The Peoples Voice (Norman, Okla.), Vol. 6, No. 16, Ed. 1 Friday, November 12, 1897 Page: 3 of 8
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THE RKPU BLIC AN PARTY THEN AND NOV/
0
K
tA every State where an election was held th o year, Maryland excepted, the Derro^rate and Populist
Fusion forces eith 3r wort tremendous victories or made immenso gains. In Maryland whero there was no
fusion, on pccoi nt. of th« non-lndo^wmont rtf th« Nnt'onal Platform, the Feoubllcans carried the S'a e.
HAILKOAD QUESTION.
an able discussion of the
subject by john davis.
I'miilfiit lliplry of the Santa Ke Pystetn
U anawerrd by a man wlio ha* inxdii n
ttudy of the transportation piub.ru*
in all Its |ihaifi.
[CONTINUED FBOM LAST WEEK.]
Kditor of the Kansas Commoner:
I now desire to show that the lowest
passenger rates mentioned in the fore-
going discussions pay to the managers
of the roads good reasonable protits.
I will take as au example the rate of
one-ninth of a cent per mile; that be-
ing sometimes the charge for trans-
porting immigrants from New York to
Chicago. President Ripley will doubt-
less admit that the cars they ride in
are cheap, that the accommodations
are poor, that the people are badly
crowded, and that, their condition, in
general, is quite miserable. They are,
in every essential respect, merely
freight, except in two particulars: 1.
They load and unload themselves,
without expense to the railway mana-
gers. which other freights usually do
not ti. They are called persons or
possenger, and that becomes an excuse
for higher rates of transportation.
In India, at one-fourth of a cent a
mile as the cheapest passenger rate,
the prolits of carrying people, are
about two to one over their average
freight rates. In Belgium, over three
to one; and, in Russia, still greater.
Rut people should not be carried as
freight. They should have plenty of
room and humane treatment, with
every necessary comfort Instead of
being packed into cheap immigrant or
freight cars, at the rate of 150 people
to the car, let us give them a good five
thousand dollar passenger coach, cap-
able of seating in the very best manner,
say, about fifty to sixty persons. Then
the question arises, what will that bet-
ter style and increased comfort cost?
This question brings us squarely into
the dominions of the great Rail,
way Hogleman, whose business it is to
confuse people and get their money.
This style and comfort question is the
pick pocUot of the railway manage-
ment. There are many bold and colos-
sal robberies perpetrated, but the false
exageration of the cost of carrying
persons in a comfortable manner as
compared with carrying freight, add-
ing a thousand per cent to just and
reasonable charges, is one of the best
guarded corporation secrets. To pene-
trate it, we must know the cost of rail-
way equipments. Rut there are no offi-
cial reports on this dark subject. Unofli-
cially I have received from the Assist-
ant Statistician of the Inter-State
Commerce Commission the following
statement
He says: ,4I regret that I can give
you but little information in regard to
the cost of railway equioment Of
course the cost of equipment varies
considerably through a period of years.
From unofficial sources, the following
items of what purports to be the aver-
age prices of the cars named are given.
This office, however, is not in a posi-
tion to vouch for their accuracy.
"Sleeping cars Sfi,000 to 820,000.
Ordinary passenger cars, 84,000 to S: ,000
Mail or baggage cars $2,500
Freight box cars 8.">0()
Coal cars 8180
I made i-^any inquiries of men and
officials who ought to know such
things, and searched through many
books, to no purpose, before the above
wat kindly furnished to me.
The inquiry now arises, why this
profound secret which no man can
fathom. Evidently it means fraud.
Aud the more we stir and expose the
matter the plainer the fraud is reveal-
ed.
V\e have now an approximate basis
of the cost of style and comfort in rail-
way travel as compared with misery,
filth and discomfort
Let us illustrate the subject Sup-
pose we have an immigrant car, cost-
ing, say, 82,000, capable of containing
150 densely crowded people. And, in
contrast, let, us have, also, a good pas'
senger coach, costing 85,000, capable
of comfortably accommodating tifty
passengers. Now what should be the
rates per passenger in the cars, re-
spectively? It is a question of capac-
ity and investment.
