Payette enterprise. (Payette, Canyon Co., Idaho) 1909-1935, 1912-10-03
Reply To
Mr.. Priest
Editor Enterprise:

Editor Enterprise:
l My friend Mn. Priest seems t
: think your readers are not intereste
J in our discussion, but / believe n
is mistaken for l have heard quit
a number Of farmers and Others tall
quite to the contrary. rather thinl
it is not what l say that Interests
them, but what they would like 10
Mr.. Priest to say in answer to sem,
of my queries. The reason | do no
sign my name is that / am not "hanl
ering" for the limelight ike Teddy
and lot moro fake reformers who
think they can cure our disease by
dosing the symptoms.
Mr.. Priest is wrong in accusing me
of attacking the railroads and assum-
ing that l want to go back to the
primitive methods of our forefathers.
1t is the ownership and management
OF the railroads that l object to.
realize that there is nothing in our
| industrial system that is as absolute
ly essential to our well being as the
railroads.
1t is because they are the real ar
teries of commerce performing the
greatest of public functions that l
want them in the hands of TIE people
who created them. The Supreme
Court decided many years ago that
a railroad was in every sense pub
lie utility and that the service it per-
formed was in every sense a public
junction. Identically the same thing
can be said of our public highways.
Why then should private parties own
the more important one and exact
tribute from the people who created
socially owned and controlled? Mr.
Priest argues from one standpoint
While l argue from an entirely differ
ent one. If l admit that the present
system of private ownership of pub
tic utilities is right l should heartily
agree with Mr.. Priest in what he
says about these matters in his last
article. l gave him a concrete ex-
ample in which there was a vast diff
ference between the actual cost of
service and what the shipper had to |
gay. l asked him to tell us what |
went with the difference. He fails |
: attempt it, Now l have another |
concrete example that has come I'M
Ter my own observation. Without |
going into details as to the reasons
,or it | will admit Mr.. Priests con-
IGNITION as to the increased cost of
living and everything else but am
lot ready to admit the great bene-
its that have resulted therefrom to
he farmer. Now here is a case that
VIII show something of the reason
-hieness" of freight rates out of Ida
=. Mr.. d. R. Durham recently shipp
J car Of apples to Wheatland, Wy
ming, which is lass than 100 miles
,crth CT Cheyenne. The freight on
his car was 1852, and the agent at
jrystal was not sure but what it
night be more as he was not right
ure that he had the correct rate on
ne branch line from Cheyenne north.
When | quoted what was practically
lccal rate on potatoes to Kansas,
II. Priest caught me up short and
me that the car load rate
ras so cents a hundred, but here is
point quite long distance this
de OF Kansas and the rate is So
ants a hundred.
Mr. Durham had, made arrange
ents with a friend in Wheatland to !,
Zip the apples in bulk which would :
re the expense of boxes and pack
g, but at the la-t moment he was =
formed that no apples could be /,
tipped without be NJ packed in box 9
!. Now here are two very Important
ings for producers to keep in mind :,
hen they are contemplating the :,
asonableness of freight rates. The y
st is that instead of the freight -
this car being 1852, the odd $62 :.
ould have been a big price for this IT
rvice. 1t did not cost that much n,
r at even that rate a train load :.
40 cars would amount to $24S0 ~
d any man is a double distilled III
imp who thinks that it costs the =.
lroad that much for that service IL,
t at the rate Mr.. Durham paid 80
in Of 40 cars would amount to -
)48O, and l assert here, and defy ca
yone to disprove it that the $3.50 No
] cover the whole cost of that 10
vice leaving out dividends. 40
The second thing to think about is NJ,
reason for having to box the ap- wv,
8. The railroad people put up r,,
flimsy excuse that bad stock rro
hit be shipped in this way and aso
would deteriorate so that they ~
Id not ge4 freight, out of it in CO.
e of failure of shipper to pay. vot