The sun. (Jacksonville, Fla.) 1905-1908, 1906-07-28
THE SUN
CONGRESSMAN Lamar Discusses issues.


But railroad company can, at moments
notice, by mere stroke OF the pen, increase the
value of It's railroad property two, three or TOUR
times the value that It cost the railroad company,
and then upon this increased value, created by
the railroad people themselves, charge the people
enough in passenger and freight rates to pay
dividends on stock and interest on bonds upon
tni sincreased and fictitious o7ercapitalizatiO1.
And herein lies the great injury done by the rail-
ways OF Florida and OF the United States to the
people OF the whole country.
This fictitious value and overcapitalizatlon has
been well described as wind and water" And
one of the greatest contests In Florida and in the
United States in the years to come, is to knock
the wind" out OF this railway property and
squeeze the water" out Of these railway stocks
and bonds.
It costs the people OF Leon County, and every
other county, In Florida and In the United States,
two or three times the amount of freight they
should bear. Some Of the railways In Florida
are capitalized at two, three and four times their
value. | will take the line of ROAD running
through Middle Florida, called the Seaboard Air
Line Railway. don't think any competent engi-
neer In Florida would estimate that 1t would take
over fifteen thousand dollars ($15,000) mile to
build the Seaboard Air Line Railway In Florida.
Just as 1t stands But this very railroad is CAPT
talized at forty-eight thousand dollars per mile
($4SOOO). This railroad Is evidently capitalized
ut three times It's value And upon this excessive
and fictitious valuation, 1t Is charging every NOR
chant, every farmer, every business man, every
citizen In Leon County and in the State of Florida
who have any dealings with them, two or three
times the amount of freight 1t should charge.
Let me take one illustration and the people Will
understand at once what mean. 1t costs to the
grower, from Tallahassee to New York about a
dollar on every barrel of LeConte pears. There
are quite number of LeConte pear groves IN
Leon County which now Dring their owners some
revenue. These groves should get more valuable
since there Is much larger demand for pears
than few years past. 1t should not cost more
than nifty cents per barrel for LeConte pears from
Tallahassee to New York
An estimable lady in the northern part of Leon
County, shipped last year. am informed abort
six hundred barrels of pears That means thar
nearly six hundred dollars ($600) was taken Que
OF her fruit receipts, for railroad freight And Z
means, also, that three hundred dollars ($3OO)
should have paid this freight upon this six hun
dred barrels OF pears to New York
It follows that the other three hundred dollars
t$SOO) paid as freight was excessive and extor-
uonate, and she should lave had this amount In
her pocket and 1t should not have gone into the
pocket OF the Seaboard Air Line Railway aud
other railway companies connecting with the Se,
board and which took this fruit to market. And
IA these pears went partly by the Seaboard AL.
Line Railway and partly by water to New York
the principle Is the same And then II these
pears were shipped by express and not by rail
Ioau' the principle Is the same. 1t Is well known
That the Southern Express Company charges are
tar beyond what they should be- The express
companies are no doubt overcaptazed in th,
same way that the Seaboard Air Line Railway ~
oyercapitalized The principle ia the same
whether these pears are carried to market all rail
or partly rail, or by the Southern Express Com.
pany. Whatever agency carries this freight =,
market Is overcapitalized and has charged this
iady and other pear growers in Leon County
twice as much freight as should have been taken
from them. 'o0" '"Ne"
II a pear grower in Leon County Is extorts1
upon from three hundred dollars and more n wear
upon her or his crop, and The grower shonld sbin
ten pear crops In succession then he or she woua
De out OF pocket for these ten years three or for
Thousand dollars. feel quite sure that the own.
ers OF these groves would much prefer To have
TINS large sum OF money in their pockets. than 70
pay II unjustly to the railway company or To tho
expreso companies ~ W 'he
Inc same thing applies to cotton Skinned ont NJ
rlorida' 10 corn, potatoes, oranges phosnhata
lumber: and hundred and one other things nr,'
uuced Dy the farmer and carried ont Of Eorids
ano other states. And the same tnlnp ann,ies 80
the many thousand articles shipped from othor
states iato Florida for consumption by our peonlc
The people Of Leon County, and of Florida eso
paying unjust freights upon everything thew .h,D
out OF Florida and upon everything that Is s6innaS
into Florida All that applied to the SeahnarS
Air Line Railway applies to good many other