The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1914-12-10
TAKING OFF THE TRAINS.

There have been more than flV'
hundred passenger trains discontinuet
on the various lines in the United
States during the last two months ant
some timid people have become much
alarmed because they opine that sucl
action denotes great business stagna
ton. 1t is passing strange how short
is the memory of ordinary persons
If the people would stop and think
they would call to mind that it is the
biennial contraction that always takes
place before the state legislatures
meet in regular session. The legis.
latures of every state in the Union
convene on the first Monday in Janur-
airy, and there is noting that rail
road corporation, or any other col.
poration for that matter, breads so
much as law making body engaged
in the business of making laws. The
days of legislative favors for railroad
corporations are things of the past.
Whenever a legislative body gives one
of them anything in these days, it
gives it to them in the neck. If rail-
roads had their way, there would be
only one legislative session in ten
years and that would convene at four
o'clock on Saturday, adjourn over
Sunday and quit Sine Die on the next
Monday at nine A. M.
In order to impress the solons with
the fact that they are on the verge of
disastrous bankruptcy, Immediately
after each election, the railroad COM
panies commence to take off trains,
discharge men and to put up such
poor lip as to make the most stony
hearted official sympathetic. The
business condition of the country cuts
mighty little figure in this operation
and the convenience of the public none
at all.
Individually the members of a rail-
road corporation are same as all
other men, good, bad and Indifferent;
merged into corporation they have
no more consideration for the rights, |
convenience, comfort and safety of the |
public than German Uhlan has for
Belgian sniper. The only use rail- /
road corporation has for railroad is
to coin dividends. The rights of the
public, the accommodations of ship
pers, the condition of it's employees,
and the safe guarding of passengers
concern the corporation, as a corpor-
alton, not in the least, except as
matter of profit and loss. If train
does not show a profit it is taken off,
no matter how much inconvenience it |
may cause the shippers; if it does not
pay to stop train (at station, the
train is not stopped, unless the law re-
quires halt, no matter how many
passengers may be lined up on the
platform. If as much money could be
made on a short line between Sank
Centre and Melrose, as could be made
on the present unlimited mileage in
the country, that is all the railroad
that would be operated in the United
States.
The theory on which railroads are
operated was we'll expressed at
hearing before House Railroad Com
mittee in the 54th Congress. A Cen
eral Freight Agent of great Eastern
road was testifying before this COM
mittee. A member was trying to find
out why his company charged almost
a half more for hauling a ton of hard
coal than it did ton of soft between
two given points. The Freight Agent
was typical corporation representa-
tive. He owned not dollars worth of
stock in the corporation. He was
simply paid kingly salary to get as
much money as possible out of the
company's freight business and he did
it. His words came like shots out of