas roads arc not 10" ana hN'c Hob lDl
many years been prOsp rOut IN 10 o.i 4
ttafes in tho Union have results been so cS,i-
petelg and continuously unsatlSlaciOiy' Pr
huntington i'm his letter already referred 90
puts the case none too strongly when no gays.
II think there is no road IN Texas that Is today
earning It's operating and fixed charges; sVery
road. think. has been or D. Ia the nanis OF
receiver, excepting our Eaot-ali-Neet me
which j. supported by business gong entirely
through the State" I'm conformation OF me
accuracy Of this statement. one need only cal
90 mind the present aud past situation OF stch
prOWlucu, roads as the Texas ana ia.
cite the Kansas and Texas tho international
and Great Northern. tho Houston and leha,
Central. the -. Ions Southwestern, tho san
Antonio and Arkansas Pass. the Galyeston. lous.
ton and henderson ana the Houston. tast and
~ est Texas, every one OF which is either lii the
hands OF q receiver or las but recently been
reurgauilod Can SIR Reagan e4I lam away
such results as these7 Does he see I'D them any
evidence OF tie Tai acity or railroad COZ ora
tlDps 81 when ne speaks. III the lace q inns
showing we risk nothing IN SAYING maj unless
tie state changes It's policy something more
than Nh Ieagons simple denial OF luo CHS
tenco oi hostile sentiment asalnsi railroads.
will I've needed 10 induce capitalists o. lsk any
further money IL isiiro@d UNDERTAKINGS il iAe
State
TITS apparent to those who have watched tho
working OF railroad commissions that as ihey
cease 10 become q fad and lose their novelty
men become disappointed IN what n was hoped
they would accomplish. IL Is but a snort step
from this 10 adverse criticism and con .ewna-
ZION Florida has abolished her commission.
Before North Cniollnas commission WAS year
Old | Was TO by citizen os our sister state
that the railroads controlled u.
That this measure Is unnecessary anrin'
Within tie past yolr Travelled nom the iol0-
mac 90 the Dan aud from Norfolk 70 Bristol. IN
all that progressive and atuactlve land tn-
cOuntered a solitary man NOT an Office seeker
who advocated p hill OF tins character liad ha
known how sic IL ls DOUBT II MS Judgment
would apfrO.c it albeit le Is pIulHulcti
against coIl oranons. If the pres Of tie
STATE Is lie people voice there IS 4ond caI 10
The people representatives for the re ectlOn OF
this measure. Farmer. merchant, miner and
manufacturer. village and city. have their
wishes voiced In the CRY OF the press. But
il Is alleged that the farmer needs the pro-
posed law for his protection because
the railroads extOrt from him more than IS
Just propose to show 10y cold facts that this
allegation is untrue. More than this. viii I'M
dertaHe to prove that the farmer M my section
OF the state can be seriously Injured by this bill.
MY sympathes are with the farmer as my inter-
ests are one with his IN the soil OF Virginia.
| have approached this question cautiously
lest l should do anything adverse 10
class OF men who WORK hard Tor small COM
pensatlOn and who need every aid and ell
oouragement the state can give them Tor
years the farmer has been between the
upler and neither mlllstones- Oyer-prOduc-
ton and low prices on the one side
with false and oppressive economic system
on the other. Let me say IN passing, that 1 be-
love the trouble IN oYer-producuOn OF bread
siuiis Is passing AVA. and that ia five years
from now We Will have no grain 10 export as We
will need II all ~ home. accent tins view from
Mr.. LAWS. OF Goddard. han. himself a farmer
and Alliance Iuan. elected j believe, as such 10
the present Congress. / wish every farmer
would read has article published ln lhe Forum
about year ago AMI get tho eucOurag cement
OF the bright prospect therein presented. based
upon growing population and limitation OF
grain producing lands IN other words, rapidly
increasing population and rapidly decreasing
new gram fields conspire to put the grain farmer
we can overcome IL we are loyal 10 the scnti-
ment that unnecessary taxation is unjus. taxa
ton / have already shown that inter and in
tra-State railroad commissions combined have
sadly disappOn ed farmers In the West, and
now call your attention 10 tho fact that within
the last sixteen years our Virginia railroads
have been reducing their rates more than the
market value OF orr crops have fallen. | want
also 20 emphasize an additional fact, namely
that We are more favored by our roads under
the admlnistra ION OF our present law than DOR
sister states with their c0stiier commissions
In 1876 / sold wheat at *l60 per bushel. the
highest price received in twenty years in 1921
my wheat at the same place was worth SLO3 or
Il reduction of 3,ls per cent.
In Si6the average freight rate per ton mile
on the Atlantic. III sisslppi and Ohio railroad
now Norfolk and Western was 20lO.
In 1891 the freight per ton mile on this road
has reached the low point OF .509, or III per
cent. reduction.
in 1876 the rate on the Virginia Midland rail-
road was cents.
IN 1891 II had fallen to lei reduction Of co
per cent.
Travel in like manner has been reduced in
cost from rs on the lTginia Midland railroad
IL 1876 10 ? 3 in 1871. or 40 per cent.
select these two roads tor comparison be-
cause they cover ali sc, ons of the STATE carry
every variety OF pr0duct aud passengers going
10 all points OF tine compass.
In this comparison / am partial 10 the farmer.
a gram was them az It's highest. while the rail
roads gave excursion rates TO the Centennial
Exposition. / couid select years "a late as ISL
that would show the falling oil ia rates To ps
greater THAN have named.