If the rate for immigrants is one-
ninth of a cent per mile, the rates for
passengers in the coach should be
three-ninths. The car with fifty peo-
ple must charge three times as much
per person as the ear with 150, in order
| that each car may earn the same mon-
! ey per mile. That disposes of the ca-
| pacity question.
i As to the two investments, one is
8'.',000, the other 85,000. The differ-
ence is S3,000. Let us count twenty-
' five per cent per annum on the 83,000
i difference, as follows:
Interest, five per cent, 8150. Insur-
ance, ten per cent, 8300. Repairs, ten
per cent, 8300. Total, 8750.
That shows 8750 as being the annual
cost of the passenger coach, above the
annual cost of the immigrant car.
That 8750 per annum will be about two
and a half dollars a day for ten months,
allowing two months for the coach to
stand idle for repairs. That two and a
half dollars for each twenty-four hours
, divided among tifty passengers, be-
tween New York and Chicago will be
five cents each. This added to the
j three dollars already mentioned,
makes the through rate for passengers
on that trip, 83.05. The usual rate is
about Si8. The excess over 83 05 is
taken by the Railway Rogleman, as
; pickings from the passengers' pockets.
With these stealings he helps to create
railway kings and millionaires. He
j also helps to support railroad lobbies
1*1 the state legislatures and in Con-
gress. In this line there are some ugly
| stories afloat about the Santa Fe road
j which it may be well for President
: Ripley to explain, lest they may "ere-
: ate prejudice" against the manage-
ment of the road.
It is now plain why the railway man-
agers make no public reports to the
people. They do not wish to expose
i their profitable secrets, and thus to
lose their numerous opportunities of
speculation and pocket picking.
To make this one important secret
very plain, Jet us discuss it from an-
other standpoint. The railway com-
panies now hire the use of many of the
cars in active service at from one-half
to three-fourths of a cent per running
! mile for freight cars; and, from one to
| three cents per running mile for pas-
! senger and sleeping cars. The Santa
! Fe pays two cents per mile for sleep-
j ers. This extra cost for passenger and
sleeping ears over freight cars is not
great. The cost of one cent a mile for
| a passenger coach over a half cen1
! freight car is half a cent per mile. And
| the difference in a run of nine hundred
miles in twenty-four hours, is four and
one-'ialf dollars—two dollars more
than nas reckoned in th cformer calcu-
lation aud, it adds four cents to the
burden of each through passenger
riding nine hundred miles in a car load
j of fifty persons. Ry our first calcula-
| lation the through rate was 83.05; in
j the latter 82.00. At these rates passen-,
! gcra could be allowed the usual grip
| sacks in hand, limited, say to fifty
pounds. Trunks and heavy baggage
I should go in baggage cars at reason-
j able ton rates. Persons traveling in
j sleepers should pay a few cents more
, for increased cost of car: and, addition-
I al rates for decreased capacity,
j amounting, perhaps, in all, to about
six or eight dollars as the total cost
for nine hundred miles in a 820,000
sleeper.
In the iigfrt of these facts whicU an/
man can verify for himself, the present
system of passenger management is
seen to be a perfect plan of secret
spoliation and pocket picking.
The first great remedy for these evils
[ is more light! The railway corpora-
1 tions should be compelled to make full
and satisfactory reports of every branch
of the railway service. The railroads
are public highways of the nation, and
the people have a right to a full de-
tailed knowledge of their management.
They have a right to know how it is
possible for a road paid for in full by
the people, like most of the land grant
roads, to now be loaded with debts?
There is just suspicion, in such cases,
of gross incapacity of management; or,
of actual rascality. In either case the
eompany's franchises should be for"
feited, and the roads surrendered into
the hands of the government. The
ownership of a railroad by a private
party in this country is au impossibil-
ity. It is impossible because of the
conditions of the location and building
of the road, and by the public nature
of its business The courts, both
state and national, are a unit on this
subject. When a railway ceases to be
a public highway, it becomes a mere
trespass, subject to ejectment by the
owners of the land.
