Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1915-01-28

v
pos that thru some similar mandste
Il should say TO lows groceis that they
shall sell twenty-five pounds OF gram
ulated sugar for 81? or course. these
suppositions are radical-Rnd yet, IL
this not in substance what the state
Of Iowa is forcing upon her railroads
when 1t names the rates they may
charge without taking the increased
cost of labor. fuel, taxes, etc.. into
consideration? Is it not equally as
unfair? It there anything about rail-
road which places 1t above the inex0ra-
BILE law Of cause and effect? Well
might they exclaim with Shylock in
his pathetic defense Of the Jew, II
you prick US, do we not bleed? II you
tickle US. do We not laugh? II 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 q
place In a former article It costs an
average of mills per mile to haul a
ton Of freight in the United States,
whereas in England 1t costs 1888 cents.
in Germany LAP cents. and In France
la cents. In the United States the
average wages paid to railroad en-.
ployes are $2.3s per day. in England
$1.15, and in Germany and France not
over 81 per day. The English rail-
roads are capitalized at $265,O00 per
mile in France at $137,00O per mile.
In Germany at $114,1S5, while In the
United States the stock and bond cap
italization averages only $4,000 per
mile. In view of this remarkable COM
parison, do American railroads de-
serve the wholesale Remuneration which
has been heaped upon them?
Facing Grave Problems.
Unquestionably we are facing some
OF the gravest problems that ever
US as nation-and these
problems grow largely out, of war
which is without precedent in history.
True, with q rapidly increasing cost
Of operation on the one hand and re-
duced rates on the other. it was mere
ly q matter Of time until the railroad
question was bound to become press
ing-but the great tragedy across
the seas has suddenly resolved into
an acute crisis a problem which might
otherwise have been solved gradually
and without any far-reaching indus
trial disturbance.
The United States is heavy debtor
nation. During the average year our
balance Of trade against the rest OF
the world amounts to approximately
$500, 100000, but on top of this we
always owe approximately another
$500. 000.e 900 which heretofore we have
been able to stand off by selling
Europe industrial securities to that
Now. however, the great
countries have served notice
that they not only expect us to pay
our debts above our trade balances in
gold. but tina. in addition they look
to US to buy beck from them hundreds
of millions Of dollars worth OF Ameri
can securities which are now held
abroad. 1t was to deliver this grim
that Sir George Paish, of the
English Exchequer. paid his recent
visit to the United States and when
he got thru making his statement to
a group OF big New York bankers. an
old veteran fnancier who has survived
many financial storm remarked to his
profoundly silent auditors, 1.-THE sheriff,
with a writ, is on the doorstep"
In the present instance, the rail-
road crisis is Of tremendous import
ance because in 1t Is involved the still
greater problem Of the integrity and
safety OF the whole superstructure OF
American business. That we can not
shove 1t aside by a broadside Of DEM
agogic platitudes or minimize IT by
employing the strategy OF an ostrich
is apparent to every man who Is
seriously concerned in his own ana
his country.s future welfare.
Up to People Of Iowa.
In few other states have the rail-
x,ho tn M
and development than in Iowa--a state
which stands without a peer asricui-
turally and which has within its
borders a greater diversified per Capita
wealth and less Of poverty than any
other state in the union. surely such
a great commonwealth, the broadmind-
edness Of whose people is pyword
thruout the nation, can not anoru "
treat unfairly the millions OF outsioe
capital which have been invested In
her network OF railroads ana WITHOUT
which her position among the Sister
hood Of states would have been mn
possible?
Splendid as has been our prosress
in the past, Iowa still stands merely
upon the threshold OF her true pos
sibilities, and during the next twenty
five years our 1dAAh ei~
wealth should be increased by many
hundreds of millions OF dollars. Ihas
we. however, still need millions OIL
outside capital and that these millions
will not be forthcoming unless W.
treat fairly every dollar which mas
been honestly invested In our INDUS
tries should be apparent to every
thoughtful citizen.
In the end, all the people and the
industries of state, great or small
must rise or fall together--for In the
Anal analysis we are all Dependent
upon each other Thus, the welfare
OF the town and its surrounding farms
depend upon spirit Of kindly co-oper-
alton between those who live In town
and those who live upon the farm.
without splendid inland towns we
would have a rural atmosphere which
would soon drive every bright country
boy and girl to the citieg-whiie with
out the farms the towns would witner
and die. Even so 1t Is with all the
other interests OF our great common
wealth which should contribute IT.
full share toward tho New Day'-A
day fraught with a broader under
standing and justice for every man ana
every interest whether large or small
At this moment there are a mil
lion idle men who stand in the Bread
Line" and depend upon Soup Houses