- y u-
Till
1
The Wealth Makers and Lincoln Independent Consolidated.
VOL. VIII.
LINCOLN, NEBR., THURSDAY May 2o 1897.
NO. 53.
Wm
THE 0NLU0L0TI0N.
The Government" Should Own and
Operate Telegraph and Tele
phone Instruments.
WESTERN UNION'S FOWEH.
Waltei Clark of N, C. Shows How
the People Would be
Benefitted.
Hie ("out lu hwitierlaiiil.
The following very interesting nnd in
structive article concerning the govern
ment ownership and operation of the
telegraph aud telephone system was
written by Walter Clark of Raleigh, N.
(."., and published in the May uumber of
the Typographical .Journal, . -He
nays:
The present Western Union Telegraph
Company has a noraiual capital stock of
$120;000,000 on which regular dividends
of six and eight per centarepaid, besides
$100,000 salary to its president and
other salaries to its other high officials.
Yet tbe stock holders of that company
have never paid in cash to its treasury
' but 1440,000., The other f 119,560,
iK)0 (or as much of it as is not water)
has been created by exorbitant rates.
This has been raked out of the public by
high rate, in addition to its annual
dividends on its watered capital, high
salaries to high officials and lobbying
expenses and franks to public officials.
The plant of the Western . Union is esti
mated to be really worth $20,000,000
ho an eight per cent dividendon its nom
inal capital of six tiroes that amount is
in truth forty-eight per cent. 4. firm in
New York offered the government a few
years since, to put up a thoroughly
equipped line for f 35,000,000, fiot only
to the 21,000 select points the Western
Union now operates, but to each of the
75,000 postoffices throughout the union.
As every postmaster could use the tele
phone, probably that instrument could
J be put in a t each of the 75,000 post
f Offices using the telegraph in addition,
at 16,000 of the postoffices, to forward
!long distancemessages. With the vastly
? increased number of messages would fol
low low rates, and the extension of the
service to every postonce, experts ex
press the opinioti that a -uniform five
cent rate for ten body words, between
Any two points in the . union, would be
profitable to the government. In Eng
land when the telegraph passed from
private hands to that of the government
with a reduction of rates to twelve cents
to every twenty words, the messages
promptly increased thirty fold in num
ber. Other countries had similar exper
ience, the incri-aee in the number of
social messages being simply marvel
ous. Another great objection to the present
system is that while the higher officials
are, like the railroad officials, paid enor
mous sums which they cannot and do
not earn, the vast mass ' of operatives
are screwed down to Wie lowest possible
figure, and are in constant danger of
losing their places. This would be other
wise were the telegraph and telephone
operated under the postoffico depart
ment. The high officials would not, as
now all speedily become millionaires,
and the men who do the work would
receive reasonable salaries and would
have, like other postoffico officials some
stability of tenure. The object of gov
ernment in operating telegraph and tele
phone service will not be to exort big
rates, to pay great salaries and divi
dends on a sixfold watered stock, but to
operate this department of the postal
service, as it does the others, upon fair
salaries to men and officers and at as
near cost as possible. No profits are
. desired. Then, too, instead of restrict
T ingiiself to 21, 000 selected points, the
government would utilize the 715,000
.oostoffioes and steadily increase their
Vipber. The increased busiuess would
4 tly increase the pay of country post
h Vrs, now inadequate, while by 1h9
tei Sones beinir placed in the nosh.
offijee, the rents now paid for offices by
the private companies would be a dear
saving to the government.
It has been objected by the Western
Union lobbyists that the telegraph and
telephone systems could then be con
trolled for partisan purposes. Out we
know that the postolfiee officials in the
latcuutpnign wire not so controlled,
while capitalistic pressure was brouxbt
to bear as fur n poasiblo upon nearly
every t-legrspb operator who could be
reached. There is every reason to h.
lievsthnt, under government control,
message would be more sacred than
under the prmeot system. At to tele-
phoor Inr private tu, the government
rents lint id r year, ud rvnit In
I'arsgtin, 't f 12 jnr annum.
Q Hat it may be akd why the govern
ment has not bwHi asked to tube this
ltp, when all other s-overument have
adopted eitwtrk'Uy as n motif poeer is
thir pototfU eeottomy.
