People's voice. [volume] (Wellington, Sumner County, Kansas) 1890-1917, 1896-05-07


mile. In the last 63 years Of railroad
building 10 the United States, which
should be termed the railroad era,
there have been built and equipped,
in round numbers, 10000 miles of
railroad at a total cost Of three and
one-half billion dollars the same being
capitalized at about SlO.O0O,O0O,0OO,
The difference between the cost
and the capitalization is known as
"watered stock There seems to be
a new era dawning. The people are
realizing that these wOuderfulcorpor-
ationS must he controlled by the peo-
pie soon, or they will control the peo-
pie. They further realize that the
railroad corporations are and have
been dealing unju,tly with their pa
irons. 1t is true the country would
be in a deplorable condition without
railroads: likewise, is true, the rail-
roads would be of little consequence
without the people. As the latter
are the creation Of God, and the for
mer the creation Of man, the interests
of the railroad should be secondary
Among things complained of by
the farmer is the pass system.
Stickney the author Of The Railroad
Problem" who is a practical railroad
man, and who has filed several Of the
most important positions in the gift
of the railroad companies, and IS, be-
lieye, now the president of a railroad
says, on p. y, ch. s:
" The origin Of the free.pass sys-
tenn is not definitely known, but is not
improbable that it was first used as a
means Of paying for certain kinds of
valuable service. To indiyid-
udlS free passes were valuable. At
first they were given Sparingly, to the
more important perSonages in the
communities who had little occasion
to travel: then to a larger circle. in
payment for trifiing services; then to
legislators, the executive officers of
government, the judicial officers, to
all the clerks and employees of state:
then b the various county boards and
the various county officials, clerks and
employees; then to city and town
BOARDS and their various officers: then
to that numerous class known as DO
litical workers; and finally to every
person who was supposed to be able to
do something to aid a railway COM
pany in case of political or judicial
emergency. In the beginning passes
were recognized as favOrS, for which
the recipients were bound to make
return. Nearly half the mileage of
the local passengers was free. The
small sutton who had an action pend
ing against railroad company for
calf before justice of the peace, re-
garded bis case as likely to be preju-
diced by reason Of the justice carrying
a free pass. In the nature of things.
ccnstableS and sherifS we're supposed
to be more or less SubServient on ac-
count of such fayors. Even the higher
judicial and executive officers could
not be held to he entirely impartial,
while the influence of free passes on
the legislative mind was marked
"ThiS system is thought by many
to be wrong-working injury to the
farmer in the shape Of discrimination.
TIE farmers are not considered
among the pets of the railroad cOmpa-
pies, and they feel by paying their
fare that at the same time they are
also paying the fare of their more for
tunate neighbOrS, who, as rule, are
more able to pay. The system has
and is breeding discomfort.
''The next source of discomfort is
the rule OF the railroad companies
charging all the traffic will bear" |
presume the object of this principle OF
toll is to secure funds to defray oper-
ating expenses, and to pay a dividend
on stock, interest on mortgages, bonds,
watered stock and all.
THE toll which is levied and col
lected annually exceeds Sl,OOO,OOO, 900.
This enormous tax is virtually paid
out Of the products of the farm, shop
and mine. An advance of One-tenth
OF l per cent. on all transportation is
equal to a fair dividend on the cost Of
the roads. This wonderful power of
taxation isin the hands of a few men.
and is power that the government
would not dare exercise. This power,
that should be in the hands of the
government, is in the hands of men
who are controlled only by their ava.
rice and greed.
"If the schedule on all transporta-
tion lines was established BY law, the
same as other taxes and duties. then
determinations, rebates, drawbacks
and extOrtiOuS would be a thing of
the past, small stockholders would not
be continually swallowed up by larger