Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1904-12-02
WHAT THE RAILROADS DO.

Railroad should give TO all men COM
mon and equal opportunities in the
distribution of the products of their
labor. Railroads should treat the Me-
braska farmer and shipper the same
as they treat the Iowa and Kansas
farmer and shipper. Railroads should
treat one man in business the same
as they treat another man in bust
ness. Railroads should grant one city
the same rates and facilities that they
grant other cities. Railroads should
at least treat the man with small
business the same as they treat the
mon with larger business. Railroads
should at least treat the poor man as
well as they treat the rich man. Rail-
roads by their rates should discourage
and not encourage and foster trusts
and combines. In short, railroads
should be servants of the people and
all the people should be given the
same treatment.
But what are the facts? Instead of
the people being the master and the
railroads the servant the relation is
reversed. Railroads are our real mas
tiers and the people are made to serve
them. Walter Wellman in recent
articls in magazine called Sac
cess says, that railroads in at least
ore third Of the states Of the union
are absolutely in control and are run
ming the state government without
any real interference from the people.
Railroads elect the officials or
enough of them to control the state
government. Railroads charge just
such freight rates as they want to-.
They charge jnst such passenger RATES
as they want to. They pay SUCH
taxes as they want to. They give
free transportation to those that they
want TO- They may make the people
bear just such part of the burdens of
taxation as they think the people
ought to bear. They make governors,
United States senators and members
of the legislature, and they unmake
governors, United States senators and
mem pers Of the legislature. They say
whether the Nebraska farmer shall
ship his peaches or let them rot un-
der the trees They say whether the
Nebraska farmer shall burn his corn
for fuel, or send to market. They say
! whether an industry shall live or
whether it shall die. They say wheth-
er man shall succeed In business.
They say whether city shall grow
and prosper, or whether it shall be
killed for the benefit of another city.
They permit party bosses and political
manipulators to ride free and with
out charge upon their trains and make
the poor widow with her children
pay more because of the free trans
portation of the party bosses. They
are permitted to build road at the
cost of five million dollars and then
capitalize it at ten million dollars
and put the i've million dollars into
their pocket and compel producers
and shippers, to pay returns upon ten
million dollars, and not upon five
million dollars, the actual cost. They
are permitted to charge a few Of
most powerful shippers one price and
charge the masses and smaller ship
pers another price. They are per-
mitted to act as the business agents
of the trusts, while they refuse to
accord to the ordinary shipper the
same rates and the same facilities
Tn ey are permitted to give rebates
to one business firm and refuse re-
bates to another They are permitted
70 build up trusts and monopolies
and impoverish thereby the many.
They are permitted to Cypress the
honest man in business and serve the
INSCRIPTIONS and dishonest. The
farmer In Nebraska received on an
average 80 cents per bushel for his
corn in 1902, while in Kansas he re-
ceived "a cents, In Nebraska the far
mer received on an average of ~
cents for his spring wheat while in
Kansas he received 55 cents, the Me-
braska farmer received on an average
IS cents for his oats, while the Kan
sas farmer received 80 cents: the Me-
braska farmer received on an average
SO cents for his rye while the Kansas
farmer received As cents and all this
on account Of exorbitant freight rates
in Nebraska.
When such "a condition exists it
means that the railroads are not only
despoiling the people Of the fruits of
their honest toll, but 1t means that
the railroads have shackled their mas.
ters and have made them their ela yes.
This is not an over-colored picture. It
is the truth, as every man knows.
William Thompson of Elm Dale has