The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1866-01-22

o,
the relations of the past, and the re-unite our
people once more in the bonds of common
brotherhood.
COL. DICKEY'S SPEECH.
At the late mass meeting, at Ottawa, in
relation to improved modes of transportation
and the extortions of railroad companies,
Col. L. Lyle Dicksy addressed the meeting
as follows:
The great leading production of the west is In
dian corn. Probably thirds of the wealth of
this country is in hui ian corn, but to make it
profitable We must have Market and a mode
of getting it to market. / understand that the
public mind, as indicated in the past four or
five months, is in favor of having an outlet by
way of the St. Lawrence river, to carry off our
produce. The state of New York when it finds
that this trade is directed by way of the St. Law
renee, will take care that no other competing
line is formed through that state and by the
great city of New York-thus bringing all her
enterprise, energy and capital into employ, to
give another outlet for the products of the west.
The benefit of having two competing lines does
not need a moments advocacy ; experience has
| shown that competition is the only safeguard we
| can have against eXtortion. We find that, wher-
! ever we have two railroads from the same re-
gion, the prices of transportation are lower than
| from parts of the country where there is only
one line of communication with market
| Where the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy rail-
| road intersects the Rock island road, you will
find that the prices of freight are less than from
| here. You will find that load of coal can be
| carried from La Sale for less money per mile
| than it can be taken from here to Chicago
| The difference is simply produced by competing
| lines. Now if we get an ontlet b. way of
| the St. Lawrence, the state and city ci New York
| will make an opening through their state for the
| sake of having our traffic. But, as has been
I I'D thara hnr. ,hN
he day when that will be accomplished? One
great source of our distress is the greatly unjust
discrimination of the tariffs of this country.
| was tau hit to believe that a tariff was a bless
ing but the subject has been discussed and turn
ed over and over by the people of this country
until the majority have emphaticaly decided
against it. But still adhere to the old faith, to
the degree that a certain system of protection is
necessary, and would be beneficial. Yet have
been convinced that the idea of making prices
! cheaper 10y high protective tariff is perman-
ent impossibility. You cannot give permanence
and stability TO any line of national policy with
this basis. Protection is not worth anything to-
wards building up the permanent wealth of the
| nation, unless il may be made permanent stable
and uniform. You get all the injuries and bur
dens of the protective tariff without any of its
benefits Our present tariff amounts, practical
w. to prohibitory one. The nation needs
money and the government must have it. Our
great national debt must be paid the utter
most farthing; and if we have a tariff at all it
must be one which will pay this We should re-
member that get our revenue from the goods
that come in, and not from what is kept out and
we must put our tariff low enough to encourage
importation. As an instance of the effects of the
present tariffs, Iowa has been raised up until the
expense of making and maintaining railroads has
been vastly increased, and consequently these
corporations increase their rates for carving
grain-than which nothing more deeply affects
| Sinrrt - hal,
every body else. The people of the northwest
must not only look for market, but they must
f seek to obtain a tariff which will press on al
alike and then let them strike for an outlet fol-
their products. That do not expect to see fol-
20 years, but in the meantime let us make it as
easy The prices of transportation BY
railroad from New York or Philadelphia or Bos
ton to Ottawa are known to most of you, anG
: you know that the transportation from either Of
the eastern cities named to Chicago, is not quite
twice that from Chicago to OTTAWA distance
! of "a miles. 1t may cost more to a railroad
in Illinois than in New York, but it does moi
! cost that much more. Hitherto railroad:
I have been cherished by generous public spirit
and their interests have been considered by those
of the community; but to-day the railroad com
, panies OF the state of Illinois grinding the
f people under their iron heel and pocketing
thousands of dollars actually belonging to the far
mers. The very fact that they carry coal anC
; wheat from La Sale for less than they charge
us here is conclusive evidence that they are
cheating us. You must inspire your members o
the legislature with lively regard for your inter
, ests, and the strong hand of power of the state
must be laid on those railroads; and if they can
not be influence in any other. way, they must be
prosecuted into doing right. believe it is righ
for the legislature fix the rates for transporta
, ton of freight and passengers. The rights o
the railroads are greater than those of AM
other person. The legislature controls the rates
of interest charged on money lent and even
charters cities with the petty right to contro
the pricescharged by hackmen. Snail it not then
have the right to control railroads, which 81
deeply affect the interests of the country through
which they passs Necessarily, any tariff O
} prices fixed by the Legislature would be crude
, and incorrect, but would be preferable to the
system of extortion now practiced on the peopl,
Of the west. The thing should be 50 simple that
every man may understand it without any cir
cumocution, The great immediate duty devolv
ing upon US is to elect to the legislature member:
who will not be corrupted by the atmosphere o.
the railroad influence, controlling millions, and
and with tact enough to buy and sell them half q
dozen times before they knew it. The speaker
then illustrated, by some other instances, tn,
evils of legislation heretofore existing in tn,
state in favor of monopolies, and appealed to hi
hearers to keep their legislators alive to their du
ty.