The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1907-08-07
THE FIGHT ON THE RAILROADS.

THE FIGHT ON THE RAILROADS.
The people are running amuck on the
, railroad question. In North Carolina
the railroads have agreed to submit to
the two and a quarter cents a mile rate,
to sell tickets at that price, and mean
D while they appeal on the ground that
kthe rate is co~nfscatory. We do not
NOW whether it is or not. Neither
Aes the North Carolina Legislature
pow. The North Carolina legislature
y does not know whether the Laurens
ADVERTISER can afford to sell advcr-
Using space at two cents and a quarter
an inch or not. Whenever the South
Carolina legislatures concludes to pass
an act limiting THE ADVERTISER to
a two and a quarter cents On inch rate,
they can take the paper and u it
themselves. If it is reasonable and
fair to cut down the price of hauling
people one third, it is equally reasona-
BILE and fair for the legislature to cut
down the price for hauling freight one
third. If they can cut it one third,
they can cut it one half and two thirds
and after awhile the railroad owners
will say "Take the old nuisance of a
railroad and run it your selves.
Meantime, reduction in railroad pas
senger fares helps only a part of the
people. 1t helps the drummer who
spends $500. a year for railroad tickets.
1t helps the manufacturer who spends
$500. a year for tickets. 1t helps the
well-to-do nan who spends 5000. a year
Sending his family to the mountains or
to the seashore for the summer and who
sends his boys and girls to college. 1t
helps the lawyers who go to the sur
prcme court three or -four times a year
and it helps the merchants who go to
New York for goods twice a year Half
the people spend not over five or ten
dollars a year in railroad riding and
nearly half, the poorer women and
children scattered about on the
country farms, don't ride on the rail
roads at all. Reduction in passenger
fares may save a cotton mill operative
two dollars a year but it will save the
CoIIOii Ihli plcSiuclC 9IUU. uOlldES a
year. Isn't that so?
Why don't the legislature cut down
the railroad rates on Missouri mules?
The Laurcns farmers are more i~nteres.
ted in buying a mule ticket for ten dol
lars instead of fifteen thar in buying
cheap tickets for themselves The
Laurens farmer and mill operative and
and everybody else pays freight on hog,
hominy, coffee, calico, fertilizer fnrni-
ture, nails, hoes, clothes, shoes, books,
grits, rice, horse collars, wagons, flour
: and nearly all he uses. A cut of one
third in freight rates would help every
body, that would be Especial privileges
to none" and equal assistance to the
balance Of mankind, but the cut in pas
senger fares, to which the politicians
are devoting all their time, will help the
drummer most and will be of considera-
bic comfort to the preachers, especially
the colored preachers who are the
greatest travellers that this country
produces.
81 But, when they slash freight rates
Wildly and deeply, not knowing what
Shey are doing, they will force the rail
would be excellent for the lawyers.
The legislature will, if they %persevere,
put the railroads out of business. Then
the United States government will buy
kmtbem at auction and operate them.
pductors and engineers will be chosen
upYrIpn nvorntnof,np onl - klo
nth the negroes get a large proper
on of civil service places.
We are second to none in ENJOYING
the legitimate game of abusing the
ailroadJ. That is why the railroads
be hereto be abused. Somebody
1~something has got to be abused in
Nrong language; why not the railroads?
Oar complaint is that the railroads
do not give good service. They ought
kS be compelled gradually, by law to
Nlish grade crossing, to put Pullman
cars on more trains, to keep clean
dowels on hand in day cars, the cars to
be regularly and frequently cleaned
~and, first and above all, they ought to
be forced to keep their tracks and tres
Nip the best paS lie condition, to
every other de-
safety, to pay
Md the service of
competent men
none of their en-
Id be compelled to
chedule. If the
at. let them be
rs according to