The independent. [volume] (Lincoln, Neb.) 1902-1907, 1905-03-09
EXPLOITING AN EMPIRE
he Railroads Divide up the CONT
nent and Levy Upon Each Part
All the People Can Pay
TRUST SPHERES OF INFLUENCE
Havemeyer and SpreckIes, Morgan
and Rockefeller Decide What
the People Shall Contribute

the People Shall Contribute
In our last letter we shipped car
of stoves illustrating fifth class rates
and one stove to show third class rates,
to the coast and to intermediate cities
northwest and west through the st.
Paul, Minn., gateway"
We will now ship car Of stoves,
weighing $4,000 pounds, and one stove
weighing 500 pounds, as before, to the
southwest and west to coast points, via
the Kansas City, Mo-, gateway.
Taking the Santa Fe road out OF Chi
cago 1872 miles to Galesburg, Ill, a
point 100 miles northeast OF Quincy,
Ill, the freight is $4080. If to Quincy
we are shipping, special rate lower
than class rate, is made and the freight
bill is $36. The rate to Galesburg per
100 pounds is twenty-eight and seven
tenths mills on the one stove, making
the freight bill $500 pounds) $1.43. To
Quincy, 100 miles further, it is $1.45,
without fractional rate.
This fractional rate is because or
the wisdom co and zeal of the Illi-
nois state board. They are so efficient
and hair-splitting in rate making that
they evidently set up nights with the
railroad men to get rates exact. By
having fractional rates "the dear peo-
pie" learn how to figure close and it
makes work for the railroads to get
expense bills correct. 1t also gives
the grand stand" play, so much need
ed by expert politicians on state boards
that carry passes and serve two mas
ters. You have heard of ''racket"
stores marking goods down from Is
cents to 70 cents so as to give back a
penny in change instead of a nickel.
We'll, that is what fractional rates
mean for Illinois.
Peoria, Ill, is point So miles east
of Galesburg, and the freight on. the
car of stoves from Chicago is $3.50.
If the car is shipped from Buffalo, N.
Y, 720 miles to Galesburg, H., the
freight is $61.20. II to Peoria from
Buffalo via c., r. /. &NP. Ry. it is $49.20,
although but 20 miles shorter haul to
Galesburg via Santa Fe in densely pop
ulated Illinois.
This is a fairly good example of ton
per mile rate making by railway ex-
perts in their efforts to reconcile con-
flicting interests under pool or agree
ment where cross lines from the east
meet western lines from Chicago. The
net result is the consumer pays $12
more per minimum weight car for a
720 mile haul on stoves from Buffalo,
N. Y, via Chicago over the Santa Fe
or over the Burlington to Galesburg
than does the consumer at Peoria on a
700 mile haul via Chicago over the c.,
r. |. & P. Ry.
At Fort Madison, Ia, we cross the
Mississippi river 23S miles from Chi
cago and the rate is $36, same as to
Quincy or any other Mississippi river
gateway To Carrollton, 150 miles
west in Missouri our stoves get no
special but take the fifth class rate
making the freight bill $64.80 on the
car and third class on the one stove
1920 That rate holds good until we
get beyond the Missouri river at Kan
sas City, 45S miles from Chicago, the
rate being $64.80, same as to Omaha
and other Missouri river "gateways."
To Topeka, Kan, 525 miles from Chi
cago, the rate is $3.50, which means
that $24 additional charge is exacted
for the 81 miles additional haul from
Kansas City. Sugar is a commodity
that is noted i'm rate sheets as fifth
class in car lots, same as are stoves
But the freight on car (24,O0(
pounds) of sugar Chicago to Topeka is
$91.S0 being So more than on the
stoves. This is because the sugar takes
a special rate higher than the class
rate in order to divide up the empire
of trade satisfactorily. between the SUI
gar ki1gs-Mr Spreckel of San Fran