The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1899-08-15
4. To the government.

on such serious and intricate matters
as railroad management, yet without
whom not a car wheel would roll, not a
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 n their attorneys, the employees,
the representatives of the
had been heard by you, and it was su1g-
gested that it would not be amiss if the
people, 1.-The JOneses who paid the
freight" they who supported the rail
roads instead of being supported by
them, should be heard from also. and
a friend of mine proposed that | should
be selected to represent this Forgotten
Man, Your convention did me the very
high honor to ask me to represent nm
and l am before you. This forgotten
man elects no president, superintendent
or board of directors but he mas to bear
whatever burdens they see lit to place
upon him. He has. no voice in liking
the salaries, many of them as high as
or higher than that of the President of
the United States. but he pays them
to the last cent. He rarely rides in
Il palace car or upon a free pass but
he payS"the fare of those who DO. 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 thar he does
the taxes for the support of his city,
State of Federal Government, FOR the
Station Agent, like that other TAX cod
l%ectOr, 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-, l shall not say that he de-
sireS government ownership. On the
contrary l 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, doubtfulIy, but he will
give it a fair trial. If it succeeds 50
much the better. If it shall fail, he
will be heard from further.
Let it not be 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 to Constitutions, He
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. LHe moved nj, Bunk
or Hill and an historic flag, the flag of
his fathers for long centuries, diSap-
pCared from his shores forever. He
moved at Philadelphia and a new. form
of government, alien to the traditions Of
the race, took its place among the ma
tons to abide fOrevermOre.
l 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
pliint which he has told me he has under
the present. system of government con-
troll and which possibly may be remedied
without calling in government ownership;
and l take it this is what you wish Sto
bear.
THE MASSES ARE JUST. =. :
Fhe masses of II fellow citizens are
intelligent and inst. They have no nos
tiIity to railroads as such, but only to
their abuses. They recognize the i'm
mense value of railroads, their indispen-
sable assistance in the development of
this country. BY individual, city, u
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 and State
holdings displaced that great manipula-
tors may become the owners of these
properties. They have seen the more
than $780, OO 5000 of National aid given
in lands and bonds, disappear like the
baseIess fabric of a vision" and leave
scarce a 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
it's 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
MERGE Commission for the year ending
81 of June, 1899. are not yet in but tax
ing the returns for 30 of June, 1895 and
making an allowance for increase at the
same ratio which they showed over the
previous year, it may be roughly estl-
mated that there were 10000 miles OF
railway in the United States on June 30,
1899. and that the railroad receipts for
the year ending on that day were hoo
millions dollars, of which 500 millions
were net profit. 1t may also be said that
two sevenths of the receipts were from
passengers (of whom more than 900 mil
lions were carried and that the total of
bonds and stocks upon which these cor
porations were paying or e~ndeavoring 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
cent. or more of bonds and stocks above
actual value is due largely, but not al
+orotbar RI UatnrinU for tO soma extent