The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1897-02-25

,;aed BY The snorncas psoas nos
,,eeiv>d by thess corrorasioes vniea
.,II ,us,ify Q greater ahassmsnt tase
81. iii prov,d~s- Ia the city OF o1-
ia m this STATE, tie telephone
.omnany made an invss'usrs OF
Al sill And tho &c, profits the not
re.r from that oa;iay vas l,S-n.
The Western Union Telegraph Com
nanx has beea thoroughly irvssti-
s,,;d by the oosgr, ssiorai mint
tee and from tho examination OF It's
Pre.,den, Or. Norvin Gresn. Who
admitted be received . saiAf! OF
400 ocol i, Ape arcd that their cor.
porn,iop, which nov has . capital
s,oek of $40. 600. 600. on which Il
nav. 70 $ per cent. dividends has
never paid into its treasury by stock
holders but sts0. 600, less than ons
half million; while the other sll9,
500 600, its annual dividsnis paid
on, 70 stockholders. have been col
lected out o! the people by It's KEGS
sive CHARGE. This certainly J1sii-
fes this State II demanding an
abatement Of such tolls.
The Il II Telephone Company has
aim ost . parallel record. ltPsys iis
President SO, 900 per year and has
accumulated over 100 per cent. an.
nusl dividends added 10 its capital
stock, besides the diri1ends 10 stock
b. lders. The annual report OF the
parent Bell Company for 1888 shows
net profits of -. l22 6S5 on gross re-
ceipis Of $i,siS,2i5. almost 20 per
cent.
According 10 The New loik
World, at rates Of $50 = year, the
rrofi,s of the Bell Company IA New
York City were i91 per cent. in five
years. nearly 100 per cent. per year.
The Home Telephone Company, Of
Mobile, Alabama. earned - per
cent. net on rates of $50 and $50 a
year and are now earning p per
cent, though the Bell Company has
reduced rates from $50 TO $50 u
yesr, down to So a year.
The rates for kilograms in Europe
average ten cents for 20 words, aud
in many countries annual rentals Of
telephones is Sc, as in Switzerland
and also in Paraguay aud South
America.
When rates are high enough in
this country to be making million
aires of corporation owners ard
enormous salaries to corporation Of
fcials, the people who are taxed 10
pay them, ara entitled at our hands
to have US exercise the power the u .
s. Supreme Court decides is vest. d
in US of reducing charges by those
corporations. The people have long
been FESTIVE under the issue of free
passes TO public officials AID a de
ference TO their will demands that
this evil should be stopped. because
every FREE PASS must b. and is
paid by some one who pays for his
pass.
A section creating the Railroad
i Commission was understood at the
time Of its passage to prohibit free
passes, but the Railroad Commission
not having SO construed it, uamis-
taxable laws should now be passed
to prohibit this evil. The railroads
could not turn a wheel or move q
car but with money collected out of
the people.
| To continue the present system is
to provide an office holding aristo-
cracy who ride free at an added ex-
pense to their constituent; There
is less excuse for members of the
legislature to ride on free passes as
they are paid 10 cents per mile by
the State, each way.
The provisions for keeping a LIST
OF free passes 10 those not Q ce. hol-
ders IS a safes usrd to prevent
abuse. Tho increase in the
value Of money by the addition
of the gold standard has greatly
increased the rates Of railroads,
Telephones and Telegraphs which
are and remain as high as they
were when farmers got from
III to Ii cents pound for cotton,
and ST. 80 to s. 80 for wheat and 81. 90
for corn. The men who own and
control these corporations are the
very men who have brought this
country to the gold standard. These
necessary institutions of civilization
are now practically restricts d TO the
use of the rich and dead head eff
Gals except in cases Of emergency
and necessity. n
Reduce their charges somewhat in
proportion to the rise in the value
of money and the corresponding do
cline in prizes in produce and labor,
would be just 10 them and would
again throw opt n the USES of these
great convenlences TO the public at
large as should be The case.
The ms j ,ri'y of the committee, af
ter turning the arguments of the
railroad, telegraph and telephone
lawyers against the bill. declined 70
hear the undersigned (Hauser in IA
vor OF the bills after agreeing TO
do sc.)
These are some of the reasons re
offer this minority report to the
House of Representatives, so as 10
manfully bring the issues before
the people and then let the people
Judge the actions Of their represent.
atives on the bills.
Respectfully submitted.
| Z p. HAusIR.
NAURv WARD.
ANIMAL peon0T