Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1899-11-01

terminating III NEW OTleanS anu
radiating therefrom into the interior in
all directions are six great railroads;
1. The Southern Pacific, operating 1914 miles,
and extending through louisiana, Texas.
New, Mexico, Arizona and California to
Portland, Oregon, as well as through
Nevada and Utah to Ogden, with branches
reaching into the Indian Territory and the
Republic of Mexico.
q The so-called Queen & Crescent Route.
IN Lonssiana Mississippi Alabama aSa Ten,
nessee and kentucky, and reaching Cincin-
natl, U.
g. The Louisville & Nashville r. r., operat-
and controlling, through an ownership Of
stock, the Nashville, Chattanooga 81 ST.
Louis is r. r., which operates. 1,lsg miles,
The lines Of these two companies i lie IN
louisiana. Mississippi, Alabama, Florida,
renne s Geiorga eH sut linois and
the Northeas1 a w seH Ms M the ower S
ings of the Ohio River, except Cairo.
4. The Texas & Pacific Railway, operating In
Whe Ills ana rail@ay is affiliated wi Wit i shs
SO called Gould system of Railroads which
comprise in all 5000 miles, reaching through
Arkansas, Indian Territory, Missouri, Kan
Omaha, Kansas City and st. Louis, only the
mileage actually controlled by the corpora
tion operating in New Orleans, the Texas &
Pacific hallway Company, is considered in
this connection.
s. The ,Yazoo & Mississippi Valley II. r..
operl nd in louisiana, Mississippi Arkan-
g.. The Illinois Central IL. r.. operating in
louisiana. Mississippi, Alabama. Tennessee,
kI Kent Illinois. Indiana, Wisconsin,
miles.
Railroad Mileage tributary to New
Orleans....... ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. l9,0SG miles.
No other port in the United States Is
served by railroads reaching, under
single homogeneous, so far and in such
varied directions into the interior of the
continent. That those railroads ought
to bring to and carry from New Orleans
vastly more than they do of goods
for foreign commerce, is shown by their
gross receipts during the past year,
from the carriage of passengers and
freight, being $3.50, G37, FOB, or 30 per
cent. more than the value Of all the i'm
ports and exports OF New Orleans,
which, in turn, amounted to 500, 000,
537.
Far from discriminating in favor of
New Orleans, it is to be feared that its
railroads, taken as whole, have not
done their full me sure of duty by the
port in which each of those above
named terminates.
The testimony given before you by
the Presidents of other railroad com
panies, as reported in the newspapers,
has suggested the following remarks:
1t does not seem to me that disputes
over wages form sovital question as to
exclude arbitration, so absolutely and
universally as does the maintenance of
proper discipline. The duty of safely
carrying passengers and freight has
been by the state committed to corpora
lions. They cannot share that respon-
sibllity with others, much less arbitrate
with Irresponsible strangers, the method
OF its discharge. Discipline, if peculiar
ly severe, will carry with it increased
pay. Wages. ON the other hand, have
been generally controlled by supply and
demand, to the great gain in recent
years OF the employed That natural
law will always control, except as its
operation may be influenced by labor
trusts seeking to prevent free men from
selling their only capital, labor, in the
best market. BY labor trusts l do not
mean organized labor us exemplified by
the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engi-
neers, the Order of Railroad Conduct
ors and like useful and honorable or
CARNATIONS OF intelligent railroad men;
but the lawless and disorganized bodies
OF outsiders who know nothing OF, and
care nothing for, either the railroads or
the high class of men whom they en-
ploy.
No reductions in pay were made on
the Illinois Central Railroad during the
long period of depression 1883 to 1907