Th telegraph in this eouofy ori-iallv
IMMtT) belonged to the raUiftlH
and when, kroin mistaken notions of
iwaiim.v. Ponnrm ptrmittnl It to to
(t l'Wl band, Hry Clay, H
jrrt VVhijtW-s.W, an I tav Johnos,
the democrats piiotitntiti-r n rl,
I MMmtlf proliuM Rftt i;.rlf
foretold thm etti that km toll
tiptid atfeiitj t t rtor 1 111 M-
' mettti t Um pmlnfflffli hW twtl
uisJ, mi t orinl h leading iui a of wll
parti, Jii.f'u.li Ate uttr
ir'. No Kwt ttsn elt run-.
gressional committees have from time
to time reported upon .hills restoring the
telegraph to the postoffiee.of these six
teen have reported in favor of it, one
report was non-committal and one
slightly adverse. The telegraph mono
poly, which finds its revenue better than
a gold mine, has always sought for
delay, and by its powerful lobby at
Washington, its lavish issue of franks to
congressmen and other public officials,
and its influence over the daily press, to
which it furnishes telegraphic news, has
alway so fur prevented a roll call on the
measure. They will continue to do so
as long as possible, There can be no
doubt that if the measure could come to
a vote, public opinion could force a re
sult in the interest of the people.
In 1808, indeed, the Western union
was virtually whipped, and prom
ised to surrender if given two years
to wind ' up, and the net was
passed which was still on the statute
book, that all telegraph lines built after
that date should be built with the
notice that the government could at
will take them over, upon on appraise
ment of the value of the plantwithout
franchise being allowed for. But by the
next cougress the Western Union was
strong enough to prevent a vote, and
has been so at every congress since.
Boards of trade in Boston, New York
Chicago and other leading cities, have
petitioned congress for a postal tele
graph. As far back as 1870 the legisla
tures of Massachusetts, Alabama and
Nebraska did the same, and the legisla
tures of Nevada and Nebraska in 1878
and the legislatures of other states have
followed their example.
The report of postmaster , general
Wanamaker, several years since, con
tained a list of official bodies and labor
and other organizations which had
asked congress for this great bo an
and betterment, and the bare list cov
ered several pages. But the peple have
so far asked in vain, The W. U. system
atically distributes its frank to every
senator and member of congress who
will accept them, and to every influen
tial official at Washington and else
where whom it is deemed advantageous
to influence. It controls the daily press
largely through its dispensation of
news; it has, too, the active co-operation,
sympathy and support of the
money power, especially of jhe great
trusts, a system of which it is the pio
neer, and it constantly maintains a
powerful lobby.
Seeing the great , difficulty in getting
a postal telegraph and telephone bill
through congress, owing to the dilatory
and obstructive , tactics of the Western
Union and while waiting the pussage by
congress of a postoffice, telegraph and
telephone act, which shall give us a uni
form rate of five cents between any two
points in the nnion, each state, whose
legislature le presents the people and not
the corporations, should pass an act
providing for a maximum rate for-tele-grams
of ten cents for ten body words,
for a message between any points in its
own borders, and a maximum annual
rental for $12 at a residence and $18 at
an office or store.
(1) This will give the people imme
diate relief, as the larger part of tele
graphing is done within stato limits,
and it will incidentally cause a reduction
in interstate rates.
(2) By accustoming the people to
lower rates and legislative control of
telegraph and telephones, it will hasten
public,ownership.
(3) It will reduce the exorbitant
profitB nnd salaries of these overgrown
corporations, and disable them from
spending so much money in lobbying
and franks to prevent postoffice owner
ship of telegraph and telephone.
The power of state legislatures to reg
ulate the charges of telegraphs and tel
ephones within their own limits is well
settled by tne decisions oi the united
States supreme court. s
In Kansas, the Morrill bill was intro
duced to fix telegraph rates at ten cents
for ten body words between all points in
that state. In North Carolina, bills
were introduced to fix the telegraph rate
at 13 cents for ten words between any
two points in the state, and telephone
rentals at $12 at a residence and $18 at
an office or store, and were defeated
only by the narrow margin of one vote
in each house, so closely did the copora
tion lobbyists calculate their strength.
