Hutchinson gazette. [volume] (Hutchinson, Kan.) 1895-1902, 1897-11-18

man can verify for himself, the present
system of passenger management is
seen to be perfect plan of secret
spoliation and pocket picking.
The first great remedy for these evils
is more light! The railway corpora
tions should be compelled to make full
and satisfactory reports of every branch
of the railway service. The railroads
are public highways of the nation, and
the people have right to full de-
tailed knowledge of their management
They have right to know how it is
possible for road paid for in full by
the people, like most of the land grant
roads, to now be loaded with debts?
There is just suspicion, in such cases,
of gross incapacity of management; or,
of actual rascality. In either case the
eompany's franchises should he for
feited, and the roads surrendered into
the hands of the government The
ownership of railroad by a private
party in this country is an impossible
ity. 1t is impossible because of the
conditions of the location and building
of the road, and by the public nature
of its business. The courts, both
state and national, are unit on this
subject. When railway ceases to be
a public highway, it becomes mere
trespass, subject to ejectment by the
owners of the land.
The people have right to full off
cial reports of the use and manage
ment CT their public highways. When
people pay for riding on railway,
they have right to know the cost of
The service to the managers of the
roads, and the various items that
make up that cost. They should know
why person weighing one or two
hundred pounds should be charged as
much as is paid for three tons of
freight, when there is no such differ
euce in the cost of service.
In the foregoing discussions, l have
based my calculations mainly on the
present patronage of the roads, allow
ing but moderate increase on account
of reduction of rates l have made
these concessions to present conditions
in order to show that my position, If
tenable now, wonld prove very profit
able under the vastly increased pat
ronage of the future. When rates
were reduced in Hungary only frac-
tion of what have proposed, the local
travel increased over eco per cent; and,
the long distance travel 294 per cent!
(See Cowles' Freight Passenger-Post, p.
1919
A smaller increase than that would
give our roads the patronage which
President Ripley says would enable
him to make Hindoo rates; or, one
half Belgian rates, for our working
people.
To prove that the lowest rate haYe
mentioned will be profitable with the
increased patronage it will induce, 1
will cite one additional case:
On certain occasion in August 1895,
three excursion trains of ten cars each,
carrying 700 passengers per train, were
run from GAINESVILLE to Cleveland O.,
and return-2s6 miles. The rate was
IS cents for the round trip; or, about
one.fourth of cent per mile for each
passenger. The result was that ten
per cent. more than the regular earn
ings Of the road at the higher regular
rates. The cost to the railroad COM
pany was discovered to be about one
tenth of cent per mile for each pas
senger (See Freight and Passenger
Post, p. O1.)
President Ripley says, give him such
and such patronage, and he will give
certain greatly reduced rates The
people cannot move first in the matter;
but, so sure as he gives to the people
on the Santa Fe road rates down to
within ten per cent of the cost OF the
service, the patronage of his system
will be greatly increased, and much
prejudice will BE- removed from the
minds of the people against present
railway management
lTO BIZ SoNTIYCEa