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cent on their watered stock, you have before you some of the reasons 

 why freights and fares are far in excess of what they should be; because 

 the railroads under their own valuations have been run up to about 

 $10,000,000,000, and it is upon this valuation that they expect to pay 6 

 per cent interest. It is upon this estimate that freights and fares are 

 fixed. This whole question is one that confronts the fruit growers of 

 this State. We want cheaper rates, and the railroads can afford to give 

 them. We want lower rates and quicker time. [Applause.] And the 

 railroads should be compelled to pay some portion of their receipts to 

 the fruit grower, where they have injured him by side-tracking his fruit, 

 causing it to spoil. I could mention instance after instance where cars 

 have been side-tracked and the fruit has been utterly ruined, but the 

 fruit grower has had to pay the freight rates and the expenses just the 

 same. There was no redress from the railroad company. And I do 

 not believe there is a shipper here who cannot mention case after case; 

 I do not believe there is a grower within the sound of my voice who has 

 not in some measure suffered under these conditions. Now, what can 

 we do? This is a difficult question. It is one requiring careful study 

 of the conditions under which the railroads of this nation are operated. 

 I hope before this convention is closed that some action will be taken 

 expressive of the sense of this body which will appeal favorably to the 

 best thought and feeling of the land. The best efforts of this conven- 

 tion should be given to this subject. Individually, I believe that there 

 is but one way in which we can settle this question. When we look 

 abroad among other English-speaking nations we find they have been 

 able to solve the question. And I think that if other nations have 

 solved the question we can solve it. If they can nationalize their roads 

 and solve the question in that way I see no reason why we should not 

 adopt the same solution. 



One word on another branch of the question, and I have done. It 

 illustrates another feature of the railroad question. Under our system 

 in most portions of this State there are no second or third-class rates. 

 Every one is obliged to pay first-class rates. Go to England and you find 

 your man of business traveling ordinarily in a second-class car. Even 

 your lords and nobles in England, when they go on business, travel most 

 frequently in second-class cars. Here there are but few places where 

 you can ride on a second-class car. It is not a general thing that you 

 can do this. When I go down to Berenda and want to go to Raymond, 

 a little distance of about twenty miles, I have to pay $2, and the round 

 trip is $4. I mention this round trip of $4 for this reason: This gentle- 

 man to whom I referred a few moments ago traveled 4,000 miles over 

 northern India, from Calcutta, to Bombay, with a party of five, and the 

 round trip was but $37. They took a retinue of servants with them, 

 and when they got to Bombay it was necessary to send them back to 

 Calcutta across India, and they went third-class. The railroad com- 

 pany transported them across that mighty India for $4 apiece. And 

 they are not operating their roads for the purpose of making a loss, but 

 for the purpose of making a gain. When we look at these facts we 

 must come to the conclusion that there is something in the management 

 or in the way expenses are rolled up that is wrong. I say that I believe 

 it will ultimately be brought about by the intelligence of this people 

 that the roads of this nation shall be owned and run by the nation 

 itself. [Applause.] 