Similar bills muy be pending, or may
have passed, iu other states. Tbey
should be introduced everywhere In
every state and territory, whether they
can now be passed or not. Their intro
duction and the discussion of them will
attract public attention to the tact that
the people have the power to remove the
high rates which now debar them from
the umt of these great , facilities, which
are now practically restricted to the
rich and deadheads. The effect will be
educational, and the next time the legis.
Ititure meet the bills will bo passed, tor
the people are rcnlly the master, lieu
roused to express their will.
It the postoffices were operated in the
public interest, postal naviuus bnuks
and pnrrvls post would also long sine
have beeome efficient parts of our post
office eystem. The are ao operated in
nearly every other eiviliied country, to
the profit of the government ami the
greatest benefit of the masww. There
UcCig an rik of broken sarinus banks,
earning are more generally deposited,
and the "parrel pol" largely him th
public from the high rati of our tiprtM
rtm.
We niiaeU this a "government of the
m-oi,'' , couli)raHoa of lh atov
dfecN in our pototU mnungeiuvftt
shows beyond rvil or qitUou that, ia
cim!.li ration fur I lie Uni til of the pub
He, am Ur Mtlud mof oilier toun
trim, e eft ttow ninkinif autall pretra.
linns to pttimUr giivrKHwit, TakiHg
our poioffis i"psrtto-it anpl,
ii ion' ) W tii ihit our i a "guivitrft'
mNi of lis eorpornt , by tl's nioiu
oHh MlT ol "f 1J U nAt of Hi
mtiliiih.itti."
An td t tit iiii ird prwer of
mt, "t o fcuuwttfc it uautr au I tU
ass its master's crib, but Israel doth not
know, thin people do not consider."
With the wealth of a continent entirely
the creation of their own hands, they
permit a few thousand men to confis
cate it for their personal profit. With
the wonderful discovery of steam and
electricity, given by Providence for the
betterment of the condition of the
masses, with apathy they see railroad
and telegraphs and telephones used to
increase the weulth of millionaires, and
to bind themselves and their posterity
in the chains of hereditary serfdom, and
stauding upon the shoulders of more
than sixty centuries, with the advantage
of the lessons they would teacb, without
effort, almost without a struggle, they
see the "power of the purse' pass from
them, and know not that, without it,
freedom is an empty form and the task
makers of Goshen their certain and early
doom. .:
BILL TO
The Government's Mortgage oa the
Union and Central Pacific
Railroads.
INTROUDCED BY MB. BUTLE3
Provide That the Government shall
Own,- Operate and Control
Those Boads
The Full Te tuft lie Hilt.
We have received a copy of the bill
introduced in the senate by Senator
Marion Butler, providing for the lore
closure of the governments mortgages
on the Pacific railroads, and providing
a manner in which they shall be oper-
ated and controlled thereafter. He
quotes the language of the existing law
to show that the government not only
reserved the right to foreclose under cer
tain contingencies but that those con
tingencies have happened, and that
therefore if existing law was executed,
that this great through line across the
continent would at once become a gov
ernment railroad. The bill direct the
attorney general and secretary to per
form their duty and carry out the exist
ing law. Mr. Butler's Bill (81728)isas
follows:
A DIM. , ,
Supplemental to nn act entitled "Au
act to aid in the construction of a rail
road and telegraph line front the Mis
souri River to the Pacific ocean, and to
secure to the government the use of the
same for postal, military and other pur
poses," approved July first, eighteen
hundred and sixty two; also an act ap
proved July second, eighteen hundred
and sixty four, and also an act approved
May seventh, eighteen hundred and sev
enty eight, both in amendment of said
first mentioned act and other acts
amendatory thereof and supplemental
thereto, aud directing the attorney gen
eral to have certain provisions of said
act judicially enforced, and directing
the secretary of the treasury to take
possession of the Union Pacific and Cen
tral Pacific railroads, to provide for a
sinking fund and for other purposes.