The people have a right to full offi-
• eial reports of the use and manage-
ment cf their public highways. When
people pay for riding on a railway,
they have a right to know the cost of
the service to the managers of the
roads, and the various items that
make up that cost. They should know
why a person weighing one or two
hundred pounds should be charged as
much as is paid for three tons of
freight, when there is no such differ-
ence in the cost of service.
In the foregoing discussions, I have
based my calculations mainly on the
present patronage of the roads, allow-
ing but moderate increase on account
of reduction of rates. I have made
these concessions to present conditions
in order to show that my position, if
tenable now, would prove very profit-
able under the vastly increased pat-
ronage of the future. When rates
were reduced in Hungary only a frac-
tion of what I have proposed, the local
travel increased over GC0 per cent; and,
the long distance travel 294 per cent.
(See Conies' Freight Passenger-Post, p.
127.)
A smaller increase than that would
give our roads the patronage which
President Ripley says would enable
him to make Hindoo rates; or, one-
half Uelgian rates, for our working
people.
To prove that the lowest rate I have
mentioned will be profitable with the
increased patronage it will induce, I
will cite one additional case:
On a certain occasion in August 1895,
three excursion trains of ten cars each,
carrying 700 passengers per train, were
run from Zancsviile to Cleveland, O.,
and return—280 miles. Tne rate was
75 cents for the round trip; or, about
one-fourth of a cent per mile for each
passenger. The result was that ten
per cent, more than the regular earn
ings of the road at the higher regular
rates. The cost to the railroad com-
pany was discovered to be about one-
tenth of a cent per mile for each pas-
senger. (See Freight and Passenger
Post, p. 91.)
President Ripley says, give him such
and such patronage, and he will give
certain greatly reduced rates. The
people cannot move first in the matter,
but, so sure as he gives to the peopje
on the Santa Fe road, raves down to
within ten per cent, of the cost of the
service, the patronage of his system
will be greatly increased, and much
prejudice will be removed from the
minds of the people against present
railwaj- management.
]TO BE CONTINUED.
PUBLIC FRANCHISES.
an opinion of the* mayors of
several cities.
Ther A.rree That I'uhllr I'rant'hUri
Should >ot He Delegated to lodlvld.
uali at aujr I'rlee, ami That lti«tier anil
i'lr a|iitr s«rvic« llviult* Fr«.u Munic-
ipal uerabip.
Carter II. Ilarrlaon. M yur of Chit-ago-
1 am in favor of the municipal owner-
ship of the monopolies under certain
conditions. I learned this from my
father who alv.ays strongly leaued to-
ward local ownership, when the condi-
tions were of a favorable character.
Corporations must be taught immedi-
ately and sternly that it is not only
criminal but unsafe to persist much
longer iu the system of robbery which
too many of them practice. The light
of the future—nay of the present—is
to be waged iu protection of popular
rights against corporation encroach-
ments.
8. M. JonrI. Mayor of Toledo.
I am unqualifiedly iu favor cf mu-
nicipal ownership of franchises. We
do not have it in Toledo, but it is com-
ing. Public sentiment was so strong
in Toledo a year or two ago thi t it
squelched a proposition to extend a
street railway franchise. That is not
the ouly sign we have had there. The
sentiment there as elsewhere, is
against giving away or the disposition
to private parties of public Irauchise
at any price.
Geo. K. Green. Mayor of llinghampton*
Municipal ownership of franchises,
under right conditions, preventing un-
scrupulous political manipulation j is
most desirable. The granting of fran-
chises in perpetuity to private corpor-
ations void of protective and profit-
sharing stipulations, is radically
wrong.
I). M. Alkln, Mayor of Kvansvllle.
Every city should own its own fran-
chises so far as practicable. On that
general principal I stand.
