The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1907-04-23
LEGISLATION winch II PEOPLE
ExeEcr FROM 6O7H CONGRESS-
ny HON. EDWARD W pot.

charge il l. simply putting INTO "p-
Grafton . law which Mr FORAKER 1tS
has existed for generations
Surh charges should he basel upon
actual <aiu" Surely q" taPtsS'
wnnlsl refn~e Ia invest brran~e hc a.
not per mitted Us law q" exact = r.
turn upon "a nyticiot~ N9lu"
secondly. there must he q" unjust
asscF1m nation sstWce towns r"N1
munitles or States. surely ~ eAp'tAl-
is~t would refuse "a invest because ~"
i not permitted 20 use h~ money
i'm tearing down one community "a of-
der 10 bulld up anotnerT
Thirdly. there must br greater SAFE
II to passengers and employees some
means most certaialy DC devised
whereby the annuat I1crease iu ths. T"tt
or passenger and employees kllei AMI
injured shall hc arrested Tn hguft*
in the following lat's. showing The
number Of passenger ana rutp5eS,~
killed or injured ~ American fatt
roads curing the last f"ut years t'u
4 melancholy tale.
Year l9o3-KQled 3.554 injured
.45.a1s. Total 1881
Year lsp4-Kiiied 31sf. injured
Year Iso5-Kuled 2.7eS injured
55.f66: total 5a,2G4.
Year I9Us-kiIcd i.g25s injured
66.7o9. total 7o.924.
OF the total number killed n i'm
Jured in 1906 16.4 per cent were pas
sengerS ana The haIanC. We're en-
ployes. that is - say that FOR every
passenger Killed or injured live EN-
ploycs of the railroads were HNcWtsc
Killed or injured In 1906 one million
four hundred thousand persons wtr"
employed by the railroads. Thert-
fore. during that year n person IN
every twenty-five in the employment
Of the railroads IN the country Ms
either killed or injured.
The tremendous increase in the vol
ume Of traffic which the roads W'If
compelled To handle. ana the neeeSsl-
ty for the employment OF many young
and Inexperienced persons partly ac-
counts Tor the increase in the railway
casualties. The comparison etwtcn
railway casualties in this country and
in Europe does not make a very good
showing FOR American railway nan
~ageIncnt, and the public is fully Justi-
fed, il would seem. in demanding
greater safety for both passengers and
employees.
In view of the immense loss which
the railroads incur from every acci.
dent one might suppose that no leg
islation in behalf OF safety were nee
essary. The cost OF collisions in 1906.
not including damages to properly
ard indemnities paid 10 or on account
of persons killed or injured, rs report
ed by the railroads Themselves.
announced 70 it.bJt,t 90. w. : ct, nus
withstanding the immense loss To the
roads, they continue 10 oppose all
legislation intended u insure greater
safety to their employees ana the
travelling public.
The fourth reform suggested in this
article viii hardly be abandoned by
the people. They certainly demand
protection against the purchase Of
worthless railroad stock.
In 1904 the total liabilities Of u
e. . 1 I Al - III 49,
current and sinking funds,
amounted to S14,095, 05,1I4.U0. This
would make the cost or railway con-
struction S66,1S0.00 per mile. OF
course every san man knows that
these figures are far IN excess of the
actual cost of construction. The rail-
roads pay taxes on less than half this
valuation. They are bonded for about
$26, 10000 per mile. The Dond-hold-
ers have built the roads. whiic the
public is expected TO mako good the
enormous valuation represented by the
added value OF stocks and bonds.
A few months ago Mr.. Hartman
and his associates made $4,000 600
out Of the Alton road. Just such
conduct as this viii justify and hasten
legislation along the lines indicated.
Certainly there is much to be sail
or both sides Of this question. Shat!
the government assume the task of
supervising and controlling over 212.-
900 miles Of railway. or will it event
ually be forced to take over these
great arteries of commerce and OPP
crate them in the interest OF the peo-
pie? is there not a middle curse
which the government might safely
adopt-a course which will not iniure
the railroads themselves. which VIII
not retard the development Of the
country, but which viii insure a
square deal between the railroads
and the people. If the people were
guaranteed fair treatment would they
not invest their savings in railway
securities? In the year 1905 there
were 7,696.2z9 persons in this country
who had deposited in our savings
banks amounting to $3,261, 23G,1l9. 90.