bereas. the United States has issued
its bonds, payable ia thirty years after
date, bearing six per centum interest per
annum, amounting to twenty-nve mil
lion eight hundred and eighty-five thous
and one hundred and twenty dollars, to
the Central Pacific railroad company to
aid in the construction of said road and
iU telegraph lines, upon the condition
that the amount of said bonds so issued
and delivered to said companies, to
gether with all interest thereon, should
at maturity be paid to the United States
and upon failure of said company to
comply with said condition the railroad
a d telegraph Hues, with all property
rights, functions, immunities and appur
tenances tbereuuto belonging, and also
all laud grunts to the said company by
the United States which at. the time of
said default, shall remain iu the owner-1
ship of said company to be subject to I e
lie taken possecsloii of by thti secretary
of the treasury for the use and benefit of
the United States; and
Whereas, the United States hnsissued
its bonds, payable iu thirty years after
date, bearing six r centum interest
per annum, amounting to twenty seven
million two hundred and thirty-six
thousand five hundred aud twelve dol
lars, to the Union Pucinc railroad coin,
puny to aid ia the construction of aid
road and it telegraph liues, upon the
nine term and condition referred to
above apply i ntf to the Central Pacific
railroad eonipun.v, and
Whereas, In f curt of the principal
nnd interest of ll ikiiuI iued by tli
I ui ted State to iii- (Vutral PaoiHo and
Union Pacilie riir t cuaipnuie now
due and payable nnt the said companies
are ia di-fault, and
Whervu tli :id railroad ronpani
hav fititvil to comply with th provis
ion of said act and aUo of tit act
adopted May wveatb, eiifhtevn hundred
and venly ei bt, amendatory to the
art of July nrt, mhtewi huudrvl and
Uty-two, authnruing th Untied XUo
to aid la the i)iitru?Hott of said rad
rod and teinri.U Ntt. and
W here, airordti g to lb term of
aid Ai l wh tttiltim U UimUt to opwrattt
lurlcilur of all poirty rmht.
pfitlUu", ri nad (rant drifrrd
or ubtainn.1 by tlooit from IU United
Mat, TltrMiirw
IW tt caat ted by th euti and hou
of rvprfiwitUWt of the I httt Mtad
OSE
MM
of America In congress assembled, that
the attorney-gpuenil of the United States
be, and is hereby directed to cause such
forfeiture by said railroad companies to
be enforced.
Sec. 2. That the secretary of the
treasury be, and is hereby directed
to take possession of the Central Pacific
Railroad and telegraph lines and of the
Union Pacific railroad and telegraph
lines, with all of the property rights,
functions, immunities, and appurten
ances thereunto belonging; and also all
lands granted to the said companies by
the United States which at this time re
main in the ownership of the said com
panies, subject to any lawful, prior, and
paramount mortgngo, lion, or claim
thereto. Aud thereafter, the United
States government sliall own, operate,
and control said roads and properties
as public property as one continuous
line of railway, and shall charge uo
greater rate for the carriage of passen
gers and freight thereon, and for mes
sages forwarded over ita telegraph lines,
than may be sufficient, in the opinion of
the secretary of the interior, to pay the
actual operating expenses of said road
and telegraph tinea, to keep the same In
proper and efficient repair, and to create
and complete a sinking fund as herein
after provided.
Sec. 8, That for the purpose heroin
mentioned the secretary of the treasury
shall fund any bonds, -mortgages, or
lien debts of said railroad companies,
respectively, (Awfully paramount to the
right of th United States, into bonds
of the United States payable in thirty
year after' date, hearing not more than
three per cent per annum, to bo known
as Pacific Railway bonds, the Interest
and principal of which may be paid In
any lawful money of the United States.
And the right is reserved to the United
States to call in said bonds, or any
of them, and to pay the same at
any time after ten years from the date
thereof; and the further right is reserved
to postpone - the payment of said bonds
until a later period or periods beyond
thirty years from date, subject . to the
payment of interest thereon during the
time of such extension. Such bonds
shall be issued in amounts not to exceed
one thousand dollars each, and shall
hare coupons attached to each bond for
the payment of interest, at a rate not
to exceed three per centum per annum;
and tueb coupons shall be payable quar
terly each year, beginning with the date
of the bond to which the same are at
tached. The bonds and the coupons ap
issued shall be made payable to the bear
er, and the title to the same shall onss
by delivery: Provflnd, That said bonds
may be. registered by Abe owner thereof
in the treasury of the United States in
the manner and with the effect as is now
prescribed by law in the case of other
registered bonds issued by the United
States.
