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WATSON'S EDIT OKIAL S
WATSON’S WEEKLY JEFFERSONIAN MWM
1 Newspaper Devoted to the Advocacy of the Jeffersonian Theory of Government, '
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UJjEditors and Proprietors - —. Ifj /
NTxW m J-I D * Enttrtd at Pttttfitt, Atlanta, Ga., January St, SQO7, « itctnd W/Zy- '<\\Y
'Vf » Temple Court Building, Atlanta, Ga. f / a „ ma u matt,r. Vr*
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ATLANTA, GEORGIA, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 1907.
Why Not Prosecute the Express
Companies?
Not long ago, one of tile Eve great Express
Companies declared a dividend of two hun
dred per cent, ncr profits upon the capital in
vested. The outn tctal of the loot divided
among the robbers, of this one company, was
twenty-four million dollars.
Inasmuch as there are five of these vora
cious corporations fattening on the public, and
confiscating a large part of the portable
wealth of the people by levying excessive
tolls, you can readily understand why the
plunderers do nut wish to be disturbed at
their great national pastime of taking unto
themselves the property which belongs to
others.
Confedeiatcd with the railroads, they are
hard to handle. If the Standard Oil Company
—poor old thing!—secures special terms on
its freight because it ships so much and so
regularly, the whole machinery of Government
gets to thundering portentously and our dear
old benevolent and Christian brother, John
D. Rockefeller, has his innocent game of golf
interrupted by the intelligence that he and his
philanthropic pals have been fined twenty
nine million dollars.
Whereat all the Rockefeller preachers gioan
dismally, and Chancelloi Day, of Syracuse
University once more bewails the wicked ten
dency of Uncle Sam to deal harshly with those
who accumulate millions after the manner of
thieves.
But nobody ever seems to see, in the per
manent arrangement that exists between the
five predatory Express Companies and the va
rious piedatory railroads, the Rebate system
reduced tc a Fine Art.
Yet that is just what it is. The controll
ing clique in the Express Company comes to
an understanding with the controlling clique
in the Railroad, and the railroad agrees to car
ry the freight of the Express Company at a
lower rate than it will carry freight for anv.-
body else.
If THAT is not rebating, what is it?
Not only will the railroad carry freight for
the Express Company at a lower rate than
it will carry freight for anybody else, but the
raihoad charges the government itself twice
as much as it charges the Express Company.
What is it, if it is not rebating, when the
railroads give these inside and special and re
duced rates to the Express Companies?
Every argument that can be advanced in
favor of the special rates given to the Express
Companies, can be advanced in defence of spe
cial rates granted to the Standard Oil Com
pany, the Meat Packers, the Lumber Trust,
and other large and constant shippers.
There is not a single excuse which the rail
roads can offer, in defence of the favors they
show the Express Companies, that cannot be
given by such regular and heavy customers as
those mentioned.
When the Standard Oil Co. says to the rail
road, “We ship huge amounts: we ship every
day of every year; we give you more business
than anybody else; THEREFORE YOU
OUGHT TO SHOW US SOME SPECIAL
FAVORS,” the Law of the land thunders its
inexorable, NO!
And the Court justly and heavily punishes
the Standard Oil for defying the national stat
ute.
But why docs the railroad grant the Ex
press Company special favors?
Upon the very same grounds as those plead
ed by the Standard Oil Company.
The Express Companies are large shippers,
constant shippers, permanent shippers, regular
shippers—hence they demand and are given
reduced rates.
Why is not this lower rate, to the favored
shipper, a violation of law?
Don’t abuse me, don’t laugh at me, don’t
misrepresent me—ANSWER MY QUES
TION !
Why should the Georgia Railroad, or the
Pennsylvania Railroad, or the Union Pacific
Railroad, be allowed to carry a five-pound
package for the Southern Express Company,
or the Adams Express Company, at a lower
rate than it will carry a five-pound package
for Theodore Roosevelt, Wm. J. Bryan,
Thomas H. Tibbles, or anybody else?
