The Ocala evening star., 1908-05-06
TO THE SHIPPERS OF FLORIDA

( k.f
address to you this circular letter
because 1t is impossible to see each
OF you in person.
4 1t will show to you a special serv-
ice rendered by me in your behalf in
the United States Congress.
First, / address the vegetable, mel
on, celery and strawberry shippers OF
Florida.
In 1905 in the House of Represen-
tatives at Washington City, 1 reported
"a htil to regulate railroads and their
-charges, and among others was a pro-
vision to put the icing charges of
7 Lrivate carlines under the power of
the Interstate Commerce Commission.
i was on the Interstate and Foreign
Commerce Committee. No other bill,
introduced by either Republican or
Democrat, contained this valuable
4 provision to aid the truck and fruit
interests of Florida.
Let US take an example: From
Starke, Florida, to New York City,
the icing charges and freight charge
ON car load of strawberries is $256,
II am informed.
This certainly must be a gross over
charge.
The icing charges are. i believe.
from $50 to $50.
Evidence taken at Washington City
slows that SIS to $50 is an ample
Icing charge for 1000 miles carriage.
The truck and fruit industry in
Florida now has a chance to be heard
and cut down this extortionate icing
charge. The rate from California to
New York on freight and icing
charges is much less than from Flor
ida to New York. In speech deliv-
cred by me. in Congress on December
49,, 1905, / used this language:
Now, there was not word in the
Esch-T Townsend bill, the Republican
bill-and it should have been there;
there was not word in the Davey
bill, the Democratic caucus bill-atd
Ii should have been there-correcting
the iniquities of terminal fees and
private car lines. My State has suf-
fered unjustly in the terminal-fe
matter. The vegetable and melon and
fIuit industries of my State have been
injured by the unjust exactions Of
the private cars. Mr.. Chairman, from
the little town in which reside, Mon
ticello, Fla, to Pittsburg, Pa, 1t has
cost the large and extortionate price
OF 500 for icing charges on a car of
cantaloupes, while according to the
best testimony Itaken upon this SUBJ
ject, a, charge of from SIS to $50
would be the maximum price these
private car lines should justly charge
$50 taken at one fell swoop, out of
Twelve hundred carloads of celery
and lettuce goes from Sanford, Flor
Ida; to out of State markets
This icing saving from 500 per car,
TO even $40 per car, would amount to
a saving to that community alone,
annually, Of 100000. If the high
freight rate was reduced also, it
would be a much greater saving to the
shippers there and all over Florida.
sAt this calculation the melon, fruit
md vegetable interests Of Florida
must pay to the private, car lines
one million ($1,00o.000) dollars over
and above what they should pay, fol-
icing charges alone.
My work in Congress greatly help
ed to make the law as it is, giving
the complaining shipper a remedy
think the shippers Of Florida VIII
appreciate my work.
now address the orange shippers
In 188s-1890. the railroads in Florids
suddenly raised the rate on orange:
in Florida shipped to outside markets
from 80 cents per box to 40 cents pei
box This was a 33 1-3 per cent
raise. It was an unjust raise.
The Interstate Commerce Commits
sion condemned 1t. But they were toe
late; the deed had been done: th'
rate had been raised.
The orange shipper had been rob
ted. The Industrial Commission, apl
pointed by President Mckinley. com
rnenting on this very case used thi
Ii language:
@As matter Of fact. the damag'