Sec. 4. That there shall be estab
lished ia the treasury of the United States
a sinking fund, and said siukinor fund
shall be invested by the secretary of the
treasury from time to time in the bonds
issued under the . provisions of this net,
at a rate not exceeding the par of their
face value and accrued interest, or in
any other interest-bearing obligations
of the United States; and the interest
thereon shall be in like manner from
time to time invested, and the same
shall accumulate and be disposed of as
hereinafter mentioned. There shall be
carried to the credit of said sinkinir fund,
on the first day of February of each year,
the net earning of the Union Pacific and
Central Pacific railroads and telegraph
lines until said sinking fund shall be suf
ficient in amount to liquidate the prin
cipal and interest of said Pacific Railway
bonds.
Sec, 5. That the secretary of the treas
ury is hereby authorized and dirocted to
ascertain the cost by purchase of such
parts of lines now owued and operated
by the Union Pucinc and Central Pacific
railroads as may be necessary to con
stitute a continuous line of road be
tween Omaha aud Kansas City and San
Francisco, or the cost of constructing
such necessary connecting lines, and to
report the same to the congress of the
United states within six months after
the passage of this act.
MESSAGE TO CONGRESS.
The President Recommends the Ap
propriation of $50,000 for
Cuban Sufferer.
CHAPMAN TO CO TO JAIL.
The Iowa Senators Did Not Favor
the Omaha Indian Supply
Depot.
olar Matoa Hprntk f Cuba,.
In the eat on Thursday tb 13th
Biinator Allen culled up bis resolution
to bring K. R. Chapman before tb) bar
of lhaaenat and requlr him to purg
olnnwlf of oontampt oa account of hi re
fusal to answer question to a eouunlt
te of th aeaat Investigating th sugar
trnt aeandid. and th MKutUon of
ator ia roooveiioa therewith. The
diM Uiitn proedd qui tty along b-g!
Iiu until Mr, 1 ilimtii of Mouth Carolina
look th Hoof. II Mid in hi Peri
liotntof: "ll in to in that wear
not nfter Uiui'iimii; th original iuet
gdtton a a not Uifen Wto pnihl'hi
man, but o dirovr whether any .
mi or on iMRMtr had g My oi
nou a oftu-iat pmtiutn to money
by M!ltliiig in stink, which wi lu.
fl4iitvd l-y lit i tun a a aafor, n
Id coin in live whs h rfo. Ik tnrft
bill. It is not worth while to try to
cover up this matter with bandiaire and
flippancy. There are today in the news
papers of this country charges floating
about and being sent broadcast, signed
by correspondents in the gallery to the
effect that lust week, when the new tariff
bill was report! a with a change 'in the
sugar schedule, that three senators bad
speculated in the sugar stock. We have
another stench on our hands, and in
stead of it being a differential in favor
of the trust of a tb ird of a cent as that
was, it is uow two-thirds in favor of the
trust. .." -
There are two correspondents who
have, over their own signatures charged
that senators have speculated within
the Inst week and made money. Now if
you iutend to get at the true inwardness
of the matter, to get at the truth and to
punish those who are guilty say so and
do so or else hush. That is the whole
sum and sabstauce of it. We do not
want Chapman, we want Havemeyer;
we want the mnn who bought your men
if they were bought. That is what we
are heee for and now let the senator who
has mi ved to refer the matter and who
lores the dignity of the senate as much
as any other roan, take the resolution to
his committee and tir.ug back a meas
ure here that will mean something. We
can now make those men who nave
charged that senators have speculated
say where they got the information or
we can punish them for contempt. We
can call on H iveineyer and th sugar
trust grandees and make them answer
or put them In jail for contempt. Either
Investigate so as to find the truth and
punish the cilminal or bash."
Afie-Mr. Tillman had flulshed the
resolution was referred the committee on
judiciary. Senator Allen will undoubt
edly call ft up again. The location of
the Indian supply depot at Omaha that
Senator Alleu bad so suceessfuly piloted
through both houses and through the
the conference committees came up for
final vote in the House. Congressmen,
Mercer and Jerry Simpson made speeches
ia favor of Omaha. 'X'ne vote resulted
54 for Omaha and 47 against It is a
great victory for Omaha and means
much for the state of Nebraska.
