The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1897-03-26
RAILROAD LEGISLATION.
PASSENGER FARES, FREIGHT CHARGES
AND FREE PASSES.
Judge Walter Clark, 81 the Supreme Court
Of Nerth Carolina, Writes : Letter to
the Banner on Important Issues.

RALEIGH, y. c. March a., 1871.
To the Editor ofthe Banner:
The question has been often asked
whether the free coinage of silver
would be panacea for the depression
under which the country now drngs
out lingering life. The friends of
free coinage do not consider it a uni
versal remedy, but an indispensable
one. The single gold standard is the
rock which has been placed against
the door where our hopes have been
buried, and until it is rolled away there
can be no resurrection of our prosper
perity. Dives is urgently opposed to
the removal of the stone, but certainly
Lazarus cannot come forth till il has
been taken away.
Among the many expressions visited
upon the masses by their present mas.
tiers, who have "laden the people with
burdens grievous to be borne, but
which they will not touch with so
much as one of their little fingers" are
the freight rates and passenger fares,
which have not decreased with the
decrease in the value of our products,
but have enhanced with the enhanced
value of the dollar, the owners of the
great railway lines being among the
most active agents in procuring the
adoption Of the gold standard, aud
they are the largest contributors to
the campaign fund to be used against
the restoration of silver to free coinage.
J. Pierpont Morgan, vino was con-
spicuous in procuring Mr.. Cleveland to
issue the S262, O00, 900 of bonds. aud
whose firm shared largely in the SIS
OOO,OOO OF profits the syndicate made
by handling that issue, is the principal
owner Of the Southern railway com
pany's lines. When cotton was Is
cents pound Jas it still remains in
Mexico) one pound of cotton would
pay for five miles of passenger fare on
his railroads; now, though he and his
combination have increased the value
OF money till cotton brings only 6 to !
cents pound, he has not reduced his
fares nor freights, and pouad of cot
ton will only carry its producer two
miles, instead of five, as formerly.
Frieghts remain as high as ever, and
trucking, which should be very prof
liable business, has been reduced to
the same level as other farming BUSH
ness, and in both alike all the profit is
absorbed by the transportation
charges.
INTERSTATE COMMISSION.
Is there no protection forthe people?
Certainly there is, but it is in their
own hands. 1t cannot be found in the
railroad commissions. The Interstate
commission has proved so utterly in
efficient that two of the great parties
have recently put into their platforms
demands for it being made really eff
cient. In fact, the interstate commits
sion has practically restricted itself to
protecting the corporations against
hurting each other by reducing rates.
with no protection to the people
against exorbitant rates, nor against
secret rebates to large or favored ship
pers, which were the objects in view in
creating the commission. Whenever
that commission has shown any dispo-
sition to serve the object of its creation
1t has been promptly shackled by in
functions or highly technical rulings,
by the federal judges, holding their
positions for life, and large proper.
tiOn of them having secured their ap-
pointments by the influence of the
corporations IN whose behalf they ex-
tend their powers by every possible
construction. Besides, it is not certain
that all the appointments to the inter
state commission itself have been
made without the influence, more or
or less active, of great railroad systems
interested in the future action of such
appointees.
@N~hAA%tNV-hb NOAMlcSlONS.
After this result with the interstate
commission, could the record of the
state commissioners be other than dis
appointing? In some cases, as west
ern railroad president eynically and
openly declared, the railroads have
simply added the railroad commits
sion to their assets" In the majority
ofinstances, however, the members of |
the state railroad commissions have
been gentlemen of unimpeachable |
character, but elected by legislatures |
instead of the people IA radical defect |
which the corporations carefully look
ed to- they have in rare instances had |
. majority Of progressive members in /
close sympathy with the people. They |
nave generally been intensely consery-
alive, listening to the assertions of |
impending ruin, literally made by |
railroad managers If rates were re-
duced, and not seeing the patent ruin |
to the people If they We're not. AS
rule railroad commissions have linn |