The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1894-11-13

1 ANAC W V4C ~ OO@N
Gov. Larrabee quotes from Arthur
T. Hadley, Railroad transportation,
It's History and Its Laws, this state
ment:
The Importance of the one system in
Austria and Hungary lies in the fact
that It's adoption was accompanied by
a greater reduction in rates. The unit
rate for slow third class trains, which
have previously been nearly II cents
per mile, was reduced to less than 1
cent
Speaking of the effect of this reduc
ton of rates, MI. 1arrabee says:
Che zone system recently adopted in
Hungary reduced both the passenger
and freight rates of the government
roads at least one-third, and this re
duction has, contrary to expectation,
greatly increased their net revenues.
In summarizing the results of gov
eminent ownership in European coun
tries, Mr.. Larrabee says:
For the past fifteen years there has
been a decided drift on the European
continent toward State ownership of
railroads.
The principle upon which the de-
mand for government ownership rests,
is that railroads are public highways,
necessary to the public welfare and
convenience, the same as our public
roads and waterways, and as forming
too important a factor in the commerce
and exchange of the country to be left
to the whims and caprices Of individ-
uals.
BUYING THE RAILROADS.
1t is amusing to see our friends, the
enemy, construct straw houses, and
then proceed to demolish them. 1t is
more like the action OF school-boys
madly charging the mullen stock than
anything else, except the mullen stock
is a more tangible object than our op.
p~onents usually coDjure up in their
imagination.
These elegant gentlemen, hesquirrel
tailed politicians, who r so devoted
to the dear peoples interest as to be
willing to make the great sacrifice Of
accepting an office at salaries ranging
from $500 to S., 900 a } ear, take peculiar
delight in surprising. In their fertile
imaginations hey suppose a plan,
charge it up to the Populists, and then
Jump onto it and demolish it. Of
course they take great care to suppose
a plan that is weak enough in its struc-
ture for them to demolish. Some of
these COMPUTATIONS are as silly "a the
! superstition that we are in favor of shoe
ing the horses tails.
The Peoples party declares in favor
of government ownership of railroads
and telegraph lines. But nowhere in
its platform does it indicate a plan to
secure this end. If opponents are
disposed to act fair Why not concede
that we favor some practical plan for
carry ing out our declaration9 Why
charge that we are in favor Of purchas-
ing all the railroads at once at their
capitalized value, including the wa
tered stock, and issuing bonds for the
amount and taxing the people to pay
the bonds7 No POpulIst has ever pro
posed any such thing. There is no ne
cessity for doing any such thing. The
railroads could be bought and paid for
within twenty years out of their net
earning and savings without taxing
the people n cent, or increasing the
present rates of freight and passenger
tariff. But the people are already taxed
On every dollar of capital represented
by railroad bonds and stocks to the ex-
tent of $40, 900, 900. They are taxed in
the freight and passenger rates which
they have to pay the railroad com
panies. What the Peoples party desire
is that the money which now goes to
pay dividends on stock and interest on
bonds, shall go toward purchasing the
railroads and eventually owning and
operating them at greatly reduced
rates. In an able and well, written ar.
ticle in the Arena, Mr.. @. Wood Davis,
a practical railroad man and reliable
statistician, figures the actual savings
by government ownership of railroads
as follows:
Savings from consolidation
Of depots and stats. s 20, 900, 900
Savings from exclusive use
of shortest routes. 25, 900, 900
Savings in attorneys sal
aries and legal expenses. IL, 1000, 900
Savings from abrogation of
the pass evil. .......... 80, 900. 900
Savings from abrOgation of
commission system 20 600 600