An illustration of the opposition to
the location of the depot at Omuha and
the credit that is due Senator Allen as
the originator , and pilot of the scheme
is to be found in the position taken by
Senator Grear of Iowa a neighboring
state that would naturally be friendly
to Nebraska. He would Support its
location at Council Bluffs or Sioux City,
but nesaid: . ' ,: ; .
"I will not be found supporting bgis-
lation championed by Senator Allen.
I look upon the whole matter as a trap
set by Mr, Allen for the purpose of catch
ing the republican party, tie has stood
on the floor of the senate and openly
charged the republican party with ex
travagance, and I do not propose to be
fooled by voting money out of the treas
ury unless I can see my way clearer than
1 do on the Omaha warehouse project,"
If Allen "set the trap-' future develop
ments showed that he also baited iu the
proper style.
The persistent efforts of the Cuban
sympathizers iu the United States eeu-
ate is beginning to bear lnut. A mass
meeting was held in Washington last
Sunday afternoon to consider the dis
tress in Cuba. The meeting was at
tended by more than 8000 persons.
The speakers were Senators Gullinger,
Allen and Butler, Rev. Johnson and
Kev. Emus. As a result of this agita
tion and the discussion in the senate
President McKinley sent the following
message to congress: ,
"To the senate and bouee of represen
tatives of the United States: Official
information from our consuls in Cuba
establishes the fact that a largo number
of American citizens in the island are in
a state of destitution, suffering for the
wunt of food and medicines. This ap
plies particularly to the rural districts
of the central and eastern parts. The
agricultural classes have been forced
from their farms into the nearest towns
where they are without, work or money.
The local authorities of the several
towns, however kindly disposed are una
ble to relieve the needs of then own peo
ple, aud are altogether powerless to help
our citizens.
The latest report of Consul General
Lee estimates COO to 800 Americans are
without means of support. I have as
sured him that provisions would be
made at once to relieve them. To that
end I recommend that congress make
aa appropriation of not less than $,"0,--000
to be immediately available for use
under the directiou of the secretary of
state.
It is desirable that n part of the sum
which may be appropriated by cougress
should, in the discretion of the secretary
of state, also be used for the trensporta
tion of American citizeu wbo.desiring to
return to the United States, are without
means to do o.
Vl'll.l.UM Ml KlNl.KV,
Kierutive Mannion, May 17.
A resolution appropriating the $50,
OOO.Otit) a rvfiuMtd wo Paused itniut
diately. TItvdiacuwiott of the official
recognition of Cuba by the t'aitd StaU
wa tlu n contloued. Senator Hoar of
MaMUfbuwtta ia tb leader of tho op
powd to Cuban rrvgnition, while Sen
ator Morgan, Allen and Mat a favor
recognition. Senator Maaoa argr im
iiieiliHt action. II said:
MWhn you gl at the deep undertone
of the roiim ienee of tb CnrUtia t peopi
of thU country, Uo-y aay M u have
frlotn la Cuba, ti the Spaniard go
back to hi own land and let hav o
hivra upon ur rotttiueat. You can
rail It jingo a long m you lik. Yon
mav di flu tur?o a loan a you pi,
Pairks Henry wa a ptgoon, aeeord
im to th detlnitioa ol th g ntWnw f
am at in teg In rwji in murgrat
la Cuba, hwy hi who would rt
Afc-lit thsu buv tai at th dihoaor d
but w if and eUild. ha be oillm! jiika
from th vU ot ewrly rpvtHe tih'nl
(t'oMticiied on tb 'ge,
FOR CARRYING MAIL
The Enormous Robbery of the
Government by the Bail-Roads,
THE BENT FOR POSTAL CARS.
I """" ;
Senator Butler Gives Some Inter
eating Figures Concerning .
the Mail Service.
Tb ublll A k kill.
When the appropriation bill was up
for consideration in the senate, and the
item of appropriation of f 171,238. 75
to pay for special mail facilities on
trunk lines from New York and
Washington to Atlanta and New Orleans
was under discussion S Motor But
ler moved to strike out that part of the
appropriation and took occasion to give
some very interesting figures , in con
nection with the transportation of mails.
