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The Commoner!
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ho managers were pecuniarily- interested in tk
corporations or firms which had rebates, but
probably in most cases the railroads were sand
bagged into the making of concessions by tho
trusts and they now find a, profit in the law
which protects them from the sandbagging
process.
It is certain, too, that tho pass business
was carried to a point where the railroads were
greatly annoyed. While they were perfectly
willing to give, passes to public officials in the
hope of making those officials friendly in mat
ters of legislation, tho public officials were con
stantly asking the railroads for passes for
friends. The cutting off of passes was a relief
to the railroads and a help to the treasuries of
the roads. No wonder the railroad managers
easily reconciled themselves to a law which in
creased their freight earnings by the cutting off
of rebates and their passenger receipts by the
cutting off of passes. But what of tho general
public? Is it not to have some share in the bene
fits? MuBt the people make a long and persist
ent fight for the control of railroads only to find
that the railroads monopolize the benefits?
The federal government so far has not gone
very far in the protection of the public, and as
soon as the states began to act, there arose a
great clamor for an exclusive national supervi
sion of railroads. Let the public beware of any
proposition that removes authority from the
state to the nation. Every federal measure
should be scrutinized to see that it does not
limit or reduce the power of the state to con
trol the corporations insofar as their operations
are confined to the state. The very .fact that
tho railroad managers prefer to trust the fed
eral government is in itself suspicious. The peo
ple who have made so little progress in their
fight for the control of railroads ought to be
jealous of the rights of the states and carefully
guard them from invasion.
oooo
REDUCE THE INTERSTATE RATE
The next congress will give the democrats
a splendid chance to show their interest in rail
road regulation. Several states have reduced
the passenger rate to two cents per mile,and
by the time congress meets, these state laws
will be in effect, and the people living within
those states will have the benefit of
the two-cent rate when they purchase
local tickets, -but the railroads, while
complying with the state law, are charging tho
three cent rate pn tickets which cover interstate
transportation;" For instance, Nebraska has a
two cent rate, and a person can travel at that
rate from any point in Nebraska to any other
point in Nebraska, but if he buys a ticket to any
point outside of Nebraska, he has to pay the
three cent rate on the entire mileage. Those
who understand the situation buy only to the
state line and thus save one cent on each mile,
but those who are not informed pay the three
cent rate without knowing it. Congress should
pass a law at the next session requiring the
railroads to sell interstate tickets at a rate not
exceeding tho sum of the rates through the
states crossed. A very brief statute will cover
the case, and the democrats should introduce
such a bill on the first day of the session and
urge its immediate consideration. If the repub
licans party dares to oppose it, let it take the
responsibility for it. This is certainly one thing
that can be done and done at once.
OOOO
JACKSON ON MONEY
An Oregon reader of The Commoner has a
, republican neighbor whose son is studying public
questions. The young republican has been in
formed that Jackson's vfews on the money ques
tion were applied with disastrous results by that
great democrat. This is incorrect. Jackson op
posed the national bank as it existed, in his day
for two reasons: First, because it violated the,
democratic doctrine of equal rights to all and
special privileges to none; and second, because
the bank was attempting to control the politics
of the country. Jackson's position was sound
on both propositions. No one has stated more
clearly than he the fundamental objections to a
financial policy that bestows upon the banks
the enormous privilege of issuing money. The
head, of the national bank attempted to intimi
date by telling him that the bank could elect
him or defeat him. Instead of being frightened'
into submission, he told Biddle, the bank's presr
idont, that if the bank -had that power, it bad
more power than it ought to have and morer
than it would have long if he could prevent it.
When an investigation was- made, it was found
that the. bank had subsidized men in public life
by loaning them money, and had subsidized the
press. It was a great-corrupting institution, and
Jackson's high position in history is largely duo
to the fact that he had tho courage to attack
it and overthrow it.
Benton, in speaking of his work, compared
him with Cicero, and said that in overthrowing
the bank ho had saved America as Cicero had
saved Rome by overthrowing tho conspiracy of
Cataline. As Jackson's fame rests upon his suc
cessful attack upon intrenched privilege, so tho
abuse heaped upon him in his life and tho
calumnies circulated against him since his death
have been due to the malice of thoBO who, dur
ing 'his time.and since, have represented preda
tory wealth. . . ,
OOOO
INTIMATIONS OF IMMORTALITY
For tho benefit of those readers of Tho
Commoner who are engaged in ministerial work,
or especially those interested in religious sub
jects, attention is called to a book which has
recently reached The Commoner office. It Is
entitled "Intimations of Immortality," and Is
published by Small, Maynard & Co., of Boston.
The book is compiled by Helen Philbrook Pat
ten, and contains opinions on tho subject of
immortality gathered from prominent thinkers
throughout the ages. Tho author has made in
dustrious research and has quoted from tho
utterance of some three hundred or more,
from Socrates, Aristotle and Plato down through
the ages to our own day. Tho quotations are
arranged in six chapters from the bibles of
humanity, the testimony of ancients, the specu
lations of philosophy, the deductions of science,
the voice of tho church, and tho vision of the
poet. All .will bo interested In this volume.
Those who are studying Christianity need it, and
those who have occasion to speak upon the sub
ject of immortality can hardly afford to be with
out it.
oooo l
SURPLUS
The St. Louis Globe-Democrat asks: "What
will we do ,with the surplus in the national
treasury, amounting to $87,000,000?" Well,
when the republican party went into power
March 4, 1889 there was ajsurplus of about
$111,000,000 and they spent it. -'
' There need be no worry about surplus un
der a republican administration. The g. o. p.
will contrive to get rid of it. '
OOOO
LOCATING THE BLAME
The National Union of Railway Trackmen
the section hands have intervened in the dis
cussion as to where the blame for so many
disastrous railway wrecks should properly bo
placed, and the trackmen offer facts and fig
ures to prove that they have located the blame.