J. I). I helan, Miiyor of San Frandieii.
It is clearly the city's right and duty
to construct and operate street rail-
ways. If the city cannot make advan-
tageous terms with the corporations,
then it has this alternative, which it
! should not fail to employ. Private
fortunes should not be suffered to be
made out of the public property aud
the necessities of the people.
D. J. Mt-Yiear, Mayor of I>«8inotnri.
I am pledged to fight for the munic-
ipal control, if not ownership, of the
franchise, for I know that cities can
do the work better and cheaper than
private parties can. The sentiment
I for municipal ownership is very strong
1 as illustrated in our city recently,when
' the question of building a city light
' plant carried by a majority of nearly 3
I to 1.
W. K. Andrews, Mayor of Roanoke.
I pelieve in municipal ownership all
the way through. It is a great mis-
take to dispose of franchises to private
parties on any conditions.
•I. A. John-on. Mayor of Fargo.
I have studied this question long and
| carefully, and some time ago came to
| the firm conclusion that cities should
! own all franchises, except, possibly
' street railways. Rut now I include
them also.
multi-millionaire, and this denial by
implication is too thin. His policy
made millions of people poor. It is
not surprising that it made him so
rich. —Progressive Farmer.
I he I ult.il racltw*.
Thirty-three years aud eleven months
ago today the first shovelful of earth
v/as thrown on the I'nion Pacific rail*
road, and the greatest feat of engineer-
ing known to the world was formerly
inaugurated. Wise oues shook their
heads and said the plan to build a rail-
road across the "desert" would fail.
They declared that no road could exist
in a country unable to raise crops. Rut
there were men l>chind the enterprise
who had an abiding faith in the fu<
tore, and these men did much to make
the west what it is today. Rut there
were other men connected with the eu.
terprise, and they were not nearly sc
interested in building up the west a
they were in making of that railroad a
vast system of jobbery aud robbery.
And it was the men of that latter clas•
who were responsible for all the cor
ruption that has existed in this corpor-
ation. It ia these men who have m
posed upon the people of the Trans.
Missouri territory, 11 d them at every
conceivable opportunity, purchased
favorable legislation, in ti ue need eourta
and elected United States senators aud
members of congress. The sale of the
road yesterday marks the last act in
| the greatest drama of political chica*
I nery and corruption the world has ever
seen.
Despite the protection of the govern-
ment; despite a loan that would have
purchased a principality in Europe; de-
spite a land grant equal in area to
some of the larger powers of Europe,
and despite conditions that augured
well for success, the governinent was
swindled in the land grants, the people
were bled in exorbitant freight rates
and the greatest railroad of them all
was allowed to become bankrupt
Fiom first to last it was one vast impo-
sition upon the government aud upon
the people.—World-Herald.
I.unacy in England.
Englishmen are growing crazier
every year, or ft any rate, more are
treated as lunatics yearly In proportion
to the whole population, according to
the report of the commissioners of lun-
LET ES ALL LAUGH.
jokes from the pens
various humorists.
OF
leaaaut Incident* Occurring the World
Over Say Ing<t that Are Cheerful to the
Old or Young—Fuuuy Selectloua that
Every body Will Kit Joy Heading
A Pertinent Qumtlon
Poor Uncle Silas of Wavback nas
been arreted as a vagrant while
visiting New York. "You are
charged," said the judge, "with hav-
ing no visible means of support."
"Well, jedgo,"said Silas, "how could
I bring my farm to taowu with me?"
—J udge.
l*oor Col inn bun.
Schoolmaster—Why was It that his
(Treat discovery was not properly ap-
preciated until long after Columbus
was dead? Nineteenth Century
Schoolboy—Because he didn't ad ver-
tigo.—Tit-Bits.
Second Thoughts Are lief
The Maid—Mrs. Brown-Jones, ma-
'am. The Mistress—Oh. such a bore!
Tell her I am out, Janet. The
Maid — Yes'm. The Mistress —But
stay. What kind of a dress is she
wearing? The Maid—A new one,
ma'am: and it looks just like a late
Parisian style. The Mistress—Gra-
cious! Tell her I'll be down without
% moment's delay.—Truth.
