The weekly soliphone., 1915-02-26
ONCE wR,NG-ALwAYs WRONG.

various EXPENSES sum equal $3.50 for every one
f he more than ninety million people of this country
oqna impression of the relation of the railroads tc
tbese noople can be gained. No other industry does
this No other business 50 much to the Wei1are
- +h country In 1918 these same railroads paid into
public treasures in tax assessments approximately one
hundred and thirty million dohars-9A'4o loi eFeiS "
habitant of the United States
It is well that power great as that which can
he brought into play by united railroads OF the ma
ton should be the subject of federal and state rega
t,on It is human to err the railroads are depend
emf mon human agencies for their management. mat
chow have made serious bunders both Intentionally and
unintentionally cannot be denied yet TO-DAY tey are
.dsed in bv laws which render them powerless to OPP
press Their rates have been cut in almost every state
freight charges curtaed, and the water mas oeen
wrung out of their and bonds The railroads OF
1915 are not the railroads of ten fifteen years ago
They are no longer favored with concessions in the mat
ter of and national lands, and
bonuses as they were during the pioneer of their
development Bankers of the present age who negotiate
loans transportation corporations look careiuy mto
the matter their earning capacity and the rrecupera
tive powers they to command ready access to
financial assistance it must be shown that their earn
ngs are quite sufficient tide them any reasona
bic period of commercial and business depression; and
without this ready to financial help they are I'M
able to improvements which are essential to theI
economical operaton-improvements when puohc sale-
ty and public convenience demand
Attention during the past few weeks has been fire.
ouently called that the railroads of Arkan
sas playing hand with the public. Ihey nave
done away the oldtime practice OF maintaining
corrupt lobby Little Rock for the purpose OF eXer
cising influence the legislative department
In their attempt reach public favor they have given
figures and stated calculated to make an impress
sion upon minds saturated with malice and preju
dice They have shown beyond any shadow of doubt
that their earning capacities in Arkansas have been
seriously curtaed by two-cent rate
that a calamity faces them. They defautng in the
payment of interests and delaying repair and i'm
provement works that are essential They have been
forced to dispense with all pay rolls that possibly
be done away with, and result, thousands of la
borers are either working part time have been forced
ed go to other points to find employment
The idea pretty generally prevails that the United
States supreme court in handing down its opinion upor
the appeal railroads in their fight against the
1907 act held that the two-cent equitable fan
done What the did hold that the burden Of
proof which should gone show that the low rate
confiscatory upon the railroads and that they
failed to show in their peadings that such condition
existed. 1t was poi lted that to have done this il
would necessary for the railroads, be
1907 passed, keep their accounts in such
shape an showing of all expenses incident
the operation of transportation lines operating inter
state could be made giving upon the hand item
such parts of their general receipts and
penditures applied interstate and such parts ap
piled to intrastate upon separate sheets. 1t should
remembered also, that prior to the of this act
had brought the attention of the railroads
that such departure established would be
put effect their auditing departments the roads
had, to be kept accurate accounting systems bu
in very nature reason they could did not
show by detailed the of operating train be
tween Paragould and Poplar Bluff except as a whole
In other words system had been put into play whel
would show that between this city and the Missouri
town four hundred fifty dollars worth freigh
this amount was received delivered excusivel,
in Arkansas and the balance in Missouri that
operating expenses of the developed dur
ing the Arkansas haul and another fraction while
Missouri Without this information it impossible,
for the railroads, understand it, present
higher court that lucid information which in effec
would have proved judicial authorities the fac
their Arkansas investments AS result the court hand