Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1904-09-09
How Capt. Gpie Stands.

Gressi0nal District:
| am determined that you shall he {:
niy informed Of the political I'll ma
ion and 10 point ont To yen how yon
20 rlu;.dered ANA. eho are the piu.iti- :
reIa, will III least be the pin.ce: I
,iazisg he way by which ysai wii
,vetlin,E;S s"eHrn :cl;nt itn,.i .i,- at.
~ nn:n0sitis,.,s aiic1 are piAct''i ur {
81 you. II. he Ha:,j Ct | qi'!t' -
oiawit,a rxtr;.c. FROM :,.e pc. il ii .
Democrat !'' ~. ',Ioei ,sf Csnsrres. III
0ehri.n, oi Nj ssoafi l.. 81, .hise al
le hill 'mps~eri.g the ii,i,r Aia g
Commerce. Com ni lssion to fix rates, lie
as! y. who il II that is trifing with
the rights Of the people in this matter
What potent il iiuence is it that for
ten years i.ns prevented the passage
OF this bill 1t is The great railroad
trust, by their hired managers OF poll
tics. In Republican states they ally |
themselves with Republicans; seek |
places on Republican committees; and |
are the best Of Republicans In Demo |
cratic states they are Democrats; ey |
erywhere they are enemies to good gov
eminent. These men are at work the
year round laying pipes for the control
of primaries. cancuses and conyen
tiOns.
No language could better portray the
situation III Virginia to-day. The rail
road wing of the Democratic party
passed bill in the last session of the
General Assembly called the merger
act, which empowers and existing road
| to lease, own, operate, manage, or
guarantee the bonsis of amy other road
| whether, parallel, competing. or hav
| ing the same terminal points. The re-
suit il that the PENNSYLVANIA Central,
a foreign corporation owns the Chesa
peake & Ohio, Baltimore q Ohio, and
| the Norfolk Il Western, and is now
Iruining the Virginia cities by divert
Jug the Western trade to Northern
markets. AS an instance, the immense
grain elevators of Newport News,
which three years ago was the great
est export grain port in the United
States, have been recently closed down.
But the worst effect of this merger
is that it has done away with all com
petition in transportation, leaving the
shipper absolutely at the mercy Of thu
common carrier. Suppose the railroad
magnates, with their millions uDjustl.
Wrung from the people were to ordel
| you to deliver to them annually one
fourth or one third of your corn, hay
$ wheat, cattle and lumber. VIVA
: would be the result? You would tak'
up arms at once. But what is the diff
ference in that and the existing condi
bions. When you sell in the home mail
/ ct, you get city prices with freigh
and commission off. If the freight i
, unjust and high, it comes out of you
own pocket. In fact. i'll many in
! stances, transportation is conliscation
| and is as great as the value of the pro
perty shipped. Coal at the mines i
worth ninety five cents per ton. Whel
S sold to the consumer, he pays five 0
i lsx dollars per ton, at least four O
! which goes into the coff ers of the trans
!; portation company.
The later state Commerce Commits
' sion, page 49, say that since 1897, til
the net profit of railroads is 5. pc
Cent. and that they are in a position
to lax unjustly all other species c
!. property. They further say, (page Il
they have no power to fix rates, and n
- power to have their orders carried GU
The Supreme Court decided III th
case of Hanley vs.. the Southern Raj
way Company, (1S7 o. S., page Gil
that transportation passing throng
different States is subject only to reg
ulation by Congress.
Produce is shipped from the gres
west, q thousand miles to the easter
market cheaper than your produce ca
be shipped one hundred miles. Let u
ask who fixes the price of what 20
sell and You buy? The answer
1.-The Trusts!" You take what yo
. can get for your produce and pay Wha
/ they demand for the necessaries of life
You may make the most of it, you vi
never get relief from the tepubllca
party. and never from the railroa
wing of the Democratic party who al
Ifiliate with them and are emiss aries c
the railroad trust. The reason Of thi
opposition to me is that 1 am not {
them and will not yield to their infll
ences. These are the men, 1.-THE hire
managers of politics" as Mr.. Cochra
calls them, who tell you that MIR. FlOO
was honestly nominated and wOul
persuade you to cast your votes igains
. me. While dislike to speak Of m
self, | will remind yOu that the Bait
mole 81 Ohio had never paid cent {
taxes in this or Roekbridge county NJ
til | pre- ented and had passed bi
e taxing that road as other property il
e the State; also to the fact that | Wa
f the first person to propose the law re
Iuulllng railroads to fence their rOaC
beds or pay for the stock killed. tt
gether with few other senators,
FOppOsed the present Merger law, bu
WAS over come in the committee.
With these facts before you, | as
you to do your own thinking al
voting and not be influenced by me
whose interests are in conflict wit
your own. When one of these railroa
ringsters tells you to vote for Flood
/ ask him this question:: Are you not 1
railroad henchman? Ninety min