, 1865-12-26
THERA1LROAD MONOPOLIsTS
A Letter from Whiteside County,
How Chicago Interests are
Injured and the country
Oppressed.

| Oppressed.
1ro4uots County on the E1torkton-Ets
Effects Upon tho Farming lntercats-
a NJ Paul Account OF the Upper MIs.
sIAA1ppi Railroad and Steamer Com.
bYAatiOn.
a LETTER FROM Wu1TEsIDE COUNTY.
%. 80 STEnL1Sa, H., Dec. II, 1866.
Editors Tribune:
II may not be out Of place 10 let yon know
that when you say the merchants Of Chicago
are more Immediately interested and con.
cerned in the present railroad extortion and
will ultimately. be the greatest looscrs, You
state only what trip through this section
Will convince any one is true, and am firmly
Of the opinion that this feeling will openly
spread throughout the greater part OF this
State and Iowa.
your people the truth In his letter from the
recent convention when be reverted to this
subject.
There was a time when every man In The
country tributary 10 Chicago felt q Just pride
In her magic growth and material prosperity.
Your politics and public enterprise had their
friends aud enemies, and their principles and
| feasibility were duly discussed.
You ask what has wrought this great
| cl,augc. Let me inform you to the best Of
| NV Rn1llLSy A01 W AANE4at 4ts
For all your prosperity and commercial
greatness, yon arc to large extent indebted
1 10 the farmers OF tie Northwest.
Your marble blocks, and increasing wealth
and population attest that fabulous incomes
md enormous prosits are the sure results Of q
short residence In your city, and sometimes
made out Of very small capital.
Almost every town In the West has lost
some OF its snrewdcst and best business men.
who chated under the slow guins Of legitimate
business. They moved to your city and
almost invariably soon became rich.
We have seen the incomes Of your mcr-
chants aud railroad men stated at hundreds
Of thousands Of dollars each, while the same
class Of men were hardly making living
back in the country.
We believe no city on this continent has 90
many men who subslst and make money from
the productions Of the farmer, as Chicago.
You have your railroad men who get the
inspcctors, elevators, use Of cars, commission
men, cattle yards and many other gauntlets
! that Our producer hos to run, all getting a
little, until tho farmer, who has sweat and
toiled the long hot summer day, aided by his
wife and children, seea his whole crop nearly
| solemn Injunction "to earn their bread by
| tho sweat Of their brow" Last, though not
least, by anY means, comes your at1stocratic
and powerful Board Of Trade. They foster
and protect all their stockholders, ard allow
set Of gamblers In produce to stop the ship-
flowing, and honest buyers are driven to
other markets.
Had grain been allowed to take its natural
channels, millions Of bushels TINT orc now
worth comparatively nothing, would have
gone forward last full as good prices.
Your Boa.d OF Trade regulated the cur
rcncy Of the whole West and gaye us green
backs. We believe that if yolr city did not
Lie helpless at the mercy OF these rallroad
extortionists, that same Board Of Trade could
speedily remedy the evils VIC complain Of.
To that extent are VIC ruled by monopolies,
that thousands of families 10 The county to.
day, arc suffering for fuel on. account OF the
high price, made so by the combined efforts
of your railroads and coal dealers.
When We note the extrayagancc Of your
Board Of Trade buildings, and all the men
who live OF from the merchants and farmers
Of the West, and their immense incomes, VIC
naturally come 10 the conclusion that some
0ne is paying for all these.
Is It, ilcssre. Editors, but natural that We
should come to the conclusion that Chicago
and her business men arc our worst enemies y
that you prosper, while We Grow poor. We
believe you possess, as city. the power to
stop the evils We complain of, II you could
only exercise them, but fnasmuch rs you do
not, and We fear cannot or will not, necessity
conpels NE to seek market elsewhere.
| We IN this county arc determined 10 submit
no longer. Rock River affords us an outlet
that can be made available with slight ex.
penEe: A fine stcamcr hos been running 10
tlls place nearly all summer, and 1t Is settled
that with a small out1ay It can be made nayi-
gable the whole summer.
| Another spring will SEQ such tide settling
down the Mississippi river as las never been
seen before. By directing cur attention that
way, we have the advantage OF the markets
L all tnt1 AVID t$r-Svv 80 Ill