Loudon free press. (Loudon, Tenn.) 1852-1855, 1854-03-28
"a RIVER MAN"

We have read Of Sea-serpents; seen river
snakes and water-dogs, but we have now to no.
tice briefly some of the sayings of "a River
Man"
In the Chattanooga Advertiser of the 2lst,
. some one, (who refused to permit the editor to
give US his name devotes near three -fourths Of
a column, in reply to the closing paragraph in
our notice last week, of the Aida.
He understands that a monopoly is a COM
pany that gets prices and business into their
own hands and extorts from the people Well,
now let us illustrate. Suppose man, and You
may call his name MERRILL, owns boats and
carries passengers from Decatur to Chattanoo-
ga for SIS; and company, say 1.-THE Williams
line MS il is sometimes called, should buy up
all the boats in the trade, and then advance the
amount to about S7-would that be a monopoly,
or extorting from the people? Again, suppose
man, and for the sake of system, call him
JAouEs, owned boat and carried freight at
! J-crrIrs per nufureu ron London to Knox.
ville,-and the boat should fall into the hands
ola company and be taken from the trade
Would L be in The spirit of monopoly for that
company to try (either verbally or BY letter. J
TO establish the rates at 20 or Is cents?
But he says ''they did, last year when they
had the control of all the heavy freights, reduce
aud establish the freights to Knoxville on thin d
class goods to IS cents per 100 lbS,-and no,c
under the present arrangements, have still re-.
duced the rates to 55 and 60 cents per 100 lbs,
from Tuscumbia and Nashville to Knoxville"
Well, that may all be so. But we have before
us their Pla card of LIST JAM, in which they
advertise to freight Whiskey through from Nash.
vile to Knoxville for Sl,6j;-and we are in
formed that gentleman in this place was
charged in JAN, $3.50 per barrel. Now if this
be so, as Loudon is about IS miles nearer Nash
vile and Tuscumba than Knoxville, an Irish
man would have to work that out by Reduction
Neutrality-suspicious. of distance and ascen.
sion of price; while others perhaps might on
ly call it game at cards.
He says, ~ have given this detailed state
rnent to disabuse the public mind and present
facts. If the Editor before he penned his ar.
tce, had taken the trouble to call on the gent
of the E. 7. &. Ga. Railroad at Loudon, he
could have posted himself up as to the facts,
etc" Now, we can inform this tdcts-loving
gentleman, thatweh had what We considered am.
pie authority" for all We said. About the time
Messrs. Williams boats was sent into this trade
if our memory serves us right, Capt. James
Williams told gentleman. as the gentleman
informed us, that his boats could not run in
this trade and carry fire. ght for less than 25 cts
on low water. This, Mr.. Williams, perhaps
will not deny. Besides this, there may have
been some letters written bearing near the same
import, of which this River Man was no doubt
entirely ignorant, or if he was not, "he shows a
wonton disposition on his part to conceal facts
and mislead the public mind"
In conclusion, we would inform "a River
Man that we have no desire for a controversy
Sith him or the Messrs Williams; out should
they manifest desire to hear from US again
we will try and interest them.