Martinsburg statesman-democrat. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1906-1921, 1907-12-13
FenriuI stzunhter

There was a series IF great battles
last wear between the railroads and
the people, and the defeat of the pee
Pile was accomplished with horrioie
slaugh er, and 5000 dead were tou nd
dead on the battle fields and also 1o,-
2S6 MANNED and wounded. The Inter-
state Commerce Commission bulletin
on railroad accidents during the year
ending June 30th last gives this alarm
ing list of casualties which are vastly
more than for The previous year. Can
nothing bedone 10 prevent this appal-
ing loss OF life aud limb by the rail-
roads? Defective rails issaid to be re-
sponsible for much of the slaughter,
and the Steel Trust in its anxiety 10
make big profits is selling detective
rails.
The Republican tariff which pro-
tsets the Steel Trust virtually oilers
premium on defective rails by prevent
ing competition. The tariff duty on
Steel rails is s7.s4 per tor. and On the
small quantity imported last year
which cost s2S, SO per ton In the coun-
try where manufactured, was equal 10
an ad yalorem tariff tax OF oo.44
with the tariff tax added TO the cost,
leaving out the freight and other ex-
pensss of imp ortation, the cost was
$51 .3s per ton on imported rails. Al
the same time the price the Steel Trust
charged was SIS per ton at PittsbuIg.
The difference Of S4.53 per ton between
the price of steel rail abroad and here
represents the extra tax the tariff pro-
teets the trust in collecting, over and
above, the good round profit the trust
would make without the tariff protec-
ton. There is no complaint that En-
glish and Belgium steel rails are de-
fective rails are detective; and the fact
that comparatively no accidents from
defectivelrails is attributed to that cause
abroad, shows the criminal rapacity Of
the Steel Trust here although Presi-
dent Roosevelt views that Corporation
as good trust and takes counsel
of the Steel Trust magnates Gary,
Frick and Carnegie. That there is a
bond of Sympathy-an interlocking
direstory-between the railroads and
he Steel Trust that leads to the pur-
chase ,of these imperfectly constructed
rails is indicated by the railroaA man
ayers paying the trust price without a
murmur. If the tariff tax was abol-
ished on steel rails there would be the
incentive offered to the railroads of
rails at much reduced
price. Probably not another ton OF
foreign rails would be imported under
free trade in rails, for the trust would
either have to improve the quality and
reduce the price of the rails it manu-
features TO meet the foreign eompeti-
tition, or lose the enormous rail bust
ness. AS it officially recorded that the
trust could produce steel rails for sl2
y ton, when labor and raw material
was perhaps SO per cent. less than now
1t will be seen that the present cost
does II al exceed SIS, or may be, SIS a
ton, The present price being S2S a
ton. Some people may urge that the
price Of rails hardly affects the price of
travel ofigoods, although in the end
the people pay the cost whatever it is,
1t may be well to remember that al
steel products greatly exceeds 80 per
cent. And yet the Republicans have
determined 10 stand pat on the tariff
until after the next election and then
we may expect them to continue to
stapdpat if that party succeeds, as
such success will be son sidered an en-
dorsements of the policy of protecting
the trusts, with no protest against the
slaughter of the unprotected people.
Justice