Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1869-02-05
Railroads and the People.


The prevalent tendency to eonsoli-
date all the railroads of the county
and form gigantic monoplies which
may hold the business and agricuI-
tural interests of the nation at their
mercy, is already producing a reaction
which promises to be widespread and
salutary. The farmers of the North
west, and particularly of Illinois, have
been the first to feel the evil effects of
railroad monopolies and they are the
first to make resistance. Such has
been the policy of many roads IN the
Northwest that IL has cost more per
bushel to ship corn aud wheat by rail-
to Chicago from the interior of Illinois
and Iowa. than 1t costs to ship the
same grain from Chicago to Liverpool.
1t has happened in this way. These
Northwestern roads are owned aud
managed in New York by men whose
only object is to make money out of
the stock of the roads. The stocks
have been Watered until they represent
a value double and quadruple the cost
of the track and equipments. On this
watered stock the Wall street owners
must have dividends in some way,
hence earnings must be increased, and
TO increase earpin gs- of course passen-
ger and freight tariffs must be raised.
But from every great railroad center
| ike Chicago there are competing
lines to New 7 ork, and this competi-
| tion has prevented the raising of rates
on through freights between the West
and the East. But as increased earn
iDgs must come from somewhere, the
burden has been mainly laid on the
local freight and passengers tra1he OF
/ the Northwest. Hence il has cost the
farmers of Illinois, and other States
nearly half the value of their products
to get them transported to the Chicago
market The freight tariff on corn
and wheat, for instance, has been tWlce
and thrice as much per ton per mlle
| between interior towns and chicago,
as between Chicago and the seaboard.
This oppression and unjust system mas
been impatiently endured by the pro-
ducers of the West for years. There
being little or no competition among
the local roads or feeders, there has
seemed to be no remedy for the evil.
/ But at last the people of Illinois nave
spoken through their Legislature, and
we shall at least have the question
tested whether or not there Is a remedy
4 for the state of things described.
Both Houses of the Illinois Legisla-
ture have passed a most stringent bill
| regulating, or rather equalizlng, the
freight and passenger fares on the rail-
roads of that State The bill prohib-
its, under heavy penalties, any Rail
road in Illinois from charging high
er rate per ton per mile on local
freight than on through or Eastern
freight, due allowance being made fol-
the Increased cost of handling local
freight. The same rule is applied to
local and through passenger fares
There is much difference of opinion
regarding the wisdom and practicable
J ity of such enactments, but we belIeye
that while they may not accomplish
their object directly they will do much
to correct the abuse against which
they are aimed They will at least
) teach the managers of great lines thai
: the people who furnish business fol
: the roads will not consent to be fnan-
cially ruined by them without Fesls
tanoe and the lesson ought to bC
learned that the permanent prosperity
and success of railroad depends up
/ on the good viii and prosperity of thu
: people who furnish the freight ani
passengers fer that road. We Wisl
: the agriculturists of Illinois success IL
} their contest with Eastern railroad
monop6lies .-jSda Register.