Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1898-01-13
AN ABLE DOCUMENT.
Continued from 3rd Page

one case and the "speculator" in the
other. AS matter of fact there are no
such rat es. But for the purpose of ar
gument / accept them as stated.
hardly think the grain merchants of
Kansas City, mean those who actual.
ly handle and ship grain-can be clsssed
as "speculators;" but let that also pass.
The Kansas City dealer sells his grain
in Chicago or st Louis or New York or
Liverpool. wherever he can market it
to the best advantage, and he sells it as
soon as he buys it. He sells it deliver
ed at ST. Louis or Chicago or New Y ork
or Liverpool and it makes not one iota
Of difference to him what the freight
rate is 80 long as it is no higher or no
lower than his competitor has. If it is
higher, his competitors underbid him
and he cannot sell at all-if it is lower,
he can sell at the same rate as his COM
petitor and put the difference in his
pocket But in practice his desire to
sell leads him to offer his grain at the
very lowest price which will allow him
margin of, say, quarter or half
cent profit, because he fears that other
wise his offers would not be accepted.
When there occurs any reduction in
the rate, whether east or west of Kansas
City, the sole and only effect is that the
price to the consumer in the East or
across the water is reduced, with no
benefit to the producer or middle man.
If grain dealer in Kansas City has
secret reduction in rate and he can be
sure that his competitor has not an
equally low secret rate by some other
line, he, of course, has an advantage
and this may enable him either to pay
the farmer little or sell to the con-
sumner at little less; or he may pocket
all the difference himself. But if two
dealers have the some rate, the simple
and inevitable result is that they base
their selling price on it and by so much
reduce the price to the consumer As
I have had occasion to state before, it
is my belief that general reduction Of
the rate of corn throughout Kansas and
Nebraska would merely reduce its val
ne in Kansas City, Chicago, st. Louis
and Galveston and would not in the
least enhance the price at the country
stations. The superstition that rates
are lower per mile between Kansas City
and Chicago than between Hutchinson
nd Kansas City is correct; and there
are excellent reasons for such state of
things. But the proposition that the
reasons is that the railroads prefer to
do business with the "speculator" and
favor him as against the farmer or
country dealer would be entertaining
il 1t were not at the same time eXaS-
perating.
Now, one word in conclusion, and
wish to say that am now talking not
to Mr.. Davis. but through you, Mr.. Ed
itor, to the people of Kansas. 1t is
quite impossible that anybody should
be more anxious to discuss his business
frankly with the people than 1 am to
discuss with the people of Kansas the
affairs of the Santa Fe road. The Santa
Fee road is an institution which pays
out annually about twelve million dol
lars in the state of Kansas and renders
a great deal of public service. 1t is an
institution of which it seems to me
that every citizen in the state of Kan
sas ought to be proud. 1 wish most
earnestly that the citizens of Kansas
owned the road. The Santa Fe has al
ways been known as "poor mans
property" That is to say that its stock
has been very largely held and invest
ed in by the savers of small capital, by
the widows and the trustees for Or
phans in the East. The stock is scat
tered around in thousands of very
small lots. / wish it was scattered
among the citizens of Kansas. / wish
that every man and woman in Kansas
could put the few dollars necessary in
to one share of the company's stock, so
that Kansas people would own the
Santa Fe road. l should then, if L was
retained in my position, when talked
to the people of Kansas be talking to
my employers and every one of you
would be interested with me in seeing
that the Santa Fe road did what was
right and ived honestly. You would
know the road then. You would see
and understand what we were doing,
and you would not believe the people
who attacked US and misrepresented US.
One more thing have to gay, which
Is this: The railway business is like any
other business, the great aim Of those
IN charge being to so adjust their prices
that on the whole they will meet expen-
ses and come out little ahead. Mr..
Brown in his first letter cited the case
of the hotel keeper in California who
Eef,a nr,l <7ox h.