Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1906-06-07
HOW RAILROADS
PAY IN CAMPAIGN
Extorting Money From the Peo-
pie of Iowa to Pay For Cor
rupting Voters
SIGNIFICANT
Err
Prominent Firm Tells How the Rail-
roads Are Discriminating Against
Iowa People In Order to Collect
Money With Which to Defeat Cum
minis and Roosevelt.
Special to Times Republican.

! Special to Times Republican.
! Des Moines, June mot only is the
present campaign in Iowa one of the
Iowa people VS.. the railroads, but the
Iowa people are paying the campaign
expenses for themselves and for the
other side as well.
! That is the way it works out in
practice. The railroads are in posi-
+ ton tn eXtort from the people the
| money with which to put up cam
| paign. The vast sums which are being
paign are being collected by the rail-
roads direct from the people of Iowa
1t represents clear bonus being paid
by ah shippers and consumers OF
shipped goods to the railroads which
they turn over to their political man
ayers and legislative agents to be used
for campaign purposes.
1 Millions of dollars are being collected
over and above the, sums properly
chargeable for transportation. from
| Iowa people, on goods and material
shipped over Iowa railroads. and this
larger than for similar service else
where. 1t is direct hold-up on Iowa.
! The discrimination is against Iowa al
most alone
And the railroads are desirous that
conditions shall continue so that they
may continue to work this hold up
game on Iowa people, and they are
spending large part of their excess
collections in making campaign in
Iowa which will tnure directly to thei,
benefit
The following letter, plain, business
letter, written by manufa
firm OF New Jersey for business pur-
poses. "A letter addressed to prominent
business house of Des Moines, explains
the situation:
Chicago, June /, 1906. Dear Sir:
The state of Iowa is now engaging in
a bitter political warfare. The strug-
gle from what we can learn is the peo-
pie against the railroads. We read that
the citizens of the state believe that the
railroad corporations, by influencing
Legislation, are obtaining privileges and
exactirg unjust freight rates for which
the people are paying.
TT would be unwise for us to at
tempt a political discourse, but we wish
to state few facts relative to local
freight rates from Chicago, st. Louis,
~o1;
tributing points, from which the Iowa
dealer purchases our line of goods,
viz: building papers and roofing.
From Chicago, ST. Paul, ETC., to Iowa
points 200 miles distant the rate is 35
cents per cwt., $50 miles 40 cents, 275
miles 43 cents.
From Chicago to points in Illinois,
Indiana, Michigan, ETC.. 200 miles dis
tant, the rate is IA cents per cwt., 20
miles is cents, 275 miles II cents
'This means that the Iowa people are
paying the railroads a large commits
sion on every roll of roofing or paper
shipped into that state.
Realizing that the firm who could
overcome these excessive charges
would naturally receive large trade
in your state, we have studied the
proposition and have solved it by es-
tablishing distributing warehouse at
Cedar Rapids. This point being in
termediate with ST. Paul, takes the
thru commodity car load rates from
the east applying to this city, and we
are able to ship our stock direct from
our mills to Cedar Rapids on favorable
rate, viz, about 10 cents from Chicago
on We can handle our stock there for
about cents per cwt., and can ship
locally in Iowa on AN average rate of
about Ia cents, making the total of 20
per cwt.
.iSinee the average freight from Chi
ca,go, ST. Louis. st. Paul, ETC.. is 40
cent per cwt., by purchasing from Ce-
dar Rapids you are saving II cents per
cwt, which on building papers amounts
to about per cent and roofings about
per cent of cost, which in itself is a
profit
I'VE enclose a price list F. o. B. Ce-
dar Rapids, also addressed envelope,
and solicit trial order, if only for
five rolls. Your cooperation will save
you money and will assure in the near
future the establishment of house
within easy reach, carrying the most
complete stock in the country.
Thanking you in advance, We re-
main. Yours very trufy,
JAMES c. wOoDLEY & CO..
"By James T. Ling, Manager Ready
Roofing Dept"
This firm has it's main office in Chi
cago, at 454 Clark street, and it's mills
are in New Jersey. 1t has established
at Cedar Rapids a reshipping point.
with clerk in charge This is done
merely TO checkmate the hold-up game
Of the railroads.
IL the extent of the hold-up on this
one product amounts 10 from . to
per cent Of the value of the goods. and
similar, eXtortions are made in other
lines of which there can be no doubt,
then il is quite easy to determine the
source of the fund which is being used
TO advance the campaign of Perkins
for governor.