The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1897-03-26

us properly, ana THESE RATES okissSs&t
not be increased BY leasing to another,
yet the lessee road will put It's rates 50
high as to earn the 6 PER cent. rental
contracted for and 6 Ter cent. to 20 per
cent. additional For itself. besides the
high salaries of the great officials,
newspapers and Hobbies of the lessee.
This is making the people pay the
rental for them, and the operating
company, though not paying dollar
TO build the road. taxes the people an
additional per cent. to % per cent.
on a paper capital. Reduce the
charges for fares aud freighis to The
legitimate per cent. on the cost Of
the leased roads, and we wouli cease
to see competition stified by leasing
rival roads.
TWO CENTS PER MILE,
If the people insist GA the relief they
are entitled to there is scarcely u pas
senger or freight rate that cannot be
cut in two. Two t2i cents per mile Is
the highest that ear fairly Fe aIIons j
for first-cIass fare 81 a, y railroad, as
On most Of them ecouan : s,A ;ta}
one cent per mile would pay /. fan Is
terest on the property actually used.
We should make fever mii!iuu;sifes
railroad salaries would be more MOD
crate; railroads would run f wer IA 49,
pa p' rs aud Hobbies. Bu., ou tbe ether
hand, the country would be si.er-
Gus. Instead Of few rstrs ba-f hleG
with people, and a large par, 81 them
with free passes in their Ios kets
there would be more trains ANA cars
filled with people. The freight rates
would not afford a few residents o.
New York and London palaces with
all their aGjuncts, where low broweC
baseness watts perfume To pride, bu
there would be countless thousands d
happy homes, where the produce
could get his produce to market with
out all the margin being taken oil tc
pay for the transportation.
THE REMEDY.
! How can these moderate rates be OBJ
tanned? Clearly experience has Gei1
onstrated that we canuot get th+fI
from the railroads themselves, no
from the railroad commissioners, ejth
er state or national. The remsdy Is b,
act of the legislature as to Rates witaig
the states and by act Of congress as Il
interstate rates, which acts should
/. Cut down passenger and fseish
rates to, ON an average, one-half tllost
now exacted, to accord with til
doubled value Of money aid thu
halving of the price Of our produce.
,. More powers should be given th'
railroad commissions, with strict
penalties for their non-observanee o
their regulations.
3. Free passes should be vigorousl,
forbidden, as is now done by the cen
stitution Of New York and seyefa
other states.
| And, lastly, railroad commissioner
should be made independent Of corpo
rate influence, as far as possible, by DC
ing in all cases made elective by ia,
people, instead of by the legislature
The railroad LOBBY cannot control olec
lions by the people as easily as it car
have a deciding influence in legisIa
I tive caucus.
There is no influence more debasin,
in legislation than that of the lobby
Every well wisher of his country wouls
wish to see it broken up. Chief Jus
tice Maxwell, of Nebraska, discuss
this subject and the remedy for it in ;
| late number of the American Law Pc
view. He calls attention to the fac
that very recently the governors %
Illinois and Missouri We're forced {,
cali special sessions because tbs corpo
ration Hobbies had defeated necessary
legislation at the regular session. b.
instances abound. 1t IS notorious iba
in all the southern states The corrrp
legislation of carpet5ag days was pro
duced by Hobbies.
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