Daily Davenport Democrat. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1864-1874, 1865-02-22

Aleoo4 0od Ceu oniss /; 70 confer to-
osebes o - the best means Of securing .
change in the oppressive policy Of these
roads; also to take initiAtory steps tending
TO the sstablishmsnt Of other railroad facili.
tiee. $i
The meeting was called to order by May
or Lowry, and on motion the Mayor was
chosen Chairman, Ind john L. Swits, Esq.
Secretary.
The Chairman stated the object Of the
meeting in short and pointed speech. AFTER
which he called for . general expression on
the part Of business men.
A. J. Preston, Of the hardware house Of
Sickels 4 Preston, read to The meeting The
following statement Of l. P. Coates, Of
Coates 4 Mitchell, Pork and Beef Packers
The cost Of cars for stock from Grin
nell to Chicago under joint tariff
u. $vV w
Cost. Of same from Grinnell to Da-
vcupOIt. OO w
Same from Davenport to Chicago. 60 90
1926 90
Now il is to be presumed that a Joint tariff
is relatively lower than local one. but this
joint tariff Of the Mississippi 4 Missouri and
Chicago 4 Rock Island Ia lrnads dscrimi-
mates against Davenport $4,000, or more
than one third. The effect Of this was the
present year, to prevent us from buying any
stock at points west of this and bringing
than hnVa IN hn. r1n 1n,,vhNn~oI II,
since for every 80 hogs or l6 cattle we were
charged $500 more than if We sent them
direct to Chicago. And this fact know
has done much to prevent operators coming
here to do business. Again, in shipping
East we pay 30 cents per hundred pounds
to Chicago, $50 miles. and $l.40 to 81 go
from Chicago to New York, = distance Of
200 miles, or five times as far. NV the
reason Of the difference is, that having no
competition lines this SIDE Of Chicago, the
z. 4 X. l. Railroad charges their local tariff
and we get no through rates.
Now, were we to secure q connection
East either by way Of Savannah or Sterling,
or over the Coal Valley road to Galva or
Peoria, the competition would give as equit-
able and fair rates Of freight as compared
with other points, if it did not reduce them
AS, IL we had stock to bring in on the NJ. i
NJ. Railroad for the purpose Of dealing in
the same here, the q. & r. |. Railroad would
permit it to go through at the rate Of =
joint tariff. in order to prevent any compe-
ting line from securing the freight at this
poin. And the same reason would operate
on freight coming West. There is no doubt
but proper and just freight tarif-one
that would not discriminate against us as
city, would add to the business of the citv
half million dollars in the articles Of gr in
and live stock alone, and in few years
under the influence Of increased facilities,
such as packing houses and elevators, this
amount would be increased ten-fold.
Mr.. Preston produced shipping bills to
show that the price Of freight from Pitts
burg to Chicago, 1o5 miles, was So cents
per cwt., and from Chicago to Davenport,
1870 miles. 65 cents per cwt. He also stated
that freight could be shipped from Chicago
to Grinnell at about the same figure that it
could be shipped from Davenport to Grin
ncll-thus crushing the mercantile interests
Of this city.
Mr.. Odiorne, Of the hardware house Of
McCosh & Odiorne, stated that on a bill Of
wagon material from South Bend to Chicago
So miles, the freight was $23; from Chicago
TO Davenport, 1870 miles, $lU6. Allowing
the latter road the same rate As the former,
its bill should have been $52.
Henry Selby, in the furniture line, pre-
sented freight bill showing that he paid on
lot of goods from Watcrtown, Wis, to
Chicago, S6.l0; from Chicago to Daven-
port, $l8.7Y. Other evidences Of extraor-
binary prices Of freight were also presented
The meeting was also addressed by How
ard Darlington, Esq.,, J. r. Graham, David
Higgins, Major I. J. Saunders, Richard B.
Hill, Geo. E. Hubbel, Geo. II. French, DR..
Judd, and others, the general drift of which
was that our present railroad connection
was a monopoly,sa soulless@ corporation
acting for its own interest, the same q
would almost any individual who monopo-
| lied any branch Of trade-and that it per
fectly useless to look for any redress for
\ wrongs, no matter how burdensome, IS mat
ters now stand; that the only way to bring
railroad to terms was to touch its vital in.
terests, and those could not be touched by
holding indignation meetings, appointing
committees, nor by publishing remonstran
ces; the only way to bring monopolies to
their senses was to put them in the way ol
competition; and in this. case. the only way
to throw of the yoke was 10 get another
Eastern connection BY rail.
Further than this, it was the duty Of this
people, as was well stat d by Major Saun
ders, to look out for Northwestern ant
Southwestern railroad connection; that tn,
future prosperity Of this city does not de
pend so much upoh getting certain littl'
freight quibblss adjusted, Is in striking ou
and helping to build roads in different di
rections, thus making Davenport center
! ing point on the river. sss
II Mr. Hubbell, in this same connection, salt
] some plain thineA He remarked that ther
!, was dormant capital enough in this city I
} 1--WE It two " three new railroad connection
. that throwing sand 1t the G. L. R. /. r
r. did no good that it was monop, ly
} that the road was doing just what our mill
ers are doing-who sell their -four 25 pc
! cent. less in Chicago than they cell herr
} thus discriminating against Davenport; Q
just ~ any dry goods, hardware, grocer
} man = lawy~ would % u be he'd ths mi
) upooly Of q the business Of this city. Con