Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1915-02-10

yet, is this not in substance what
the State of Iowa is forcing upon her
railroads when it names the rates
they may charge without taking the
increased cost of labor, fuel, taxes,
etc, into consideration? Is it not
equally as unfair? Is there any
thing about a railroad which places
it above the memorable law of cause
and effect? Well might they ex-
claim with Shylock in his pathetic
defense of the Jew, IF you prick us,
do we not bleed? If you tickle us,
do we not laugh? If you poison us,
do we not die?'
In this connection, we wish to di-
gress for moment to quote some
statistics which should have had a
average of mills per mile to haul
a ton of freight in the United States,
whereas in England it costs 233
cents, in Germany LAP cents, and in
France 1.41 cents. In the United
States the average wages paid to rail
road employees are 1928 per day,
in England $1.15, and in Germany
and France not over 81 per day. The
English railroads are capitalized ut
S265,000 per mile, in France at
$137, 900 per mile, in Germany ut
STA, 1S5, while in the United States
the stock and bond capitalization av-
erages only $65, 900 per mile In view
of this remarkable comparison, do
American railroads deserve the
wholesale denunciation which has
been heaped upon them?
Facing Grave Problems.
Unquestionably we are facing some
of the gravest problems that ever
confronted us as Natiop-and
these problems grow largely out of
war which is without precedent in
history. True, with rapidly in
creasing cost of operation on the one
hand and reduced rates on the other,
it was merely a matter of time until
the railroad question was bound to
become pressing-but the great
tragedy across the seas has suddenly
resolved into an acute crisis prob
lem which might otherwise have
been solved gradually and without
any far-reaching industrial distur-
bance.
| The United States is a heavy deb
, tor Nation. During the average year
our balance of trade against the rest
of the world amounts to approx
mately $500, 100000, but On top OF
this we always owe approximately
another $500. 100000 which hereto
fore We have been able to stand Of
by selling Europe industrial securi
ties to that amount. Now, however
the great warning countries have
served notice that they not only ex.
pect us to pay our debt above oul
trade balances in gold, but that il
addition they look to us to buy bach
from them hundreds of millions Of
dollars worth of American securitie:
which are now held abroad. 1t was
to deliver this grim message that Sill
George Parish, of the English Elk
chequer, paid his recent visit to the
United States, and when he go
through making his statement to
group of big New York bankers, al
old veteran tinancier who has surviv
ed many financial storm remarked
to his profoundly silent auditors
THE sheriff, with a writ, is on thu
doorstep
In the present instance, tn,
railroad crisis is of tremendous i'm
portance because in it is involved tn,
still greater problem of the integrit!
and safety of the whole superstruc
ture of American business. That W.
cannot shove it aside by broadsidt
of damagogic platitudes or minimize
it by employing the strategy of al