The executive committee of the National
Union of Railway Trackmen has lust issued a
letter in which is given in detail' certain prac
tices and conditions that prevail in the track de
partment of practically every railroad in the
country. These disclosures reveal that
a majority of the wrecks, instead of being caused
by overworked employes, mistaken signals, or
' running by blocks, are,really caused by improper
maintenance of track. Accompanying the re
port of this committee are a number of photo
graphs of main line tracks in western states,
and these photographs show rotten ties that
menace the lives of all who ride over them. To
the presence of these rotten ties is due in a large
measure the numerous broken rails which fur
nish the excuse for so many wrecks. The men
into whose hands is given the keeping and
maintenance of safe tracks, thus insuring safety
to railroad patrons riding in the heavy and swift
trains, receive an average of less than $1.25 a
day, ten hours a day. The foremen of track
gangs, "section bosses," receive less than $50
a month.
The Committee further charges that in addi
tion to employing an insufficient number of men
and "paying them insufficient wages, the railroads
refuse or neglect to furnish proper material or
equipment, and then lay the blame upon the
trackmen if a wreck occurs because of insecure
track. The conlmittee further says:
"In addition to not employing enough men,
or furnishing sufficient material, the tracks as
a rule are not patrolled either night or day. In
the early days of railroading when there were
not nearly so many trains operated as now, and
those that were dperated were of much lighter
equipment, and run at a lower speed, it was con
sidered necessary for the safety of those who
traveled on the railway trains, that good careful
men should patrol the tracks during the day
time and at night also, if trains woro oporatcd
at'night. Thcso men, who patrollod tho tracks,
were required to carry signalling appliances, so
that they might notify train crows of danger.
They wero also expectod and roquired to carry
tools with which to tighten looso bolts and
spikes. Now-a-days no such thing is done at'
all, except on some of tho eastern roads, al
though tho necessity for patrolling tracks is a
hundred por cont greater now than over before
Trains starting from a station at night plunge
off into tho darkness, and tho men running
thorn and the passongers riding thereon;
must trust to blind luck for safety in
reaching thoir destination. In places where tlforo
are overhanging rocks and high bluffs along tho
right of way, safe railroading would dictato that
special guards should bo provided for thcso and
that they bo not loft as thoy now aro, entirely
unprotected. Wo ought not wonder at tho fre
quency and serious nature of railway wrecks,
the wonder should be, that there aro not inoro
of them and with greater fatalities."
These facts have repeatedly been called to
tho attention of railway managers by tho track
men, but the matter has been ignored by tho
officials and the unjust and dangerous condi
tions maintained. Tho National Union of Rail
way Trackmen have now decided to appeal to
public sentiment for redress of grievances and
tho enforcement of ordinary precautions for
tho safeguarding of IJfo and property. Thoy
make tho following frank and' manly statement
to the public:
"Ordinarily a labor union, when it fails
to secure a redress of tho wrong of its members
orders a strike. Had wo dono this, you prob
ably would have criticised us. In tho past many
of you have said that there was no need to
strike, that tho contentions of labor organiza
tions, if right, could best be settled by public
sentiment. Wo can not strike. Our people can
scarcely live on their present wages and work
all the time. Wo have como to you for help
and wo are stating our case in an honest
and fair way. You and each of you are as much
interested in having tfie dangerous conditions,
which wo have called to your attention, rem
edied, as aro we. Wo have inspection by tho
state almost everywhere for factories and mines.
This is dono to protect employes alone. iiv
this great transportation industry, with tho hun
dreds of thousands of miles of railway track
no one is responsible for their condition. Each
railroad system and division thereof is operated
In a different way. There is no standard of
efficiency required for service in tho track de
partment. In some instances the entire section
crow of laborers is composed of boys under fif
teen years of age. There should bo either state
''or national inspection of railway tracks. - As wo
view it, the most perfect remedy would bo to
so extend the powers of tho inter-state com,
morce commission that it would have jurisdic
tion over this matter. Sure it is that something
must be done." . .
The committee proceeds then to offer staV
tistical proof of their contention. They show
by the interestate commerce commission recprds
that during tho years 1908-1906 there were
22,384 derailments of trains, causing a property
loss of $19,434,095, killing 1,614 people and
injuring 17,442 others. These derailments
have averaged over 500 a month for the last
three years, the death list has averaged over 500,
a year, and the injured list has averaged over
5,5.00 a year all caused by derailments duo,
according to the showing made by the trackmen,
to the failure to properly maintain tracks.
The National Union of Railway Trackmen
deserves the sympathy and support of tho gen
eral public in their fight for better wages and
conditions. Further than that, the general pub
lic owes it to itself to assist the- trackmen be
cause of what has been - called "enlightened
selfishness" self protection. , -
OOOO
THE PRIMARY PLEDGE "
."' As .this copy of Tho Commoner may be read,
by some one not familiar with the details of tho
primary pledge plan, Jt Is necessary to say that
according to the terms of this plan every demo
crat is asked to pledge himself to attend all of
the primaries of his party to be held between
now and the next democratic national convention
unless unavoidably prevented, and to secure a
clear, honest and straightforward declaration of
the party's position on every question, upon:
which the voters of tho party desire to speak.
Those desiring to be enrolled can either write
The Commoner approving the object of the'or
ganizatlon and asking to have their names, en
tered on' the roll, or they can fill but and may
the -blank pledge, which is printed on page 12. "'
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