The independent. [volume] (Lincoln, Neb.) 1902-1907, 1905-04-13

good. The question is viii public
opinion grow wise enough to detect
the she'll game in such financiering
before the railways are purchased by
the nation.
OF years show that the veins and ar
teries in the body of healthy child
dc not carry the blood of life with
more regularity, nor adapt itself to
the growth of the body of manhood,
with more certainty than does modern
transit over iron tramway carry the
merchandise or blood of commerce. 1t
is the writer's contention that trans
portation is as yet in it's childhood,
and that it's untutored mother, like the
squaw, has tied the child to board,
on the ton per mile basis. He be-
lieves that brOadminded national pol
icy known as the square deal" must
row do justice by making postal
rate and recognize eyeryone's rights
under eminent domain. We must dis
abuse the mind of the brutal savage,
who thinks railroading is private
business, and teach him that it is a
public business and that society has
rights he must respect. We must take
away from him the power to strangle
at pleasure or congect at a few trade
centers the possibility of production
and distribution to or from any acre
of our broad domain.
The writer has been told by emil
nent traffic men who have given years
of conscientious study to their work,
that the average rate is all right if the
government owned and operated the
roads, but that SO long as different
corporations owned the lines under di-
vergent conditions, requiring rates
more for one road than for another,
that his contention was an UtOpian
dream, impossible of realization.
First, we would enact national law
that rail transportation be made ma
tional in its scope as is the postal sys-
TEN and for the same reason that we
regulate the postal service. We would
enact that freight stamps be sold by
the postal agencies as arep ostage
stamps and in like manner obtainable
only from the federal government. The
millions of revenue will thus go into
the hands Of the government and the
government then repay to the indi-
vidual lines under their local or per-
centage agreements, the average earn
ings such lines showed to be their
DUE The cancelled stamp accom-
panied by voucher of service be pre-
sented by individual lines to the ma
tional clearing house for payment,
based on rate percentages similar to
percentage divisions now made be-
tween lines or local rates, as the case
may be, giving each line the average
rate shown to have been received
In 1903 the average revenue from
Group III was 70 cents 83-100 mills
per ton. The number of tons carried,
302,297, ,816. In Group III the average
rate received was so cents 3 1-3 mills
per ton and there were 404, ,236,945 tons
carried. That is upwards of 100000
900 tons, or more than half the ton
mage moved that year, at rate under
the average. In Group X Pacific coast
states) the average rate was $2.2944
but the tonnage was but S,629,926 and
in Group VII, in which Nebraska is To-
Gated, the average rate was $2.1837
per tOu dllu JOuS CdIIlCu WtIC IO,fOO,-
545. In other words the average rate
for the nation of $1.05 per ton would
for that year, if applied on our plan to
all tonnage, create level gross reve-
nue. equal and exact to that paid in to
and paid out by the nation. The reve-
nues will accrue to the owners Of the
railways and no confiscation of rail
way property will result, nor to the
shipper will confiscation result as now
often done under the chaotic rate MAX
ing in force.
If cent rate per 100 pounds be
made the lawful one, sinking fund
of two hundred twenty-five millions
will be created and placed into the
hands of Uncle Sam, which will en-
able him to condemn and pay cash
within a few years for all the roads
at their present inflated values. Magma
Charta never had greater bearing in
possibilities for future personal liberty
than have these suggestions for future
industrial growth.
If the writer owned every mile of
the roads in fee simple, he would put
into effect this plan of postal rates
from a practical standpoint. He be-
lieves this plan will make it possible