The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1899-08-15
At al druRg18tB, no. a vial. GUIDE 20 HeAItl
end medical advice tree. 1905 Arch St, Phila:


l1
making one portion of the community
land those least able to pay for them
selves pay for the free riding of others,
there is the leprOsy of the. free pass
system being the most shameless and
most widely spread system of bribery of
public officials and others having or
supposed to have influence with the pub
lie. Beginning as a distribution of
transportation to servants of the State,
at a time when often the State owned,
or had largely aided in he construction
Of the railroads, it's evil tendency was
not at first generally understood. If
abolished utterly as it should be, nail
roads could by that fact alone be en-
abled to reduce passenger fares to ac-
cord more with the enhanced value Of
money-an enhancement which the rail
roads alone have not reduced charges to
meet.
Both as to freight and passenger rates,
the courts hold that the States can re-
duce to a reasonable. rate. What is q
reasonable rate is a matter of fact, upon
evidence adduced, not a question of law.
1t should be settled by an appeal to a
jury, unless the EdllEOGu COLlIliSSlOLlS
should be held special juries provided for
that purpose, and whose conclusions are
final, as the Supreme court held in re-
gard to their valuation of railroad prop
erty for taxation. Kentucky Railroad
Tax Cases, 10 Z. S. 321, a view which
is Sustained by Judge Cooley in his adj
dress before you.
JUDICIAL USURPATION.
When a judge issues his injunction
against rates prescribed by a State Leg
i~slature or Il board created by it for
that purpose, the Judge simply assumes
to substitute his opinion of the reason
ableness of Il rate for that of the law,
and is guilty of usurpatiOn of power, as
was recently shown by that eminent
judge of the United States Circuit
court. Judge Caldwell, in an address
before the Missouri Bar Association.
The fixing of rates of common carriers
and the assessment of their property for
taxation are essentially governmental
functions and the judiciary are not ii
supervisory, or higher department of
government. If there arises any diff
ference as to rates or valuation. it is &
question of fact to be determined by
the board created by law; or if there is
any appeal, under Il system of laws
it should be settled like all other issues
Of fact, by Il jury-nOt by Il judge.
RAILROAD CASUALTIES.
To the Massachusetts, Commission be-
longs the credit of beginning back in
1861 the agitation for safety appliances.
To the Interstate Commerce Commits
sion belongs the credit of procuring the
act of Congress which requires the use
of self ]cOuplerS, after a date fixed, which
the Commission has extended to Janu-
airy 1St, next, as authorized by the
statute. In their last report they say
There were 1,O34 fewer employees kill
ed, and 14,Q62 fewer injured during the
year ending June 30, 1897, than during
the same. period in 1898. In the Spanish
American war 29S were killed and 1,645
wounded. In car coupling alone 219 less
were killed and 1891 less were injured
in 1897 than in 1893. when the law was
enacted In 1893 when the statute
was passed the casualties from coupling
and uncOUpling cars were 433 killed and
II, 919 injured. In 1897 when the law
as tO~self coUplers was only partly COM
piled with the casualties were only pa
killed and 6,2S3 injured. When the law
shall come into full force on January
LIST next the casualties from this source
should cease entirely. 1t should not
have required a statute to compel the
railways to put on this cheap and simple
cOntrivance costing less than $1S per
car, the absence of which, at the pas
sage of the statute, was causing the
death annually of 433 men and the
manning of near $1,000 others. Indeed
IL . MI I.--1s- II
possibly in some other States have held
that independent of the statute the
railway company was liable for damages
for the killing or wOunding of any en-
plOye when the accident could have pre-
vented by the use of self cOuplers.
THE DEADLY CROSSING.
More than 1900 people were killed and
300 wounded other than their employees
and passengers, by railways last year.
\ very large part of these casualties
were at crossings. In England and per-
hapS all other countries Of Europe the
railways are required to cross either
above or below public roads and streets.
is required in New York as to all
new railroads and to some extent as to
already built. But as this change
is impracticable as to existing railways
IN many States owing to the expense,
your Commissions could at least require
IF YOU are authorized by law to regulate
crossings, and if not you can get the
authority that at every crossing ON the
anne grade of a public road or street.
the railway company should place an
gong which shall be automatical-
Iy u by the driving wheel of each
approaching locomotive by means of a
co]ntrivance placed at a specified
of feet from each crossing. 1t
would save many hundreds of lives each
year. | have seen this device used in
the stations in Germany to notify pas
automatically of the approach of
he train. |
SAFETY APPLIANCES.
Electric headlights operated by the en-
yines would be useful in saving many
hundreds of lives and injuries annually.
According to Railroad Reports to the
Interstate Commerce Commission be-
900