Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1915-03-17
RAILROAD RATES.

RAILROAD RATES.
Iowa railroads are conducting q
publicity campaign through the press
and public meetings. by means OF
winch they seek to secure the IN
rluence OF local commercial organt'
cations and influential persons. n0p-
ing to win their support and through
them bring such influence upon the
Interstate Commission as will In
sure an advance Of IL cent mile
in passenger. rates, 25 per cent.
Rumor says that a request for ~
per cent increase in freight rates Is
also on the program. the effort TO
get higher rates Is general west Of
Chicago. Eastern roads have a.
ready done SO. The reports Of the
hearings Of the Commission ). which
granted that increase should %
thoughtfully considered. There are
very good reasons which INDICATE
that the roads did not prove their
need of the advance and that IT. was
gained somewhat through manipula-
tion of public opinion The advance
contemplated by western roaas
means some $12,000,000.00 more ex-
pense to the people of Iowa for rail-
road service. This is not asked to
improve the service nor to remedy
annoying and damaging conditions
which confront patrons OF the ROADS
and the communities and farmers
through whose lands they operate.
The request for advance rates rests
upon the implication that the pas
senger traffic is now conducted nm
der increasing burdens and deficits.
If SO the roads can be assured that
the people Of Iowa will not begrudge
the millions needed to remedy 1t. y
All industries are now burdened
with unusual and unlocked for losses
by conditions which all fervently
hope will quickly, pass away. Farm
ers are losing about $1,000 on every
steer shipped to Chicago Should
the farmer, because his industry ts
an index Of civilization and greater
even than the railroad, ask the rail-
roads or any other industry to lower
the rate on steers to Chicago and
pay him for his present losses? The
point is that the railroads are no
more deserving than the other In
dustries. and should bear their own
share Of widespread calamity.
The roads pay out for labor and
material 95 cents Of every dollar
received. Farmers pay about ~ 100
cents and in hard times or bad sea-
sons throw in a seasons work to
help the wheels OF the world along.
When he thinks about It he has an
idea that, the railroads might keep
their own wheels turning without his
help except in dire need. The rail-
roads argue that they should have
higher rates to enable them to bor-i
row money at low rates and sell
their bonds at high rates.
The people would like to know the;
credit standing of the railroads I'm
comparison with other industries.
There is good sized question Il!
they are not able to borrow for low
er rates to-day than the. farm mort:
gage pays and If their latest dtvi,
denGls do not compare very favOrab-.
ly with the latest dividends. OF other;
corporations and those Of agriculture
according to the capital invested,
and cost of operation? The farmer
recognizes his dilemma and Is bend-'
ing his energies, not to gain pubic
favors but to order his business up
on conservation; Of resources and
more economical methods of pro-
and management. The rail-
roads east Of Chicago were advised
to- do the, same, and therp4was neeeA
Of IT,. How Is It In Iowa
Is There is cause for unfriendll-
ness nd<distrust Of rail corporations.
That cause lies IN their past deeds.
a history of a sort. of piracy upon
land summed up in the words cred
tied to a rail magnate of the last
'"The public be
That policy automatically reacted
upon the railroads and. brought pub
licity Of tariffs and public control
Of passenger and freight rates, and
later some prosecution to- comp
Railroad managers saw
that government ownership or con-
fiscatory rates menaced them and
turned new, leaf. They now seek
to cultivate a public goodwill as a
new leaf. They now seek to culti-
vate a. public goodwill as a valu-
able business asset. The public nat
urally favors a railroad and appre-
ciates this new attitude, very much.
It can forgive II not forget the
past and Is as ready to grant any
request now as It once
was to donate franchises. land and
bonuses OF all kinds. The public
knows its obligations to the common
carrier but the people are natur-
ally anxious to know whether or not
the virus of the aforesaid attitude
Of railroads is completely eradicat-
ed from their systems, and will be
likely to tie strings to future gifts.
The rate problem IL gigantic and
Intricate. The first thing to solve
It is mutual trust and confidence
between the people and the roads.
That is one object of the present
publicity campaign. To
second that effort the roads should
treat the farmers and communities
through whose property they operate
as they would like to be treated.
Effort Is being made to do so but
It has not as yet been an entire
success. Another thing is accurate
valuation Of railroad property. A
farmer can not tell how much he
ought to have for pasturing a COW
unless he knows the value of the
land that is pastured. either can
the people nor the Interstate COM
mission tell how much traveller
should pay without knowing the
value of the equipment that carries
him. No man knows today the value
Of the rail properties In IoWa.
,.- :, HENRY GILLESPIE. I
EIGHTH GRADE PUPILS RECEIVE
+. CERTIFICATES.
The following is list of the
IL t1c 1sx,Son Il.