The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1899-08-13
4. To the government.

;. Their relation to the humble lndl-
viduals who are often treated as if=they
had no right to express their opinions
on such serious and intricate matters
as railroad management, yet without
whom noe a car wheel would roll, not II
magnate would draw his salary-in short
the men upon whose broad shoulders
rest the entire support of this immense
systematic patrons of the roads.
In looking over your proceedings last
session, / see that the invitation was
extended to me upon the ground that
the investors. the great railroad presi-
dents and their attorneys, the employees,
the representatives ef the government
had been heard by you, and it was sug
gested that it would not be amiss il the
people, 1.-THE .Ioneses who paid the
freight" they who supported the rail-
roads instead of being supported by
them, should be heard from also, and
friend of mine proposed that | should
be selected to represent this "ForgUttea
Man" Your convention did me the very
high honor to ask me to represent h;m
and | am before you. This forgotten
man elects no president, superintendent
or board of directors but he las to bear
whatever burdens they see lit to place
upon him. He has no voice in fixing
the salaries, many of them rs b'gh as
or higher than that of the President of
the United States. but he pays them
to the last cent. He rarely rides i'll
palace car or upon free pass hut
he pays the fare of those who 10. lie
has no hearing as to the tax which
shall be levied for the movement OF
himself, his produce or his purchases.
but he pays it more surely than he does
the taxes for the support of his city,
State of Federal Government, for the
Station Agent, like that other TAX col
lector, the Custom House officer, tx-
tends no credit or delay but requires
cash in hand.
OWNERSHIP NOT DESIRED.
Speaking for this client you have as
signed me, | shall not say that he de-
sires government ownership. On the
contrary | think he does not-as yet. He
is patient. He is conservative. He has
government control, without ownership,
on trial. He is watching it closely;
may even say, doubtfully, but he will
give it fair trial. If it succeeds so
much the better. If it shall fail, he
VIII be heard from further.
Let it not he thought that there are
limitations upon his power, for from
ocean to ocean and from earth to sky,
this land and all that in it is, are his. He
conquered it with his blood, He created
it with His labor and has defended it
with His life. As 10 Constitutions, lie
made them and He can make others
when He deems that justice To- Himself
and to those dependent upon Him, shall
require it. Justice has ever been the
attribute of the race TO which He be-
longs, and conservatism His companion,
but He can move, lie moved at Bunk
or Hin and an historic flag, the flag Of
his fathers for long centuries, disap-
peared from his shores forever. He
moved at Philadelphia and new form
of government, alien to the traditions OF
the race, took its place among the ma
tions to abide forevermore.
| shall therefore, as far as / am able,
point out to you a few of the views of
this client some Of the causes of com
plaint which he has told me he has under
the present system Of government con-
trol and which possibly may be remedied
without calling i'll government ownership;
and | take it this is what you wish to
hear.
THE MASSES ARE JUST.
The masses of our fellow citizens are
intelligent and just They have no nos
tility to railroads as such, but only to
their abuses. They recognize the im-
mense value of railroads, their indiSpen-
sable assistance in the development of
this country. BY individual, city, coun-
ty, State and National subscriptions they
have aided the construction of the rail-
road system of this country. They have
seen individual stockholders frozen out;
they have seen city, county ard State
holdings displaced that great manipula-
tors may become the owners of these
properties. They have seen the more
than S500,000000 of National aid given
in lands and bonds, disappear like the
baSeless fabric of vision and leave
scarce wrack behind. These things they
have endured and would even forgive If
the present management of these sys-
TENS were fair and just
1t was a Frenchman who maliciously
defined a lawyer as Il gentleman who
rescues your property from the enemy
and appropriates it himself" 1t will be
small advantage to the public If the rail
roads develop the country merely to own
its profits themselves, for the value OF
land depends upon the amount of pro
fits taken out of its produce for trans
portation.
RAILROAD EARNINGS.
Inc returns TO the Interstate Com
merce Commission for the year ending
ou of June, 1899, are not yet in but tax
ing the returns for 30 of June, 1898 and
making an allowance for increase at the
same ratio which they showed over the
previous year, it may be roughly eSti-
mated that there were 100000 miles of
railway in the United States on June 30,
1890, and that the railroad receipts for
the year ending on that day We're 1,4OO
millions dollars, Of which 500 millions
were net profit. 1t may also be said that
two seveniths of the receipts were from
passengers (of whom more than 600 mil
lions were carried and that the total of
bonds and stocks upon which these cor
porations were paying or endeayoring to
pay dividends and interest is according
to Poor's Manual and other good author
ities) something more than double what
it would cost to replace all the rail
roads with their equipment and proper
ty of every description The 100 per