Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1898-01-13
Fe makes full reports annually to the

of the states of Illinois, Iowa, Missouri,
Kansas and Texas respectively and to
the Labor Commission of Missouri.
These public reports are in addition to
the annual reports to the stockholders,
which are also printed and widely dis
tributed. The mere clerical labor of
making them out for the Atchison, To-
peka s. Santa Fe railway proper taking
no account of the other portions OF the
Santa Fe system) costs $4,000 per an
mum, occupying sixty men for thirty
days at 500 each. The form of this re-
port is not of the railway company's
choosing. It Is drawn up by the Inter,
state Commerce Commission and by.
the Commissions of the various states.
is printed by them and furnished to the
Santa Fe company with orders to fill ii
out. 1t is filled out and officers OF the
company testify under oath that the
figures are correct. If there is any sus-,
picion that they are not correct the
Commissions have full power to compel
the Company to produce its books, and
if any misstatements were discovered,
the officers, Including myself) could
undoubtedly be punished. AS a matter
of fact there never has been any sus-
picion that the figures given are not
accurate, and l cannot understand why
Mr.. Brown or Mr.. Davis or anybody
else should persist at this day in saying
that public reports of railways are not
available just because they used not to
be available ten years ago. To-day any
body who has the curiosity to see and
study any of the reports can do SO by
application in the proper directions at
any time, snd there is no other business
or line of trade the facts and figures of
which are annually published with any
thing like the same fullness or in a way
to make them SO easily accessible to
everybody.
4. It is complained that unduly low
rates have at times been made on goods
exported to or imported from foreign
countries. If this is SO, if at times
under stress of intense competition
some companies have seen fit to carry
goods for import or export at unreason-
ably low rates, I do not understand
how it Injuries the people of Kansas.
The Santa Fe road itself is not accused
of offending in this particular, and it is
only as matter of general public in
terest that l touch upon it. Inasmuch
as it is the consumer that pays the cost
of transportation, 1 do not understand
| what injury can be done to the people
of Kansas by the making of low trans
portation rates on imported goods; nor
on the other hand, do understand
what the injury to the Kansas farmer
can be ifsan abnormally low rate hap
pens at any time to be made on the
transportation of his crop, to, say, Liv
erpool. l am not now defending the
practice of making lower rate at one
time than another, except for good anG
special cause, because I, personally
and the whole Santa Fe management
have a particular hatred of any dis
elimination in rates, which we believe
to be public injustice. 1 am only say
[ ing that in the particular discrimina
ton complained of l do not under
stand, if it occurred, how 1t can b.
other than to the benefit of Kansas.
5. 1t is complained that the govern
ment pays too high "a price for thu
transportation of mail matter in com
parison with the price for the transpor
tation of freight. 1t lis quite true tina
the rates for the transportation o
freight are extraordinarily low. mus
however, at this time decline to attemp
to answer in detail all the ridiculOu
sophistries on the subject of the mail
which Mr. Cowles has accumulated il
his recently published volume, from
which Mr. Davis has borrowed his &C
cusations and his supposed facts AM
figures. will simply say that the cos
of the fast mail service is, as near as W
can figure it, greater than the return
which we receive for carrying tn
mails. If the United States govern
ment would be content to have its maj
carried on freight trains and at freigh
rates of speed it would be wholly an
other matter. AS it is, the fact that tn
United States railway mail service
the most wonderful and the most neaI
ly perfect public service of any govern
ment in the world has, believe, neve
been challenged; nor do / believe tina
the people of the United States woul
consent to the governments lowerin
the character of that service for tn
sake of paying cheaper rates, 1t is tru
that the postoffice department shows
large and yearly increasing deficit, bn
this is because it permits all sorts @
impositions under the head of secon
class matter and ia handling hundred