Twin city review. [volume] (Champaign, Ill.) 19??-1929, 1923-01-12
Remember THESE FIGURES
WHEN ROADS CRY POVERTY

reads lstesm railroads ealyl Is NOT
IsESS than SIS, 600. coo. coo every
aeflaa Of twelve months. OF more
ian TWENTY THREE BILLION
DOLLARS A YEAR GREATER
THAN OFFICIAL REPORTS IN.
nlCATE SUCH PROFITS 10 BIZ.
have stated IN the public prints
that he sum Of SiS,500, GOO VAS saa.
vaneeds 10 the New York Central
Railroad company. early in 1918.
from the Treasury 81 the United
States, said to have been IN COM
pENSATloN FOR OPERATING
LOSSES when rs a matter OF fael
the annual ne, profits OF that cor
pofation. according 10 official reports,
have been scores of millions az doll
lars in recent years. and rhat never
since ii was Incorporated t1S5Sl has
is annual profit been less than sew.
efal million dollars.
The alleged "funded debts" OF
American railroads are not actual
debts In any proper sense Of the
word They consist. mainly, OF in.
terest bearing bonds designed TO draw
interest tUSURfl for all time to
come. and 50 the date Of maturity OF
railway bends is placed hundreds of
years in the future; for instance 100
years. 200 years, 476 years, 500
years and even a99 years.
The interest received tnot paidl on
millions Of railroad bonds now rest.
ing securely and undisturbed in the
strong boxes of safety deposi, vaults
in the east equal the face value Of
such bonds twice over aiready and
even as much as three times the face
value thereof.
Considering that the public debts !:
the profits Of the pFotiteers, which IS
always converted into interest bear.
ing bonds, thus becoming public
debts, is increasing at the rate OF
FIFTY MILLION DOLLARS A
YEAR (probably much more than
that sum-, entailing increased bur
dens Of uncomfortable taxation, alto
gether unrecognuixed, OF SEVERAL.
BILLION OF DOLLARS A YEAR,
impels me to appeal through the pub.
lie press to "the common people" To
demand that a faet-fiuding commits
sion, preferably of responsible private
citizens, be created for the purpose to
determine, as near as possible, what
the actual profits of the carriers APP
pear to be, and then To publish the
facts far and wide for the education.
the benefit Of much deceived public.
The nation must be redeemed from
Poverty, Vice and Crime; from Debt
and usury. The property of "the
common people" is rapidly being CON
fiscated by "due process of law"
namely by "due process" of tax sales.
Let the criminal operations of those
in control of our great national high
ways be exposed; which highways
thus far have been made an agency
of oppression, rather than an agency
of progress and advancement.
The American Republic has been
made "A HOUSE DIVIDED
AGAINST ITSELF" which, OF
course, cannot stand thus divided.
Permit me In conclusion TO reproa
duce here suggestion and a recon-
mendation advanced by The Guaranty
Trust Company, Of New York. IN
1917. Its application Is more essen
tial to the public peace now than Il
was five years ago. This recommen-
dalton was printed in these words.
1.-THE keynote Of the hour Is Ma
TloNAL UNITY. In unity of inter.
est and spirit the railroad situation
MUST BE APPROACHED by repre-
sentatives of all classes and sections
in order that this fundamental econ
omc problem IN WHICH THE
PROSPERITY OF ALL is IN
V0LyED, MAY BE SOLVED
ALONG RIGHT LINES IN FAIR
NESS TO ALL, FOR THE COMMON
GOOD"