Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1912-02-07
Commissioner Of Corporations

Commissioner OF Corporations on
the wage situation in the steel IN
dustry, which shows that men work
under almost incredible conditions,
reveals beyond the peradvenxure Soe q
doubt that the whole fabric Of the
tariff protectianists is woven 3oas the
mos sordild Of lies. and almost u,
lbelievable greed Is
Protection for the purposeaof ere.
,ating monopolies for American man
u%facturers has proven unwise.S The
people are permitting themselves to
be taxed for nothing. But VIII they
see it?
The. express companies of1the. Unit
ed States pay so per cent OF their
gross earning to the railroads, and
OF what is lef. after all expenses are
paid, they declare dividends Of 4l
per cent on an Investment that Is
principally water. 81:
These stAftling facts have been
brought out by Attorney Frank Ly
on. representing the Interstate Com
merce commission at the hearing now
in progress before the Commission.
Here r some OF the charges esaihst
the exprss companies which Mt.
kyens has undertaken to prove:
Unfortunate and unequal rates;
over charges and overwhelming: col.
Iecting at both ends; inefficient Ger
vice; combination with railroads for
the oppression Of the public; usurpa-1
zion OF governmental, banking, and
commercial functions; unconscionable
dividends.
Here are the chief beneticlaries Of
the express monopoly, as enumerated
~ Mr.. Lyon: j: Pierpont Morgan,
Henry c. Frick. Cornelius Wander
bilt.; George,.F F. Baker, Jacob H.
schiff, Charles NJ. Pratt, Hartman
estate, D.. p. Cheney estate, Lewis
Cass Ledyard.
That the railroads are gradually
turning--more and more Of their
business into the express companies
which are largely owned by the same
men who own the railroads over
which they operate Is Indicated by
figures gathered by Mr.. Lyonson the
Increase In percentage OF express
business tovr other acdvidesWof the
railroads. This table OF figures
showed that the percentage OF In
crease in@express businessxof 1910
2vers1s9s was 1912 per cent; from
freight, 1926; from passenger traf,
tic, 10s. z 8 and from mai, q. 07.
The population OF the country In
~creased in the meantime only 1926
per cent.
! It was also shown by MI: Lyon
that the bulk Of the express: bust
less Of the country was IA packagel
On which the charges were from
fifty to seventy cents, thereby prov
ling that 1t is the small shipper who
g hardest hit. The attorney fur.
n AileTs ClIeU fETCOI on SxNWunTVS H8 COLI
tracts between the express and rail,
roed companies, showing that before
the latter corld cut their own mel
ons' they fdrst had to turn, over six.
tty per cent cc their entire gross
Z revenue to the railroad companies.
Willtam Savacoll, attorney genera
~ N ws1Hampshire, told thA,commt
sion the American express company
lad obtained a complete monopoly
I'm his state, having bought up all rtv:
al companies and since this monopoly
had been in effect there had8been m
Increase of 100 per cent, In rates. 4
Everybody who testified against
the express companies and among
the witleeses-were representatives Of
commercial and trade assQctattonl
from all over theAcountTy, tod q
the monepolies the expresz lines
have obtained, and that there had
been . gradual Increase of rates.
VARYING all the way from po5 to q
high asA $50 per cent. ss
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