Don’t fly off the handle; don’t go up in the
air:—
ANSWER MY QUESTION!
If our honest and learned Attorney General
Charles J. Bonaparte, will start a vigorous
criminal prosecution against the Railroads
that have given Rebates to the Express Com
panies, and against the Express Companies
which have grown enormously rich off these
rebates, the whole country —excepting the
guilty rebaters —will rise up and call him
Blessed.
HMM
Humbugging the Merchants.
The ordinary village merchant is quite an
intelligent man, and his good opinion of him
self is ordinarily on a par with his merits.
Being a smart man, he knows he is smart;
and he often shows in his general carriage of
himself that he is quite aware of the pleasant
fact that he is “some punkins.”
Yet, he is mighty easy to hoodwink, if you
know how to go up to him on his blind side.
For instance, the five great Express Com
panies, and the half-dozen great Mail Order
houses are in deadly fear that Uncle Sam will
begin to carry small parcels through the mails
at a reasonable rate —thus putting an end to
the extortion which gives the Express Com
pany 200 per cent net profit.
The governments of Europe carry small par
cels through the mails, at a nominal cost, thus
saving the people millions and millions of dol
lars every year.
Our Postmaster General, Mr. Meyer, has
been to Europe, and has seen the system at
work; and has been impressed with its advan
tages. Consequently he wants to give his
own country the benefit of the system. In oth
er words, he favors the Parcels Post, which
some of us have so long advocated.
As soon as Postmaster General Meyer pub
lished his views, the Express Companies and
the Mail Order houses got busy.
They hired a snraH army of men, and scat-
tered them throughout the length and breadth
of the land—to do what?
To tell lies and get signatures to Petitions
against the Parcels Post.
To my own town of Tompkins Thomasville
and so forth, they came with cheerful confi
dence —these men who had been hired, at so
much per, to tell lies and get signatures—
and the way they got signatures from our in
telligent merchants was enough to make the
children fall off the fence.
These hirelings of the Express Companies
and Mail Order houses, came up on the blind
side of each of our intelligent merchants, and
said something like this:
“If the Government should begin to carry
small parcels through the mails, at a low tate,
the Mail Order houses would get your trade;
and you would be left high and dry.”
Whereupon the merchant cried out, “Run,
and get me a pen, quick! I’ll sign.”
Thus the hireling of the Mail Order houses
got the name of the intelligent merchant who
was afraid the Mail Order houses would get
his business.
Funny, wasn’t it?
And that which happened m my town of
Thomaston Tompkins &c, happened in all the
others.
Happily for the Express Companies and
Mail Order houses, the merchants of nearly
all the towns of this Union have been improv
ing their minds, ever since the war, by the
exclusive reading of papers and magazines
which are controlled by the Corporations and
the Privileged Few.
Consequently, many of our merchants—
most estimable and intelligent gentlemen—
are absolutely ignorant of governmental con
ditions.
The average farmer has been reading inde
pendent papers, which told them what was
going on: therefore the average farmer is post
ed.
The average merchant has been reading
newspapers which are owned, or controlled by
the Yankee Corporations—hence they are not
posted.
ihose hirelings of the Express Companies
and Mail Order houses, who are getting the
names of our merchants, could never dupe
our farmers into signing that petition.
Why?
Because our farmers know that the Mail Or
der houses NOW have a secret, lower rate,
given them by the Express Companies,
WHICH ADVANTAGE THEY WILL
LOSE WHEN THE GOVERNMENT BE*
GINS TO CARRY SMALL PARCELS IN
THE MAILS.
Just as the railroads give a special rate to
the Express Company, so the Express Com
pany gives a special rate to the Mail Order
house.
It is this inter-twined system of Secret Re
bates which the railroads, Express Companies
and Mail Order houses are striving so desper
ately to maintain.
The Mail Order houses are now taking
away the trade of the village merchant by
reason of the fact that the Express Company
gives to the Mail Order house a lower rate