The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-06-02

more money prosecuting them. The
farmers now get little enough money
they don't feel Ike spending it fight
ing them But if the millers and
grain trusts want fight they can get
it, and it will be good one. The
railroads are in position to dig up
some damaging testimony. Some OF
the threatening letters of both trusts
are on file in every railroad Office.
The roads also know just exactly how
the two trusts operate and have the
knowledge in such shape that it can
be used for testimony. And they are
about in the notion of turning it over
to the state and federal authorities.
There is one other class of men
in the Federation continued Colonel
Richards There are some big cattle
shippers who are seeking special priv
ileges and, being unable to get them.
are urging the little cattlemen to make
war on the roads. For years we gave
return passes to stock shippers. This
privilege was abused fearfully by the
big shippers. They would send their
families, their neighbors, their mer-
chants or. anybody else in the COM
munity on the passes. The railroads
were hauling free almost everybody
living close to a big cattle shipper.
cut the thing off. Then they howIed
and we put it back on upon agreement
that they would not abuse the priv
itege. Now some of the leaders in
inside
freight rates so that they can drive
their neighbOrs out of business. They
also want annual passes for them
selves and in some, instances their
families. If the roads would do a
little Relating and give annual passes
to this little bunch of cattlemen they
would lose all interest in the fight
against railroads They are simply
pumping for Jones. One of the loud
est mOuthed men at the federation
meeting yesterday, not long ago Of
fered to let up if we would give him
secret rate and a pass. I have his
proposition in writing
The most of our troubles come
from this sort of grafters or from
cheap politicians who hope to ride into
ONCE on the crest of wave of SEN
timent against railroads. The roads
are always ready to listen to COM
plants and adjust things where the
shippers have legitimate grievances,
but they refuse to yield to any com
bines or trusts which are engaged in
wrlnging every cent they can, not only
out of the roads, but out of the
people"
This will, of course, greatly increase
the business of the Missouri Pacific
among the classes of shippers that
Colonel Richards names. The miIlers.
the grain men and the cattle shippers
viii fall over themselves throwing
business to Colonel Richards road in
view of his complimentary y~ interview
concerning them
There are doubtless some shippers
who are guilty of what Colonel Rich
ards charges, and who would hold up
the railroads for secret rates and
passes If they could, but the FIlIins
law affords the railroads ample pro-
lection against such shippers. That.
however, is no argument why the
railroads should practice extortiOn on
the people at large Colonel Rich
ards seems to think that because some
gram men do not pay the farmers as
great q price for their wheat as they
SnouId, the railroads are justified in
charging the grain men extortiOnate
freight rates. Colonel Richards seems
to believe that by threatening to make
puoIIc some of the attempted illegal
acts OF some grain men and assI1r-
ing the farmers that these grain no,
are robbtng them, the farmers ought
not TO object to the railroads doing
the same thing, yet Colonel Richards
road, IN the territory over which he
mas legal supervision has been more
persistent in refusing ADEQUATE shin
ping facilities to the farmers and
aaForlns these same grain men than
any other Kansas road.
AS matter of fact ex+ortiorata
Irelgnt rates do not hurt grain shin
peTS nearly as much as they inillre the
farmers The grain dealers simply sub
tract the freight rate from the Kansas
City price for grain, take out a cent for
commission and two or three cents for
Rront and pay the farmer the profit
me only fight the farmers have on the
gram men is when the latter increase
their profits to five or ten cents.
The railroads charge 141A cents a hum
area Tor shipping wheat from Concor-
ola, Salina, Mcpherson, Newton and
other places in the eastern part df the
wheat belt to Kansas CITY. Tnev charge
Is cents hundred from points in the
western part of the wheat belt This
means 81 cents a bushel from Salina
and II cents a bushel from the western
n chi
of Il thousand bushels TO Kansas CITY
therefore costs $97 from Salina or Nc
Pherson, and $40 from the western
part of the state There is no deartn
Of business. for one of the great com
plants of the shippers is that the rail-
roads do not haul the grain away fast
enough to keep it from spelling. Neither
is there much of loss from having to
haul the cars back empty, for they
nearly always go back loaded with
goods from the east, and these goods
generally pay just as high rate as
the grain. Therefore the railroads get
about 5000 for each round trip which
freight car makes from the Kansas
wheat belt to Kansas City.
But if the producers and shippers of
grain are entitled to object to the rate
they are compelled to pay on wheat
the millers are still more entitled to
object to the flour rate. 1t would look
as though the railroads would give the
mlllerS shade the best of il on flour
rates in order to develop a big manu-
featuring industry in Kansas, but the
reverse is true. 1t costs less to ship
the whole wheat to Liverpool or Ger
many and let the millers over there
manufacture it into -four than for Kan
sas mills to grind it and then ship it in
the shape of -four. A man who is in
terested in the milling business in cen
trail Kansas in discussing this matter
said:
1T seems to me that Kansas rail-
roads are pursuing a very short-sight-
ed policy. It has been impossible for
the mill in which I am interested to
do any export business for some time
for the reason that the railroads give
better rates on wheat. We have to de-
narad ~, home trade a far-seair1er ronl=