The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1914-02-05
VICTORY
E!0| [ / | !. | /
The s25, 600, 600 PRODUCTION IN
EXPHESSs RATES lA5GREAT
5.a5 ACHIEVEMENT.
SOME OF THE MEN WHO
BROUGHT ITsAB0UT. /.


reduce the cost OF living of all the
people Of the United States more than
two million dollars a month. Nearly
every article which the. consumer
buys has had express charges added
to its cost somewhere along the line,
and for years everybody realized that
these charges. especially on small
packages, were outrageously high.
The railroad companies would not,
carry freight promptly in COMPETE
tion with the express companies be-
cause the railroads had contracts by
which they got approximately one
lalf of the excessive charges collect
cd by the express companies. They
divided the profits between them.
The hearing which resulted in this
great victory was not primarily ini-
tiated by any state or national public
official. 1For more than half cen
tury congress permitted these great
U -
parasites on1transportation 10 extort
untold millions, from the publicsstate
governments and state ,officialsyyere
helpless if5.not4 Indifferent, because
the bnik Of express transportation es1
tends beyondistate lines. 1t remain,
cd for hreeaMinnesota reformers,
acting as private individuals, to make
the fight which compelled the atten-
tion and investigation of the Inter-
state Commerce Commission. Jenj.
Z. Sundberg, Red River Valley
farmer, electer to the state senate,
felt personally aggrieved by an ex-
tortionate charge of an express COM
pany for carrying casting to him
during harvest time. and complained
to George S. Lotus, who had ac-
duired the habit tof exposing trans
rcrtation abuses and who had a snor,
time before had AN encounter with
the Pullman monopoly. "a Lotus put
tile matteraup toi'his lawyer, James
Manahan, now congressman large
from Minnesota, who fstarted three
suits in Senator sundberg's name at
tacking generality the unreasonable
ress of express charges all over the
United States. LOTUS as a transpor-
tation expert, Manahan as a lawyer
CT nerve and great force, With sund-
berg us .auafarmeri,public spirited
enough toppayttl,e expenses, opened
the fight Indianapolis and forced 1t
to conclusion in New &York. when
they compelled thespresidents of the
four great express companies to per-
sonaliy take1 the IstandSand. disclose
the working arrangement under
which they operated together, as well
as to open their. books and show their
profits.
At the Minneapolis hearing 1t was
shown that the Great Northern Ex-
press company on am Investment of
less than 500. 900. earned in one year
over s650,O00 net. after paying all
its own operating expenses and 40
per cent. Of its gress earnings to the
Great Northern Railway company for
carrying t.icharges -. being owe. 900
iperScent annually on its Investment
At thehearing in News&ioHk the cqm-
;bihation between the United; ,Statep
Express company, the American Elk
press company. and sthenAdams FIX
III ess company. was proved in copnec-
ton with the enormous 3 dividends
that had been declared from year to
year in addition to- the accumulation
;: capital by two OF. these, companies.
When the evidence taken at Min.
neapolis and NewrYork was finally
submitted to the full commission at
Washington and argued by Mr.. Man
ehan before that commission, lie
showed so clearly not only the COM
tinations that existed between the
great companies but the extortionate
character Of their charges and their
unreasonable earnings, that the conf
mission decided, with the consent OF
Mr.. Manahan. to merge the sundbers
cases into general investigation OF
all Of the, rates between all stations
in the United States; to be conducted
by the experts OF the commission it.
self. This general; Investigation last
ell a couple Of years and confirmed
many of the; charges made by Mana
han in the sundberg cases. j It show
! cd that.the express companies .proD,,.