The Calhoun chronicle. [volume] (Grantsville, W. Va.) 1883-1984, 1912-04-30
WASHINGTON LETTER.
By c. H. Tavenner.

Washington, The railroads
have inaugurated a campaign to
increase freight rates over ter.
aitory comprising half of the
United States, which will still
further increase the cost of liv-
ing to everyone.
Two years ago the inter
state commerce commission re-
fused to allow the roads to in
crease their rates. Now these
same roads, through indirection
and by piecemeal, are trying to
accomplish the very thing the
commission told them they could
not do. AS part of their strate-
gy, the roads have filed with the
commission a new classification
of freights---that is, they have
submitted a plan whereby GER
tain articles of one class, on
which a certain rate is allowed,
have been Jumped" into a class
above, carrying a higher rate.
All told, more than l, 400 articles
have been thus reclassifed, and
If the commission permits this
arrangement to go into effect the
people will simply have to pay
more to have these articles
hauled. because whenever a
freight rate is increased the re-
taller must add the amount of
the increase to the retail price of
the article. The proposed in
crease ranges from ten to three
hundred per cent.
The roads were careful to re-
duce the rates on a certain num-
Der Of articles, apparently for
the purpose of detracting atten-
ton from the many increases.
The state railroad commissions
of Is states have united in a
protest against the new elias if
cation, pointing out that the pro-
posed increases are more than 60
per cent in excess of reductions.
and charging that the reclassifi-
cation plan is simply subterfuge
to get through big increase of
rates.
The public has no objection to
the railroads paying increased
wages to its workmen, but well
comes such increases. The pub
lie has no objection to the rail-
roads making a good generous
rate OF interest on money invest
ed in railroad properties. The
public does not wish to see the
railroads hampered in any way,
because they are the arteries of
commerce of the nation. But
the public does object to the
railroads requiring the public to
pay enormous dividends in add
ton to creating a huge annual
surplus on money that is not in
vested, and on Capitalization
that represents nothing more
than air.
Senator LaFollette has shown
that the corporations of this
country are capitalized at $31, =
672, 600, 600, and that 70 per cent
of this capitalization is water.
More and more water is con-
stantly being injected into the
capital zation of the railroads,
which makes it necessary for
the roads to be continually boost
ing freight rates and increasing
the cost of living to every man,
woman and child in the nation
Under the Roosevelt and Taft
administrations, Congress re-
fused to pass a bill providing for
a physical valuation of railroad
properties, which appear to be
the only solution of the evil
which permits the gouging Of the
common people in order that a
few railroad magnates may be
still further enriched. Before
this session closes, however, the
Democratic House will enact
such legislation, the bill having
already been favorably reported
from the committee on inter
state and foreign commerce.
BLOCKED BY SENATE sTANDPAT-
TIERS.
The Democratic House of Rep
resentatives started out, in this
session of Congress, to cut down
the expensps Of government