This item of over f 171,000 was for
special facilities, and was entire! un
warranted in hie opinion for the reason
that the railroads are already paid sev
eral times as much as they should be for
the transportation of the mail. He
says:
"We Ere now pnyinc as much oer ton
for currying the mails as we paid twenty
years ago, yet during this time freight
rates nave peon reduced 40 per cent
ana passenger rates nave been reduced
over 18 per cent, Besides I showed that
twenty years ago we paid th railroads
more for carrying the mails than any
one else then paid for a like senrks.
The senator from South Dakota (Ur.
Pettigiew) and others also spoke at
some length on the same line, No sena
tor was able to controvert a single fast
and proposition which we laid before t a
senate. Besides ,we showed T that ,tt-S'
government not only pays, too V a
rate but that.we pay )ot mora .iht
than is carried. ..The railroads "pad"
the mails during the weighing season
(or one month, and then the government
pays on that weight for the next forty
seven months. The fraud and robbery
by this method alone runs up into the
millions of dollars.
In short, it has been demonstrated,
proved and not questioned by any one,
that we are to-day paying an exorbi
tant rate, nearly twice as hisrh us should
be paid to carry the mail. ;' We now pay
about 132,000,000 to the railroads for
this service. One man soys it is 1 2,000
000 too much, another says it is f 10,
000,000 too much, another says it ia
115,000,000 to much, but ercry senator
on the floor admits that it is too much.
Now that is a fact which has been
demonstrated here. Everybody admits
that it i too high, that the contract
price which we now pay to the railroad
companies for carrying the mails is too
high.
The committee of appropriations
recognized it was too high by offering
to investigate the exorbitant prices paid;
the committee on post offices and post
roads recognized it (see majority and
minority reports from the committee on
post-offices and post roads on the Loud
bill) every senator who has spoken recog
nized it. Yet 1 his morning when I offered
an amendment to the appropriation bill
providing that the postmaster srenerai
sbou'd not pay the railroads more for
carrying the mails than express com
panies and others pay the rail
roads for a like service, what did
the senate do? You voted down the
amendment and gave your sanction and
approval to the gigantic steal that ia
now going or.
"Mr. President, that is not all. In ad
dition totho heavy appropriation in
this bill to pay the railroads for hauling
their mails, there Is another item appro
printing 3,800,000 to pay the rail
roads for the rent of the cars ia which
the mail is carried. I showed this morn
ing that that was twice as much aa all
the postal cars were worth. There are
not more than 500 postal cars in use. .
These cars cost only about from $3,b00
to 4,000 each. Therefore, the govern
meat could buy everv one of these cars
for less than 2.000,000. These car
laat about twenty years, yet this bill
proposes to pay J3.CoO.000 rent for
them in one year. At this rate, in 20
year the government would pay $72,
000 000 for the use of cars that it could
buy and own for lew than f 2,000,000.
This is the most reck le and astounding
business proposition that I have ever
heard. Yet, this morning, when 1 movwd
to amend this item by providing that
the pOMtmnater-pneral should not pay
more rent than 10 percent of th cot of
th fiira, what did th senate do? It
votd th amendment doaa. Howeea-
atora can Justify their votes to thir
conscience and to their duty to tax
payer I beyond my comprheoioa.
lli-r we rot away million of the po
pW money Into th pocket of th rail,
road withont a sine:' rnoa or etcua
tor o doing. No senator ha dured to
try to sir isU reason or ttu.
Mr, IVilit th psJine bill pr.
post that in addition to th ahja prtea
w pay tor hauling mail. In addition to
th high prtcm w pay for tar rot.
shall pay a pn- l eitr aatidyovr
and abov th high wm pay p toa
lor tarry lag th mail and th high pira
w iy tor rvai tH Htai rare
4c Worrall, f.ir of Thoiaaa Woe.
rait of ih.teiiy. dJ at hi horn aar
to-w.ia-t ird ity-for ytwr.
Ilw it-it a fruity oi lit on an i tfcm
d uujtiUr. vtil nl whom am k.4ti-4.
IU aa burwd at V aiparaiso.
v
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