States was, for the year 1886, only
2.181 cents per passenger per mile. It certainly was not over 2-1/2
cents per mile for the first-class roads of Iowa. Thus the proposed
reduction, instead of being one cent per mile, as stated by Mr. McDill,
was only one-half cent per mile; and it only applied to the local
business of the first-class roads. In other words, the bill under
consideration, had it been enacted into law, would have caused a
reduction of 20 per cent. on about 25 per cent. of the total revenue
from passenger business of the first-class roads, or of five per cent.
on their total income from passenger traffic in the State of Iowa. It
will be noticed that Mr. McDill in his calculation made no allowance
whatever for the increase of business which would have followed such a
reduction. The gain from this source would probably have greatly
exceeded the loss due to this small reduction in the fare. In the same
address Mr. McDill made many other equally fallacious statements.

One of the most devoted advocates of the interests of railroad managers
is Marshall M. Kirkman. He is the author of a number of books and
pamphlets upon railway subjects, among them a pamphlet entitled "The
Relation of the Railroads of the United States to the People and the
Commercial and Financial Interests of the Country."

Mr. Kirkman introduces his subject with the following rather remarkable
statement:

"I shall show that while the railways of the United States
are designated as monopolies, they are not so in fact.
Accused of disregarding the interests of the community, I
will show that they are abnormally sensitive to their
obligations in this direction. While legislatures claim the
right to fix rates, I shall show that the abnormal
conditions under which the railway system has grown up and
its chaotic nature render the exercise of such a privilege
impossible. I will show that while it is assumed that rates
may be fixed arbitrarily, they must, on the contrary, be
based on natural causes, the competition of carriers, their
necessities and the rivalries of conflicting markets and
trade centers; conditions manifestly impossible to determine
or regulate in advance, and therefore beyond the control of
legislation.... While a division of business (by pooling) is
thought to be contrary to the interests of the people, I
shall show that it is