A Yitluahle Man.
Baseball Magnate—You want a Job
is umpire? Applicant—That's what
I'm after. "Ever umpire before?"
•'No." "Play ball?" "Never."
aey. There were 99,365 lunatics in Eaj- j ('£hen what are your qualifications?"
land and Wales on January 1, 1897, an ! '1 vo been leader of a church
Increase of 2,919 over the year before,
making llie proportion one lunatic to
every 313 persons in the country. In
1859 the proportion was one to 536, iu
1869, one to 418, and in 1879 one to 536.
May, April and July aio the months in
which moBt Englishmen go mad; 02
choir
for ten years." "Name vour salary."
—Tammany Times.
Why He Didn't lleuiit.
Tailor (meeting friend on the
ctreet)—I thought you said you'd
mail me the $."> bill you owe me?
, Creditor—I did mean to, but when I
per cent of the female and 31 per cent W(.nt lo (,1R postofflce to mall it i
of the male lunatics yield to hered- found that placi"d on the walls:
itary influences, or have their madness
born with them; 21 per cent of tli
males and 8Mi per cent of the females
come to it through drink; another lai'ga
percentage of the women loses its wi;
"Post no bills. "—L>cs Moines Argo-
naut.
A llreak.
a _ 4,Van Wither made an unfortunate
through the accidents of sex; 2.2 per wmark at^ Suuiner'8« wedding yester-
cent of tho women and only 0.6 per
cent of the men go mad through love,
while about the same proportion of
both, 1.8 and 1.5 per cent respectively,
goes crazy on religion. Married m n
have a greater tendency than bachel-
ors, and the degree of their madness u
a greater one.—New York Sun.
I'ingree to Sue ISailroail*.
Governor Pingree, of Michigan, will
begin a mandamus suit to compel the
Michigan Central and the Lake Shore
roads to sell mileage tickets good for
tlie purchaser and family for 2 years
at S'JO, according to the terms of the
law recently declared valid by the
State Supreme Court. The Michigan
Central sells mileage tickets for 830,
but requires many details in purchas-
ing them. The Lake Shore refuses to
sell mileage tickets of any kind.
To get a case against the two roads,
Gov. Tingrec today made a demand for
mileage tickets in person and was re-
fused by the Michigan Central for less
than $30. and by the Lake Shore abso-
lutely. lie declares he will tight the
' case through all the courts as fast as
they can be reached.
The roads named are operating un-
der special charters, which, it is
claimed, exempt them from State en-
actments regulating the sales of tick-
ets.
Million*! f < lev*land*
The gold standard papers have been
made very uneasy by the statement
that Cleveland retired from the presi-
dency worth 5?:.',000,000 to 84,000,000.
No one has ever been bold enough to
j deny the fact, but the papers riendlv
j to the single standard have been lately
j circulating the statement that Cleve-
land listed only 820,000 real estate and
8130,000 personal propcrtv at Prince-
ton, N. J., thus implying to the public
that he ia worth only 8150,000. It
proves nothing of the kind. There
are millionaires whose propei ty shrinks
mightily on giving it in for taxation,
but if this was done fairly, still we
know that he could not give in for j
taxation at Princeton real estate that
he owned at Gray Cables, in New 1
York, in Chicago, nor elsewhere. Aud
as to his personal property, his LJ. S
bonds are non-taxable ami would not
appear on the tax list if he held a mil-
lion dollars on them. We have seen
no denial of the authoritative state-
ment that Mr. Cleveland, who entered
the While House a pogr man, it now a
What the Teacher Said.
