The national Republican., 1869-01-06

Of Necessity for thcm The signers
OF the Monopoly Circular Leg
Eing" Around the Capitol To-Day
MuliipiyinE business for Congress.
JASuARr 8, 1850.
To ruE REPUBLICAN,! The sensation Of the
day in Washington is, decidedly, the manifesto
of the railroad monopoly combination against
the proposed charters by Congress to railroads
eentering here. The people Of Washington
arc vastly exercised over II, evidently. To
the writer of this letter, Its appearance was by
no means unexpected. The signers, presidents
all OF them Of existing railroads, whose mon.
opoly Of passengers and freight to and from
the Federal metropolis is threatened by the
bills before Congress, Of course feel'keeniy the
danger offuture competition with their several
roads involved in the bill OF Senator Sherman.
He who anticipated passive acquiescenee OF
their part, In the proposed Congressional Iesis.
lation on the subject, knows little Of the his
tory OF railroad building, railroad manage.
ment and railroad chicanery 10 this country
So far, those managing all American railroad.
have steadily opposed the construction OF ans
Others likely TO compete with theirs. MOI
hsve they been checked by any scruples what
ever, In the matter OF defeating the construe
tion OF such new roads by any possible cxpe
uieh'i u IebOIN ~ Wnlcn WOulu not insure them
lodgings In States prisons. This is strona
languages but, nevertheless true. 1 should
ike to have pointed out to the public any one
iailroad manager In the United States who
Up to this time, has evinced willingness to In
crease travelling and frcighting facilities In the
| vicinity OF his already constructed road, that
failed TO promise to Increase lis revenues. So
much for the motive at the bottom Of this
| IA GtrFtlar TNn IL N,E Eoa r.It a
freiShts and fares above the point to which
legitimate competition will surely reduce them
| In this section ofthe Union.
what were ample railroad facilities for the
antH.wdf travel aud freight OF the country are
by no means ample facilities now. submit
thit railroad travel and freighting by rail
have enormously increased since 1850. The
Industrial opacity of the country has been so
developed In that time, through the impetus
growing out OF the necessities Of the war In
the main, anl the results OF that develop.
ment have been so enorm nous as seriously to
cmbarrass frelghtlng and travel for want OF
railroad ccommodations, not only In this
vicinity but in other quarters Of the country.
Nevertheless the signers Of the monopollsts'
protocol say nay. Not one additional rail
shall the public hayeif they can frghten Con.
ssess into standing by their monopoly. There
Is no more justice, nor istherc any more sense
In the position they occupy, than there would
be In combined efforts on the part OF existing
steamboat lines to prevent others from estab.
| ! shing them on waters where an increasing
cbrHncr'e calls for Increased facilities for its
transportation. These gentlemen are Nnxlou-
enough to facilitate commerce, to increase
manufactures, to stimulate agriculture, nay,
to move heaven anl earth In order to double
dividends on their railroad stocks; but all
| progress must tend to hai end to meet their
| approbatisn. II II threatens to take a differ
ent turn, forthwith It Is no longer proytess, but
an attempt to interfere with vested rights
existing chartcFs-and an experiment likely
to lead to speculation dangerous to the inter
ests OF society II means neither more nor
less than settled purpose on the part Of this
combination to force the community to rely,
In 1869 and for all time to come, upon such
railroad facilities, where railroads exist, as
were constructed to meet the nceesslti OF
country as those necessities existed a
VI or OF century ago, when not one person
quar-. by rail while Ave travel now, and
irs'eleu ne pound OF freight was sent by
"neh no' pounds are sent now.
ft.a a., where n',s gentlemen plead the cause
ine'e so'e'tou' Nts that stand In the path
a'egeu Festea nB- t wrong time. Eng
Of tue country lutule' hem Asunder as
though they were so many str. n, est.biisb.
now abrogliing the Irish Chur, 80 h.ro
nent, wherein not a few mOnopol. y. And
vested rights" OF great peeuniary Walt ,Lo
'Teat antiquity. She proposes shortly to /
u hand the law Of prlmogeniture, which hat
u otec'ed "vesteI rights" that have existed
ver since the Conquest-nay. long before in
ome cases. But yesterday, rs It were, she
,brogatcd the "vestci rights" involved In the
III hlrters OF the several telegraph companies of
the Kingdom, because they were found 10
Btrnl In the way of the progress Of the peoples
business facilities.
II EaglNnd is doing such things with ready
and heavy hand, l hNrdly Imagine that this
railroad monopoly combination can work
their will with the United states Congress, to
the extent OF inducing that body to condemn
the Industry, enterprise and development OF
this great and growing land to deprivation OF
all other railroad hcilitIcs where railroads
exist, than such as were found sufficient be-
fore the country was out Of its swaddhng
cloyhes.
Ap-op1s to thI, slble;l, Iaal Iu late mum.
ber oil the New York Tribune statement that |
many yetrs ago Commodore Vanderbilt pre-
dlctel that the commerce between New York
Pnd Boston would, 10 It's increase, require the
establishment Of an ca'lFely new and indepen'
dent line OF transport ttion and travel every
seyen yelrs. The Tribune adds that since the
COmmo iorc's prediction ole such new and in.
dependent line has been established betwes n
those cities more frequently than once Ia
seven years. Yet freightiug buliness and
trrYcl in that region Is so incrc slng IS that
the public there are loudly demanding more
routes and greater facilities.
The sgners of the monopoly combinations
circular on which | c1mmclt above, seem
to have gathered here this morning In force,
Go where one would about the Capitol, there
one or more Of them vas to be found "legginy"
to defeat the SheFmln bill They are under.
stood to have spent yesterday in Baltimore
concocting measures to that end with Mr.. ].
W. Garrett, OF the Baltimore and Ohio rail-
road.
To-day In Congress was principally devoted
to the Introduction OF bills, resolutions, Sc,
Of which great number, upon an inanite vnri-
city OF subjects, were introduced At the rate
at which both members and Senators propose
to grind axes" during the balance OF this scs-
sion, III this pFomonitory be criterion by
which to draw reliable inferenceb Congress
must hereafter sit permanently, II 1t would
Iutelligently dispose Of all the business II Is
asked to consider
Is THE SENATE yestcrlAy Mr.. sumner In.
troducCd a bill providing that aecessorieP to a
Violation Of the both section Of the national
| currency act, shall receive the same punish
mcnt AS the principal Of the association Also,
| bill declaring that the words "tTlals at com
mon law" In Hrst section, act July To- 1852,
relating to competency Of witnesses, shall be