Middletown transcript., 1895-06-29
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From Milford Chronicle, June 2lst.
There is, perhaps, no single factor
that has played larger part in m0di-
flying agricultural, manufacturing and
industrial conditions generally within
the past twenty years than the enor-
nous reduction in railroad eharges.
If the advocates of free silver coinage
were not utterly uncandid, they would
not for moment pretend TO attribute
the whole of the fall in prices to the
characterization of silver. Those of
them who are intelligent enough to be
acquainted with the history of Ameri-
can railroad developments during the
last two decades are certainly dishonest
in doing SO. 1t needs no argument to
enforce the perfectly obvious truth
that continuous cheapening Of the
cost of distributing commodities must
be accompanied by a continuous fall in
the prices of the commodities them
selves. The cost ef production, If by
that term we mean the price of any
given commodity in the market in
which it must be sold, necessarily in
cludes transportation charges. If those
charges are greatly reduced, it is equiv
alent to great reduction in the cost
of production, and corresponding
fall in market prices at once follows.
-Baltimore Sun.
The enormous reduction in railroad
charges which the Sun refers to has
reached all parts of the country with
the exception of this little State of
Delaware. The reduction here is so
small indeed that it cannot be discov-
cred by even the most careful statisti-
clan. A car load Of peaches, eight
hundred baskets, weighing twelve
tons, costs from this town to Boston
two hundred and twenty-seven dollars,
or nineteen dollars a ton in car load
lots. Where is the reduction here? A
great railroad attorney, with offices on
Wall Street, New York, said few
years ago that the railroads could make
money by hauling peaches from Della
ware growers to Boston for forty-fve
dollars car, and, he added, eff there
was compitition in Delaware in this
line the peaches would be carried for
this money" Here is an over-charge
of one hundred and eighty-two dollars
car, if this gentleman of experience
knows what lie is talking about. Is
there not wisdom in the Pennsylvania
railroads owning the dominant party
in Delaware-owning all parties? Two
years ago in single day this company
hauled four hundred and nineteen cars
of peaches from this peach peninsula.
Of coursethey did not all 60 to Boston
but were distributed to many points,
half of which did not 60 beyond Jersey
City, to which point the charge was
$117.00 a car. Half of these cars
probably went to New England and
Western points. Allowing forty-ive
dollars as fair charge for hauling to
all these points, the overcharge would
easily average seventy-fve dollars on
each car or thirty-two thousand four
hundred aud twenty five dollars (S32,-
425), overcbarged the peach growers
of this peninsula in a single day, and
that on single article of farm pro-
duce. During the season of 1893 the
PennsylvaniaRailroad Company hauled
4,275, 900 baskets-of peaches, or 5,344
cars of eight hundred baskets each. on
which an overcharge of at least seventy
five dollars car was collected, which
makes the vast SUM of four hundred
thousand and eight hundred dollars
forced from the growers more than
should have been taken in accordance
with justice and equity. How long
will the people of this State submit to
being thus robbed? Do they not see
where all their toll and labor goes?
Will they lie still and allow the leaders
of the great political parties to blindly
lead them further into the meshes of |
the great Pennsylvania Railroad mon
opoly? As long as their paid attorneys
are allowed to go to the United States |
Senate and allowed to direct all Legis- |
lation in this-iust so long will the
people be thus robbed, and just so long
do they deserve to be robbed. We
have no patience with set of so-called
freemen who will blindly be led to
vote for such a state of affairs-and
they do vote to be robbed when they
vote for any man on any ticket who is
the least favorable or the least friendly
to any attorney or any man who is in
the pay Of this great corporation or
who is blockhead enough to be ruled
by them without pay. Until the people
come out like men, and with the cour-
age of their convictions fight hard and
openly for the ending of such state
Of affairs they do not deserve the
of the newspapers or of
else. We wonder how much
farther this thing will be allowed to 90.
This great corporation is sappiDg the
life blood out of the farmers-the bone
md sinew of this peninsula-and they
will continue so to do as long as the
people continue to vote for their candi-
late on any or all tickets.
| STATESMAN'S INDORSE-