The Elk Mountain pilot., 1921-10-06

10 nave passed law granting the
James gang the right to carry or
their highway robbery would have
been just as much justified. If the
railroads think that the American
people are going to put up with this
very much longer they are badly
fooled. No government that permi IS
outrages of this kind can retain the
respect of its citizenship very long.
Suppose the government owned the
railroads and was to attempt to per-
petrate such charges, don't every in
telligent man know that the people
would soon overthrow that govern
ment?
And yet to allow a thieving rail-
road corporation to do it only adds
insult to injury.
Oh, but some paid licikspittle will
jump up and say that this charge for
freight service is because labor gets
SO much of the revenues and there
fore the blame is on the overpaid
railroad man, Another lie-and let
me prove it.
On this train of so cars there was
an engineer, fireman, two brakemen
and conductor, just five men. Now,
the engineer for this 80 miles re-
ceived not TO exceed 50, the fireman
81 so, the two brakemen s1.00 each
land the conductor S150, or a total
of s7-just s5,993 net to the railroad
company for running one train 80
miles Now, before we hang these
thieves, let us show that we have
given them a fair trial.
Suppose instead of one train crew
of five men, these cutthroat railroad
corporations were required to have
whole train crew of five men on
every car in the whole train, and for
fear that something might go wrong
with the cars while they were making
this great long journey of 80 miles,
that the railroads were required to
have in addition to full train crew
of five men on each car-NOT, ON
EACH TRAIN, BUT ON EACH CAR
80 cars in the train, who were get
ting 81 an hour-then the expense
bill would be 81 for each train crew
and for 80 train crews it would only
be $3.50, and add $50 for the 80 car
repairers and the total for the 80
train crews and the car repairers
thrown in for running this train for
80 miles would only be S645. Now,
take this unthinkable expense from
$4,000 which the road highwaymen
get, and they still have net profit
in operation of S5,360.
l want to make predict ction, and
that is that if the railroads do not
voluntarily reduce rates, in the next
three years the railroads will be TAX
en- by force by the government and
may be sooner.
Such action might be wrong and it
may be ight-circumstances are to
be considered at the time. But am
telling what is going to happen.
Railroad rates are so high that no.
Douy tue railroad OIl1c1alS
themselves-willd dare to defend them.
1t is remarkable that an extortion so
universally admitted has been per-
mitted to continue this long.
1t is all right to talk about the
horrors of confiscation, and constitu-
tional guarantees, but the Americans
always suffer and endure just so long.
When the burden can at last be borne
no longer they will rise up in their
righteous Indignation and sweep this
railroad crowd from the face of the
earth.
The failure of the Interstate Com
merce Commission to act promptly
in the matter shows that it ought
not exist. The creation of all rail-
road commissions was not so much to
equalize rates as it was to prevent
extortion on the people.
-U-