Jamestown weekly alert. [volume] (Jamestown, Stutsman County, D.T. [N.D.]) 1882-1925, 1905-09-07
JAMESTOWN DAKOTA. THURSDAY SEPTEMBER T. 1905

TOWN, NORTH DAKOTA,
must look-lf we are going to have a
market in the orient-we must look to
the men who live along the sea in the
densely populated portions Of that
country, because Manchuria and the
interior OF China is remarkably rich
agricultural country and they are not
by any means the kind Of barbarians
that many people would think they
are. They are intelligent people, and
they are very good fa1mers. But we
have got the transportation that they
can't compete with. We have got
transportation in this country that is
the lowest in the world. In Great
Britain the average price paid for the
transportation of ton of freight for
a distance of a hundred miles is 1928.
In the United States it is rs cents. In
Russia it is about s175. We have got
the advantage, Notwithstanding we
have got great many people who tell
us all to stand pat. Now whoever
wants to stand pat, let him. But the
man who is on the soil in North Dak-
ota-he hasn't any interest in it. Bis
stuff is sold in the markets of the
world. There is no word or sentence
in the legislation of the country that
throws the slightest protection to
him. The man from Manitoba can't
send his wheat in here without paying
duty. But that wheat goes to
Liverpool and competes with every
bushel that we raise just exactly as
much as if it came into North Dakota
and possibly a little more. So that
everything that you use, everything
that you buy you have got to buy
where you can find it, not in the cheap
est market; but when you come to sell
you have got to sell in the lowest mar
ket. You are forced to take what you
can get if you sell your surplus. s
REDUCTION IN RATES.
1t has been said that railroad rates
in the United States have not declined
in twenty-five years. I took the re-
cord Of our own road for Is years. The
record shows from the official reports
Of the railway and warehouse commits
sion that in Is years our reelection has
gone from S2.88 ton hundred miles
to 70 cents, and the reduction in. dol
lars and cents amounts to S676, ,OO0, 900.
Now 1915, 600, 900 is an average for the
time of s27, 100000 year. Last year,
the year closing on the 30th of June
last, if we had got the rate of Is years
ago we would have paid us $4,000, 900
more than we collected. Now you
have got something out of that. And
there isn't anywhere In the world a
parallel to it. Now there is one idea
that want to call your attention to.
A great many people are agitating the
question Of government reduction of
rates. Do you suppose that any
government reduction of rates would
ever have approached a tenth part of
the reduction you have had in Is years?
Let me say it could not, because the
government of the United States
must be under the constitution Of the
United States, and the interstate COM
merce clause Of the constitution pro-
vides that there shall be no discrimi-
nation between one community or one
state and another. That drives a
government rate absolutely to dis
tance tariff. a proportionate distance
tariff. And you in North Dakota,
LEGO miles from the Atlantic and
!, 700 or 1900 miles from the ocean or
the Gulf Of Mexico, your freights
would have to go back, because a dis
tance tariff would double your present
rate on any rate that could be made.
Do not be misled before a thing of
that Importance is decided.
There is another thing. Sometimes
people in the country feel when they
get before jury and get a railroad
up on a question Of damages Of person
or property or something of that kind
they think If they can only stick a
j railroad they would be serving the
Almighty. Now just want to say
that every dollar Of that is paid by
yourselves. When we pay it. it is
charged to the expense. We have no
where else to charge it. *Etat@
\. P. Freight Reduction.
! The reduction in freights on the N.
2. on grain, fax, flour and other SINH