The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-09-10

merce commission and it made a finding
that the rate from Kansas City of II
cents per hundred was a remunerative
one and that the rate from Wichita was
ought not to be as much from Wichita, 213
miles nearer the gulf market, and yet
the very same railroad companies that
shipped this grain from Wichita and
other grain markets in the wheat belt
hauled grain right through the city of
Wichita, if billed from Kansas City, 213
miles farther away, for 1872 cents
cheaper than they would haul it if bill
ed out of Wichita.
Do you know what that means to the
farmers in the wheat belt? 1t means
that a trifie over cents per bushel for
every buSnel of wheat raised by you
has wrongfully been taken from your
possession. And this figured on the
basis of the same rate from Wichita as
Kansas City, but the fact is that the
rate from Kansas City of II cents, being
a remunerative one, it surely follows
that a less rate from Wichita would
also be reasonable and remunerative.
But figuring it on the basis of the
Kansas City rate, L want to call your
attention for few moments to the
amount OF money that is being taken
wrongfully from you each year. hold
in radius of one hundred
miles of the city of WITCH
ita, showing among other things the
number of bushels of wheat raised in
find that the total number of bushels
of wheat raised was SO, 435, 112 and at
cents per bushel the farmers have
wrongfully had taken from them over
IS, 000, 900. That the farmers of Sumner
county with it's 6,S19,226 bushels lost
over one half million dollars. Kingman,
with its 1858, $50 bushels nearly $500
Harper with it's 2,756,4 bushels, $780,
600. Reno with it's &c., 343 bushels $780,
900. Harvey with it's 1,S56,694 bushels
nearly $150,000. Butler with 297,345 BUSH
els over $4,000. Cowley with its 1925
07S bushels over $130, 900. Sedgwick with
it's 3,OO4,S17 bushels $4,000. And as
eacn of you farmers in the wheat belt
usually put in at least so of your $50
acres in wheat, raising at least 1900
bushels per year, are paying tribute to
this unjust discrimination $125 yearly.
1 have not time to quote from all
the counties in this district, but enough
of those surrounding counties merely
to show you the enormous amount or
money wrongfully taken from you each
year through these unlawful discrim-
nations and extortions.
Since this case was decided by the
interstate commerce commission, the
rate from Wichita and few stations
in this county to the gulf has been
fuctuating, but I understand the rate
now is 2S1z cents per hundred, but other
stations in the wheat belt remain as it
was.
The shortness of time allows me to
touch upon only a few of the many bur-
I shall cite hurriedly few of the rates
in Kansas and other states to demon
strate to you the necessity of doing
something to check these evils.
In an article published by the Eagle
June T. 1904, H. L. Resting, secretary
of the Federation of Commercial In
terests formerly a railroad man, gives
the following statement:
Now let us see to what extent the
railroads are openly gouging the farm
ers of Kansas. The rate on wheat
from the Missouri river to Chicago, a
distance of say 500 miles. (the Chicago
& Great Western that really establish
ed these rates is 597 miles,, has for
some time been cents per hundred,
but that is said to be temporary and
abnormal rate forced in by competi-
ton. Tariffs are out, effective June
10, tablishing a rate of IL cents per
hundred weight, which has been
agreed upon by the railroads as a
normal and therefore a remunerative