Two elder boys at the breakfast ta-
ble had described their academic ac-
quirements to their father with the
just pride which inspires youths in
their teens over Greek verbs and Latin
declensions. They told of the surprise
and joy of their respective teachers at
certain brilliant recitations of the day
before. Then arose on his high chair
the youngest, the kindergarten stu-
dent, aged four, whose Christian name
is Lowell. He swung his arras and
began, "My teacher said," then paused,
evidently to let imagination have her
perfect work and keep him in the race,
lie swung his arms again and declared
with infantile gravity, "My teacher
said, 'Lowell, you and all your family
are peaches.' "—Boston Transcript.
day." "What did he say?" "Con-
gratulated him on the treasure ho
had won, and every one but Van
knows Sumner married her for ber
money."—Truth.
111m A aeation.
"Are you going to take a rest this
summer?" "Oh, yes. I suppose so; in
! the usual way." "How is that?"
"I'll take a vacation and llsh and
hunt and put, tip with poor accommo-
dations. Then I'll come home and
rest."—Washington Star.
liept It {Jiieuehed.
An English Ad.
Englishwomen who have to earn
their living are encouraged by adver-
tisements like this, printed by the
Westminster Gazette: "To Ladies of I
Some Small Means—Wanted, from Oc- j
tober, a gentlewoman by descent, ac-
customed to domestic work by clrcum- J
stances; single, early middle age; fond
of active life and open air; must rough j
It, but not with rough people; ptoln
home, laundry, share of what is go-
ing; ao stipend; describe what used i
to do first by letter."- New York Sun. I
* ' V
City Missionary—What! Do you
mean to say that poverty gave you
this thirst for liquor? Unfortunate—
Not exactly, Mister. Hut when I
was wealthy I never allowed ni>sclf
to have a thirst.—Fuck.
•Jersey's Ottrlch Farm.
A man in New Jersey has estab- I
lished an ostrich farm, and has al-
ready received a consignment of the
gigantic birds from California. He has
built a large steam heated inclosure, j
in which the ostriches will be sheltered !
during the winter. The projector of
the enterprise is confident that his
stock will thrive in the Now Jersey j
climate.
Rabbit Industry oI Kansas.
Itabbit hunting as an industry has
been stimulated in parts of Kansas by
advertisements of firms who offer to
pay three cents each for jack rabbit
skins (half for damaged ones), three
cents a pound for pieces, and five and
a half cents a pound for cottontails.
The fur is wanted by hat manufactur-
ers.
Dawson's Onion Market.
There may or may not be nuggets of
i*ld to dig from the ground in ths
Klondike, but there Is gold galore for
tha man who can get a few carloads
of onions to Dawson City to sell at )t>
per onion.
Overdoing It.
Friend—The sun in your last paint-
ing is very natural. Artist—Yes, al-
together too natural. "Why do you
say that?" "Because it dries up the
water in that pond so fast that 1'
have to paint new water every three
or four days."—Texas Siftings.
A Colli Day.
"I can't saw that wood, lady. I'm
afraid I'll freeze to death." "What!
; Freeze to death this hot weather?"
"I know it's hot, lady, but it'll be a
cold day when I saw wood."—Lippiu-
cott's Monthly.
Aliucmt Implicitly.
Mrs. Ncwlywed—And do you n -
ways trust your husband implicitly?
Mrs. Experienced (enthusiastically)—
Indeed, 1 do! That is to say, of
course, to a certain extent —Somer-
ville Journal.
A Sweet Moutb
She—What a sweet ,dth Miss
Smilingly has. lie—Wei.', I should
say so. 1 always manage to dodge
her during the ice-cream and soda-
water season.—Detroit Free i'ress.
Johnnie * First Lemon iu Geography.
"What is that there?" asked hi,
teacher, placing a Unger upon a cer-
tain point oil the map. "There?"
aald Loto. "Oh, a dirty fingernail!"
—Texas Sifting*
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Allan, John S. The Peoples Voice (Norman, Okla.), Vol. 6, No. 16, Ed. 1 Friday, November 12, 1897, newspaper, November 12, 1897; Norman, Oklahoma Territory. (https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc115796/m1/3/?rotate=90: accessed April 17, 2024), The Gateway to Oklahoma History, https://gateway.okhistory.org; crediting Oklahoma Historical Society.