Omaha daily bee., 1905-11-03
RAILROAD FREIGHT RATS.


Saturday evening last.
In discussion with Ex-Governor Boyd, he
cited facts to prove that local rates in our
state had been largely reduced. You would
not admit It. In a later one with me on
long haul rates, in which ] said that
without statutory regulation, and some
times in spite Of e., these rates had gone
down from PA to 3 cents per ton per mile
to a fraction of l cent per ton per mile
/ am not sure that you distinctly denied
this statement, but l am sure that you
did not accept Il.
The state Engineer Of New York says:
In 1865 the average freight rate for the
hauling OF a ton one mile was ga cents,
making reduction 0rom ga cents then
and a fraction of 1 cent now, in cost of
"a cents per mile in the past forty years"
In the bulletin from which the above Is
quoted he makes the following statement:
II New York state in the year 1904 had
70 pay the same railroad rates on freight
had to pay Sl420O0,0O0 more for their local
freight and over $326, 100000 more for their
through freight than they did actually pay
in 1904. This saving In the cost of trans
pOrtation has been made by private cor
porations, and the public, while always
complaining of freight rates, have had the
benefit
Ex-Governor Boyd's statement was true
on local freight rates in our own state,
and mine was also true on the average
long haul In the whole country. and neither
the extraordinary man. who is now presl-
dent Of the United States. nor the incor-
rlgible editor of The Bee nor Bryan's roar
| ing Un-Commoner, nor Mr.. Berge's raving
| Independent, can successfully deny the
| plain truth about it, -
GEORGE L. MILLER.
The contention of Governor Boyd that
local freight rates in Nebraska are
lower than they were twenty-five years
ago, and DR.. Miller's contention that
long haul freight rates have gone down
from 3 to 2l2 cents per ton per mile
within the past forty years, cut no fig
TIRE in the present railroad issue, as de-
! fined by President Roosevelt, even if all
that is claimed by Governor Boyd and
DIR. Miller were absolutely true.
| Forty years ago passengers between
Omaha and San Francisco by overland
stage were compelled to pay 20 cents
per mile and the passenger rate over
the Union Pacific in the seventies was
10 cents per mile, and in the eighties 5
cents a mile in Nebraska, until reduced
by act of the Legislature to 3 cents a
mile. On the Burlington, the passenger
rate up to 1890 was cents a mile on
the Nebraska side of the Missouri river
and cents a mile on the Iowa side Of
the Missouri river, the roads running
parallel within FIVE miles of each other.
And the only reason for this difference
between the Iowa and Nebraska rates
i'm those days was that Iowa had fixed
the rate by law and Nebraska had not
done so.
1t stands to reason that If the legisla-
lures of Iowa and Nebraska can fix a
maximum passenger rate by law on the
railroads within those states, congress
can fix rates-passenger as well as
freight-over railroads doing Interstate
commerce within the United States.
While it is true that material reduc-
ton in long distance freight rates has
been effected within the past twenty
years, 1t is also true that no material
reduction has been made in local freight
lulNS III ANtbidShd nAlhlh pdol
twenty years, but, on the contrary, the
rates are either as high or, IL anything,
higher than they were twenty years
ago, and were made so by changes in
classification.
The advocates of the let-alone policy,
who point TO the gradual reduction OF
long haul rates, deliberately ignore the
changed conditions under which rail.
roads are now being operated. Twenty
, years ago ten tons constituted a car
load. Today freight cars haul from
thirty to fifty tons, thus trebling the
capacity of the road to move a given
volume of freight given dis.
lance This is not all, for with the
enlarged locomotives, the railroads are
enabled to move from three to five
= times as much freight with one train
crew as formerly required from three tC
five train crews and only corresponding
increase in operating expenses.
The champions of the let-aone policy
also ignore the marvellous increase IL
the volume OF railway traffic within the
past twenty years, which has enor
mously increased the earning power Of
the railways and enabled them to max,
greater profits on lower transportation
, rates.
The issue presented by Presiden
. Roosevelt's ultimatum is not baseC
on the assumption that railwa!
rates are excessive and exorbitan
Z everywhere but simply that discrim
= NATIVE and excessive rates are exacteC
A in some localities and upon some par
E ticular classes of freight that can be re
e adjusted only by the Intervention OF
tribunal clothed with power to investi
gate a complaint of excessive tolls anC
: after full hearing, If the complaint Il
{ well founded, to declare the rate unrea
a sonable and substitute a lower rate tina
= win stand until set aside by the courts
------=
A REIGN OF ANARCHF.
The expectation that the concession
made by the car to the people woul,