The tribune. (Rich Hill, Mo.) 1900-1902, 1902-07-10
WHAT PROTECTION Has AC.
COmPLIsBrD



Free.tradors insist On calling our
great railroad business one % our
non-protecssd Industries. anil Set
here - no single industry 10 lhe
country 80 dependent on the tariff
for profitable business. This IS
clearly seen IN The record during the
last FIVE years under the Dinghy
law as compared with the dgureS
under the ffce-tmdc Wilson.G osman
law. Then q large proportion Of
the roads OF the country were 10 the
hands Of receiversi now only about
per cent. OF the roads Of the coun-
Try are ia receivers hands. Then
the railroad business Of the country
was, 10 say the least, in pretty bad
shape; now the business is limited
only by facilities 10 handle the
freight offered.
We have just passed the zoe, 900
mark in railroad mileage. This
means total mileage Of railroad sys
TENS. OF total track we have about
aSo,ooo miles. This represents a
capital Of SIa 900 600, 900. with.
annual earnings OF $500 100000.
A total Of 600, ooo,o passengers
are carried annually and over.
roo,ooo,o 900 tons Of freight.
More than 1000, COO men are EN-
ployed, with annual wages exceed
ing 5000, DOC, 600. The following
figures will show the comparison Of
other statistics during the three
years Of the iree-trade Wilson. Cor
man law and the first three years Of
the DingIey law;
These statistic show that under
the Wilson.G ornan tariff Of 1865
8 7 the average number OF tons Of
freight carried was IA ,6S4,6ss
miles Of railroad built, i7a4 gross
receipts, SI,It6,964,696; wages
paid, Sfs9,97S, Ia4i employees,
lSrr,7Io; freight rate per mile per
ton, .SI4 cts. While under the
Dingley tariff law in ISoS-o9.i9oo
the same averages were, ton Of
freight carried go, 10000; miles
OF railroad built, S,a2Si gross re-
ceipts, SI,S6s ,45o, ~ wages paid
,S53I.762 ,7S5 employees, 94o, S7Si
freigh, rate per ton per mile. .7s5
els.
But this contrast, marked as itis,
/ by no means shows the difference
between the effect of free-trade and
and protection upon our railroad az
fairs. The statistics for 1901 have
, not yeg been published. but ii IS
known they are much in advance OF
. those Of 1900, while those ofseo1
wall show a stiil greater advance,
There is 50 per cent more railroad
. business being done now each year
under The DingIey law than The
/, average annual business done un.
der the Wllson-G German law There
is also an increase Of 50 per cenr.
IN total amount Of wages now paid.
The amouni Of miles built annGall,
has irebled and the increase IN disi-
dends IS most satisfactory. But
what Of the passenger and shipper
The passenger is paying less and
. the freight rate has fallen q per
cent.
: That the result IS due in large
measure 10 protection IS shown by
the TACT that last year, while our
corn crop and potato aud apple
crop were so small, relatively, but
little Of those staples were shipped.
still the railroad business OF the
country was the greatest in our his~
tory Coal was being carried to
the busy mills manufactures were
being carried to the consumers, aud
luxuries 10 the prosperous people
from Maine to California, IRON The
lakes 10 the gulf. And this im.
mense business was done, TOO, Ia
the face Of the enormous expansion
Of trolley lines 10 every par, Of the
Union deriving a large share 81
passenger traffic and small freight
business.
The Post Dispatcb Knows IL