The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-03-01

ship any stuff. Besides ten per cent.
isn't much of an increase in rates. 1t
will hardly be felt. Don't you think so,
judge?''
Judge Sawyer was deep in the study
of the blue flames through the ising
lass and made no reply.
Lets see how Lincolnville comes out
on these higher salaries and higher
freight rates" suggested Col. Monroe,
reaching for a block of paper and a
pencil. This is a division point and
more than the average number of rail-
road men live here. There are hum
dreds of towns in the state without a
railroad employee as a resident. We
have forty of them. Wen average
their former wages at $75 a month, or
5000 year. The forty of them have
therefore been receiving $4,000 a year.
The ten per cent. increase adds So, 800
to their incomes. This is the railroads
contribution to Lincolnville This
money will be spent in our stores and
some of it be deposited in Judge Saw
yer's bank, Flanagan gets $72 of it.
That will pay his rent for six months.
He is one of the winners. Now the
question is, how does the railroad
come out? How much freight bust
ness did the NJ. n and w. do in Lin
colnville last year? Do you know the
approximate figure, Judge?" Judge
Sawyer consulted a note book and af-
ter a pause said:
THE years freight business of the
NJ. N. and w. in Lincolnville was
about 100000, Col. Monroe"
Very well, continued the colonel,
jotting down the figures That is the
amount Jenkins that the town of
Lincolnville paid the M N. and w. for
bringing TO us our groceries, meats,
furniture, pianos, lumber and the
thousand and one things we purchase
from our merchants or consume as
raw material in our factories. This
year the company is going to pay
Flanagan and his fellow workers 3d.
600 increase in wages and charge the
merchants and manufacturers of Lin
colnVille $4,000 extra for freight bills.
What have you to say to that?"
ut don't make any difference to
me-" asserted Postmaster Jenkins. 81
only wish l was a stakeholder in the
road. It's their property and they have
a right to charge anything they please.
The same people that are always kick
ing about railroads and other corpor-
atoms would do the same thing if they
were railroads and corporations.
NOA4 L ONi IAOllllIS myself, except a
house with a mortgage on it, but l
stand up for property rights and vest
ed interests They have made the
country what it is. What would Lin
colnVille be if it wasn't for the M. N.
and w. Railroad? Nothing! Nothing.
l tell you! The postoffice wouldn't be
here. You wouldn't be here and Judge
Sawyer wouldn't own a bank. There
wouldn't be anything here but the
river and some meadow land on both
sides of it. Besides. it don't concern
me. I'm not merchant or a factory
owner and don't have to pay a freight
bill once in ten years. Let each man
worry about his own troubles, colonel
that's my motto. If the merchants
don't want to pay freight bills let
them haul their stuff by wagons the
way they did before there was any
railroads. I'm in favor of progress.
and if a railroad isn't progress 1 don't
know what progress is. The man who
kicks against railroads is an ignorant
anarchist or socialist, or both of them
together
II would hardly go so far as that"
said Col. Monroe, when Postmaster
Jenkins had triumphanhy concluded.
There are some theorists who claim
that the towns, cities. and the COM
munity in general make the railroads
and not the opposite, as you assert.
However, a goodly plumber of persons
support your conteption. and we will
not discuss II now But I'm afraid.
jenkins, that your have TO pay your
share Of Flannasan's extra seventy
two dollars. and Also your pro rata OF
the $4,000 which the NJ. ~. and W.
has charged NJ against Lincolnvile.
What DO you think about II. Judge
- ngraI