JL
Conservative *
"Wo rend with
FIGHTING THE
wonder
concerning
MONEY POWER.
ing the courage
nnd fortitude of n game , popuJistic editor
who evolves vagaries and emits groans
for monetary reform in a weekly period
ical at Lincoln. The amazement in
spired by the bravo deeds nnd daring
devotion related of this editor loses
nothing because he himself tells of his
prowess and endurance nnd even nd-
mits' that ho has "fought the money
power" single-handed nnd alone , one
hand being tied behind him , nnd with
one eye out nnd both cnrs denf to the
cries of scared friends who would have
called him off , for more than twenty-five
yenrs.
How this valiant vnrlet discovered
the money power , what monstrous shape
the money power took on , whether it
was nlive and walked on two , or four
feet , whether it was reptile or animal ,
the bellicose nnd gnrrulous old warrior
does not state. But the general public is
interested to know all about this quar-
ter-of-n-century campaign against the
money power. Was the money power
n tnngible , corporeal army with guns ?
Did it have regiments , companies and
brigades nnd divisions ?
"Whnt was the money power fighting
for ?
What made the gallant editor sncri-
fice so mnny Inrge years of his great
life and so much of his private fortune
in fighting the money power ?
And what compensation is pnid the
troops whom that editor commanded in
this contest with the money power ?
And what good has come to the people
ple out of this alleged conflict conducted
so twenty-five-yenr-i-cally by the great
nnd good editor in question ?
And will thnt editor or some other
philosopher analyze and describe the
money power , tell what its forces con
sist of , how they are operated , who or
ganized them and what will protect the
people of the United States from their
forays and ravages ?
THREE OF A KIND.
Has not the time about arrived when
conservative business men and right-
minded people generally should be wi
ling to admit that there at least appears
to be something wrong in the condition
of our vast interstate transportation
system ?
It is admitted on all sides that as a
commercial nation wo have been for
some time enjoying the safest , cheapest ,
and best transportation facilities known
anywhere in- the world. Every move
made by the railroads in recent years
has been one looking to the improvement
of the service rendered to the shipper
and the general public. It is not so long
ago that there were nearly as many dif
ferent freight classifications as there
were railroads. Today there are only
about three general classifications for
the entire country , It can further be
truthfully said thnt every change in the
classification of freight , for some time ,
at least , has been to reduce n commodity
or article of merchandise from a higher
to a lower plnce on the scale , thereby
cheapening the freight rate upon it. Yet
the attitude of the public and of legisla
tors towards railroads lias yearly been
growing more hostile and unreasonable.
Onn of the most noted English trans
portation experts visited this country in
the early part o this year for the pur
pose of making a tour of inspection
nmoug American railways. "When ho
returned to his country he reported in
print over his own name thnt he would
advise Englishmen not to invest in
American railway properties. The rea
son he gave was that the margin of profit
was so fine and the attitude of the pub
lic so unfriendly thnt American railways ,
with only rare exceptions , presented an
unfavorable field for prudent invest
ment.
Within the last twenty-two years
about 110,000 miles of American rail
roads , representing $0,000,000,000 of
capital , have passed through the hands
of receivers. The enormous suffering
and loss caused by this acute condition
may be partly measured by a simple il
lustration. It is easy to understand the
hardship and loss entailed by the failure
of one largo manufacturing or mercan
tile house employing perhaps a thousand
people. Not only does the immediate
locality feel the loss nt once and se
verely , but the trouble goes ramifying
from man to man , and from family to
family , hundreds of miles away. Now
try to conceive of the effect upon rail
road wage workers , upon industries fur
nishing railway supplies , and upon mer
chants doing business with the thou
sands and tens of thousands of employ
ees who were nffected by the great dis-
nsters described above , and the eco
nomic gravity of the situation can be
fairly understood.
Something should bo done to secure
for American transportation interests
such reasonable and fair legislation as
they may actually need conduct . their
business upon a fairly profitable basis.
Undoubtedly the average citizen will
not disagree with this proposition , for it
is The Reporter's firm conviction that
the average American is fair-minded
and reasonable , and that when he fully
understands" things he is always ready
to grant reasonable and equitable treat
ment to any question or any interest.
There are , however , three men of a
land who will be fouud bitterly opposed ,
either secretly or openly , to any legisla
tion looldug toward the relief of our
common carrier interests , or any reasonable
enable treatment of them. First , is the
great trninload shipper , representing
vast trade organizations now enjoying
secret rebates and private treaties with
certain railway officials , the profits of
which probably mount into the millions
each year. Who is this favored shipper
of whom , wo hear so much ? Is ho the
small retailer , or the small manufac
turer , or the general denier in some
middle-sized town ? No ; ho is the man
or combination of men powerful enough
to dictnto freight terms to railroads ,
and ho will be able to go on dictating
his own rates until the right kind of
legislation places him on an even keel
with nil other shippers and patrons of
our great common carrier system. The
favored shipper will oppose any change.
He is growing rich under present con
ditions.
The next man to oppose any reform
is the railway official managing a
property that probnbly never pays divi
dends on its shares , and sometimes , if not
frequently , defaults on the interest of its
bonds. He is a commercial bush
whacker , ready to get business at any
price. Ho makes almost any rates to
get business in largo quantities from
combinations of great shippers. This
kind of railroad man will oppose a
change for the same reason as that for
which a maker of moonshine whisky
opposes the internal revenue laws , or a
smuggler opposes custom house rulings.
The other man , making three of a laud ,
is the cheap , pernicious , pestiferous pol
itician , whose only opportunity of se
curing attention or possibility of getting
into office is by abusing and misrepre
senting the second greatest industry in
the laud. For after agriculture our
great transportation system is the most
important of all our industries. It repre
sents § 12,000,000,000 of capital , supports
directly or indirectly 12,000,000 people ,
and disburses annually almost $1,000-
000,000 for labor and the products of
labor. This is the industry that the
cheap and shallow politician delights to
malign and misrepresent nnd injure in
such ways as he can.
Common sense , ordinary fairness , and
economic justice to the country at large ,
to railway wage workers , and to small
manufacturers and small towns , de
mand that the American railway prob
lem should bo discussed openly , frankly ,
and honestly , and that it shall be settled
upon lines of justice and equity. Until
the principle of right to all interests
concerned is allowed to prevail we shall
never get rid of this disturbing factor in
our commercial life. Dry Goods Re
porter ( Chicago ) .
NEW YORK EVENING TOST ON THE
ELECTION.
IOWA
in the last election
set a splendid example of fidelity to
principle in the matter of sound money
and currency reform , but she does not
intend to go to sleep after the victory.
Gov. Leslie M.Shaw , being asked , a few
days ago , what he thought of the policy
of an extra session of congress next
spring to consider the currency question ,
said : "The party throughout the nation
should take such an advanced and ag-