Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1906-09-14
both ways, and the copsequsu,

! both ways, and the copsequsn,
J freight charge. The people of low
: need rates SO that, So far as possl
Bile, a market will be afforded withii
our own state, by the encouragement
! of home manufacturers, SO that thi
I long double haul will DE avoided
, That the Iowa freight rates are high
er than great many of the otnel
states is a fact admitted, and needs
no proof. And these rates, in a large
measure, are the same as they have
been for twenty years. That these
rates are higher than, the interstate
rates, is a ma ter clearly proven
Unaer this discrimination, the man
ufacturing industries of Iowa, in place
states, it is said, have largely de
creased. AS illustrating the fact
desire to make plain, will call atten
ton to one of the Iowa products with
which / am somewhat familiar, that
of coal. The field in which Center.
vile coal mines are situated is
known as the Block coal field.
There is no more up-to-date, enter.
prising class of business men any
where in the state than the coal oper.
ators OF this district, neither is there
a more honest and industrious class
of laborers than those who work IN
the mines. The operators are anx-
ious to operate their mines and the
miners are willing to work, and yet
for large part of the year the
mines of this field are practically
compeued to suspend operations be-
cause of the rate charged them for
the shipment of their product. And
bear in mind, also, that this is a
product that ought to find a market
largely within the borders of our own
state. The interstate late per ton
| on lump coal from Mendoza, Mo-, via
the Burlington to Council Bluffs, 226
miles, is $1.20. Now, Mendoza is
just ov the line in Missouri, and
has the benefit of an Interstate rate.
Cincinnati, in my own county, 222
miles from Council Bluffs, has to pay
for every ton of lump coal shipped
to Council Bluffs as fixed by the Iowa
distance tariff, $1.36 per ton. Bre-
vier. Mo-, to Council Bluffs, Iowa, a
distance of 258 miles, the rate per
ton on lump coal is s1.3O; from Cen
terville to Council Bluffs, 2O5 miles,
the rate per ton for lump coal is
$1.32. Now, 1t should be borne in
mind that Missouri and Illinois are
Two of the strongest competitors OF
our Iowa coal operators. From East
st. Louis to Red Oak, Iowa, dis
lance of 404 miles, the rate per ton
is $500; from Centerville to Red
Oak, a distance of 154 miles, the rate
per ton is $1.16h, a higher relative
rate than the one from st. Louis to
Red Oak. The rate from East st.
Louis, to Council Bluffs, distance of
451 mics, is $3.50; from Centerville
to Council Bluffs, a distance Of 2Uo
miles, $1.32 per ton. From the above
illustration, it can be easily seen
that the Iowa distance tariff by which
our coal operators are governed in
shipping entirely to Iowa is relatively
higher than the shipments governed
by the interstate rate. If time per-
mitted, many illustrations relative
to this same product might be given.
The iact that the Missouri and Illi-
inois Goals are produced at the mine
for about one-half of the cost of the
coal in the district to which l have
referred, together with the advan-
tages in proportion to the length OF
the haul that they enjoy by reason
of the interstate rate, permits tAem
in many instances to drive from the
market in Iowa one of the states
own products. If the Iowa rate was
lowered, it would result in largely
increased production of our own coal
and cheaper rate to the consumer
in the other parts Of the state. Some
of To ho, ID
between the two rates SO that our
own product would not be discrimi-
mated against as it is. The same
plank of our platform holds that
through billing anywhere in the state
should be allowed under our state
laws. This, as in the other, is illus
trated by our coal product The rate
from Centerville to Eagle Grove, is
SEC to Clifford, under local rate,
and cUc to Eagle Grove, another To-
cal rate, or in all $1.46. If the oper-
ators could snip coal through with
out re-billing from Centerville to Ea-
gle Grove, even under the present
Iowa distance tariff, the rate would
be but $1.2572 per ton. / have no
doubt that the same things l have
shown in reference to Iowa's largest
mineral product, and in which my
own county stands third, with only
Polk and Monroe ahead of it, is also
true of any shipments or the products
of the farmers when shipped to
points within the state, and would
also be true of any of Iowa's manu-
featured products when shipped en-
tirely within lne state. And yet IN
this respect, we have evidently but
little to expect from my distinguished
opponent, for he has already express
sed himself on the question of the
interstate rate by virtually saying
that Iowa's thirty million dollars of
dairy products are now enjoying an
interstate rate less than that to which
they are entitled. For when a wit
ness before the interstate commerce
committee of the senate, in answer to
the question of the chairman, he
said; Il think our people go to the
Eastern markets with butter and eggs
upon rae to which they are not
entitled with any fair adjustment"
II the Governors opinion is thus so
firmly fixed as to the interstate rate
and its reasonableness in one OF
Iowa's largest products, what hope
have we to expect in reference to
this important matter ON the rates
wholly within the state? Especially
in view of the fact of the veto to
which l have referred, refusing to
the longer line the right to compete
between two given points with the
shorter line, and thus giving the ship
per the benefit Of his choice as to
the lines Of his shinmant. opd ollap