The weekly Oskaloosa herald. [volume] (Oskaloosa, Iowa) 1855-1885, 1872-06-27

Why should not the power which regulates one
extend to the control OF the other r
Such, Mr.. Speaker, is the language
of Mr.. Justice Miller, member of
the highest court in the United
States, as set forth in his Circuit
Court Reports.
Abundant evidence of similar pur-
port can be found in the decision of
the courts, to justify the conclusion
that Congress has ample power to
enact laws on this subject. And why
not ? II it is within the province of
a Legislative body TO regulate the
rates of toll on turnpike or plank
road, can there be any good reason
why the same should not be done in
the case of railroad ?
BUTT may be said that this whole
subject should be left to the legisla-
lures of the several States. In other
words, that an attempt on the part Of
Congress to grapple with this ques-
ton is only another step towards
Capitalization. On this point l in
vite your attention to the language OF
Hon. Charles Francis Adams, Jr.,
one of the railroad commissioners
for the State of Massachusetts,, in an
essay on the subject of railroads and
their management. He says:
$50 far as railroads are concerned, competition
puts both certainty and responsibility out Oh the
question it renders the fret Impossible ana , py
trations of all these propositions, az wen as the
utter insufciency OF the State Legislature 10 oeai
with the subject may be found IN the
was bitter In the extreme the rates made East
and West were simply ruinous. On certain ue'
scriptions of freight they were literally reduced
to nothing. OF course this could not last: Early
in September, 1870. representatives OF inc COM
peting lines met in New York and PROCEEDED TO
bic among onopoliits by combination. The par
ties III interests were the New YORK Centrai the
Erie, and Pennsylvania Central me comPetitloih
was mainly from Illinois to New YORK. IN Doth
Ilneis and New York laws forblddlng the con,
solidation OF competing lines were IN iofce, anu
all these roads were carrying on opera.ttons IN IN
one or both of these States, AT tne meeting III
cues ion il was decided to poor the earnings oi
the lines to all competing points. In other WORDS,
all receipts from that business when was sup
pCsed to receive peculiar benefit from competl-
ton were to be paid into a common fund. Com
petition was 20 Immediately cease, nxeo rates
were to be charged, and thus, AT Ieast, aiI Ine
great trunk lines were to be practically conson-
dated, in 80 far as the business community was
concerned"
And the railroad commissioners
for the State of Illinois, in late and
very able report on the same subject
says:
..sTbe regulation of the railroad system by legis
latiye enaCtments is great problem, waiting lts
successfuI solution in the future. whether IL
will ever be successfully solved by the action OF
the several States is doubted by maLy. Our most
important railroad lines have become natlonai-
in fact it may be said, Inter national-some OF the
best minds in the country, which have attentive
ly studied the subject have intimated that as Con
gress has the undoubted consututlonal power 10
repulate commerce with foreign nations and
among the several States, the whole controi OF
the railroad management, as relates to the inter,
ests ofthe people at large, shouie De committeo
to the National Legislature.
Is there necessity for such legis-
lation know it may be said that
the fault finding is easy, and that
wrongs are easier found than RENE
dies vet / insist that reform is de.
manded and such reform cannot be
too thorough or come too soon.
What are the evils of which we
complain? Men possessed with
sufficient brain to win success in any
department of life, have combined
together and seized the railroad as a
stepping-stone to wealth and power.
Less than p score of these persons
meet in secret conclave and resolve
to increase the rates of charges on ev-
cry line of road represented by them.
The telegraph informs the station
agent of this edict, and new sched-
ule of charges at once goes into ef'
feet. But the farmer who is shipping
his grain to the market, receives no
more than before, and is therefore
compelled to subtract from the pro.
ceeds of his harvest this additional
tribute levied by the owners of the
railroad. Indeed, the entire inland
country of the West is, in sense, at
the mercy of these railroad operators.
We read the history that the barons
of the teudal ages owned the lands,
and at their pleasure levied tribute
upon their subjects; and history re-
peats itself in the fact that these mo-
nopolies accomplish the same end,
only through different channel.
1t has been argued that the con-
struction of new roads would tend to
destrc v these combinations by crea.
ting a healthy competition; and to
that end the people have involved
themselv es in debt and given freely
of their means, while Congress for
the same purpose has given princely
grants of land. But each new road
as soon as completed combines with
others and thus relief fails to come.
On the contrary, the monopolies are
on the increase from year to year,
and competition is thus diminished.
To-day the railroad lines between all
the important points throughout the
country are no more nor less than
monopolies.
But it may be said that the rail
roads have developed the country
and rendered valuable large tracts
which othe, wise were entirely worth
less. This is in a measure true ;
and I am tree to concede to them
the right to control the vast tracts of
land that have been coded to them
for that purpose; yet | deny their
right to control directly or Indirect
ly, by combinations or otherwise,
the lands reserved by the Govern
ment, and now cultivated by set
tiers.
These capitalists also have other
means which enable them to con-
troll more completely the com
mercial and industrial interests of
the country. They have method
of creating fictitious capital which is
termed "watering the stock" and
which enables them at pleasure to
lay tribute on the country. These
are facts which cannot be success
fully controverted and close OBJ,
servers are beginning to fear lest a
day may come when these restless
energies, having mastered the com.
merce of the country, will seek to
gain possession of the Government
itself. Is not danger to be appre'
hended when combinations are
formed that the capacity to toss at
will a million dollars into this scale
or that, with all the corrupting infiu.
ences that follow? Wealth may be a
blessing when not aggregated
in large quantities in the hands
of unscrupulous men. 1t is like
the rain that revives the fields
when graciously given in the form OF