The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1907-12-06
FEARFUL SLAUGHTER.

bic slaughter. and 5000 dead were
| found on the battle fields and also |
7G.2s6 MANNED and wounded. The !
/ Interstate commerce commission |
gives this alarming list OF casualties.
/ which are vastly more than for the |
previous year. Can nothing be- done
/ TO prevent this appalling loss of
. life and limb by the railroads? De !
fectiye rails Is said to be RESPONSE !
BILE for much Of the slaughter, and
| the steel trust I'm It's anxiety to
make big profits IS selling defective
steel rails and Is. therefore, to blame
as much as the railroads which ac
ccit these defective rails
The republican tariff which pro.
tects the steel trust virtually offers
a premium ON defective rails by
preventing competition. The tariff
duty on steel rails is STSi per ton,
and on the small quantity imported
last year. which cost s-3.53 per ton
ia the country where manufactured.
was equal 10 an ad ydlOrcm tarin
tax OF 33il per cent with the
tariff tax added t. the cost, leaving
out the freight and other expenses
Of importation. the cost was $3l.3N
per ton on imported rails. At the
same time the price the steel trust
charged was S2S per ton at Pitts
burg The difference Of Si.j3 per ton
between the price of steel rails
abroad and here represents the extra
tax the tariff protects the trust In
collecting over and above the good
round profit the trust would make
without the tariff protection. There
lis no complaint that English and Bel
gium steel rails are defective. and
the fact that comparatively no acct
dents from defective rails is attri-
hutod to thai cause abroad. shows
the criminal rapacity of the steel
4, trust here. although President Roosc
, welt views that corporation az a
. good trust" and takes counsel oI
the steel trust magnatcs Gary anC
Frcl and Carnegie. That there is ;
10 bond of sympathy an intcrluckinf
B. directory between the railroads an,
II the steel trust that leads 10 the pun
chase of those impcrrcctly construct
ed rails is indicated 10y the railroa
(, managers paying the trust price with
L. ont a murmur. II the tarin tax wa
ID abolished ON steel rails there woul
IT, be- the incentive offered to tn
k railroads Of buying better rails q
a much reduced price. Probably ne
another ION of foreign rails would h
3. imported under free trade in rail
II. for the trust would either have I
s- improve the quality and reduce III
Il. price of the rails II manufactures
s- meet the iurcign competition, q
IA lose the enormous rail business. \
~. II Is officially recorded that the tru
TX could produce steel rails for Sl2
~. ton. when labor and raw matcri,
at was perhaps 30 per cent less than
Id 1t Is now. it will Dee seen that n
lc present cost does not exceed SlG {
may be- SIS ton The present pri,
being S2S Il ton. A. some pcop
may urge that the price of raj
hardly affects the price of travel ,
'd goods, although in the end the p"
Va pie pay the cost whatever it is,
IA may be- we'll to remember that a
ln steel products are protected by m
IA tlrin and the tariN tax ON mo-
M per cent ON rails, and ON some ste
articles exceeds 90 per cent And y,
III the republicans have determined
III stand pat ON the tarin until at,
- the next election and then We ma
KS expect them to continue 10 stand p,
~ II that party succeeds as such su
ir cess will be considered an cndors
oi mont of the policy OF protecting N
lE trusts, with no protest AGAINST n
IN slaughter OF the unprotected pcopl
in -O.Sc--
as Rctrvuchmcut has been adopto
of by the Pullman company. not only
H. it4 plants az Chicago, ST Louis, De
mr. Yer Wnmineton, Del Buffalo an
Ludlow, Nv. but In tho operation
~ It's cars. This will affect over 25,Ot
re- employees and was measure
~ prudence TO safeguard the carnin.
ON the fun slOo,oOO.OOo of stock
~ which s6tOOO.OOO has been yot,
lc from time to time as stock dividcu
'f 10 cover surplus profits above n
st regular dividend rate of $ per cen
a To scrapc along on profits OF II
rs per cent ON It's capitalization II
y cOmu1uV obviously Will he "cOr