The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1873-02-22

the hrst railroad To the Pacltlc, have not
! thus far been such As To encourage the
granting OF liberal government and to such
enterprises hereafter In the first place.
besides making extensive grants Of lands,
] the government endorsed siNty-four mil
lions OF bonds for the two companies that
/ built the line IF T.. +. K. r.. taking a first
mortgage on the road for it's security.
/ cry soon the companies secured further
legislation, by which the government secu-
rty was reduced to such an extent as
might 10 offered ~ second mortgage
! Next they neglected to pay the interest on
/ these bonds, and they are now many mil
I lions IN arrears. Next comes the famous
! Credit Mobiler operation, by which a con.
| sid rable number Of Congressman were
| corrupted, and it Is claimed, some SIS,
4 OOO, 900 stolen
ANp NOW COMES OTHER DEVELOPMENTS
ia which attention Is called to the fact q
/ those Railroad Companies contracting with
I Coal Companies, by which the latter has
a virtual monopoly Of AL the coal lands Oh
Y the line Of the road for fifteen years A
! Washington special telegram o. the Inter
7 Oc.dt gives the gist Of that portion Of the
I contract relating To tins subject.
I " The coal company agrees tn supply
| thu railroad for that time for 10 per cent.
upon the cost of production, and the rail
road agrees TO put In all side tracks
needed, and To keep a supply Of coal carr
4 on hand, and To- allow a rebate Of p Ter
I cent. on the freight on all coal shipped
I The opinion Is expressed that the railroad
company Is also bound to discourage or
I discriminate against all other coal cuInl,a-
\ Mes. The effect of the contract is o. make
| the whole country nn the line Of the road
| dependent upon tins monopoly. 1t also
| appears that the ruUi tJp PAM IS thj, nv
composed W officers anal Stockholders II the
rItirHui
| 80 it seems that this enterprise and
/ Pubhc-spirtyd corporation not content
with saddhng the government with prlnci-
| pal and interest ~ It's bonds, pocketing its
share uf the Credit Moblher plumber. and
enjoying a railroad monopoly, has estAb-
lIshed a coal monopoly, the benefits Of
which are ~ accrue chiefly to its own
own members Theoretically the people
are forced III contribute and tu this rail
road for their own good. Practically
they are taxed t. enrich the corporation,
and to create handsome fund for the
corruption II public men. sch are the
natural fruits Of government IN meddlIng
with industrial affairs and the yield n
these fruits will be a hundred fold when
the shll-huiIdins, postal telegraph and
general railroad projects are contaminated
a that time ever comes Scenes similar IN
import On these arc Transporting almost
dally, Wh'lc the producing classes are
being
TAXED Tu FURNISH The SINEws ~ WAR,
by which these ,o,'.uty yiauts carry on
their -OitOSsta schemes, tu "A point where for
bearance has almost ceased tu be "a virtue
A feeling is developing throughout the
country which will turn and 1yerturn until
justice shall usurp the place where eJtOr-
ttOn seems now to I've ,Htbron,d The
American people need only to know the
danger to meet and overthrow ill., They
have tile history If the old World inunop-
ulles to warn them. ANA they are not want
my outspoken journals and powerful public
men, who refuse 70 bow the knee "a the
railway kings. The people may have a
long ana bitter night. but the victory Is
assured from the beginning the great
necessity Is to be fully aroused to the mag
mtude Of the encounter In our State II
was expected that the construction of com
peting lines Of road would afford the PEG
PIE a remedy, by reducing the rates
Therefore many new lines we're Put ia or
Grafton, and particularly IN the north part
of the State. Experience has fully demon
strated that where competition is possible.
combination or consolidation is probable.
and this result was fully accomplished ia
the consolidation under the Chicago and
Northwestern lines, while the rates were
reduced by competition even below what
would sustain the roads yet when com
bIned the rates were raised TO enable the
company to make dividends on the whole
capital invested m all the lines combined.
WILL NoT ATTEMPT To REVIEW
the rates, as charged by the Railroad
Companies, for transporting freight and
passengers over their lines IN this state
The eople have learned by sad experience
that those rates are unequal, unjust and
eXtoruonate largely discriminating, at
different points along their lines. to the
great deCriHent ~ the producing classes
We require more means Of Transportation.
and cheaper rates, FIR the full develop
ment Of the resources uf the STATE. that the
consumer Obtain products Al living rates.
and, at the same time afford t. the capital
lists profitable Investment Of money. II l.
quite certain that We cannot induce invest
ments IN railroads by foreign capital. an.
less we can fully demonstrate that there Is
reasonable prospect Of receiving fair
rates of interest ON the Investment. Ii is
equally certain that the railroads already
built must have some profit on the invest
ment, and yet they must offer such reason
able rates Of freights ~ will enahls the
producer and consumer to participate in
some gain 70 themselves, or the products
Will cease to large extent along the lines
Most Of the Railway Companies have
" trdtcred stock, 4" amounting to nearly an
equa part OF the bona MI, stock both Of
which are concentrated, a. power, to tax
ana cypress the people. No more impor-
tant duty will devolve upon the Governor
elect, than the reappontment Of the Rail
road and Warehouse Commission, whose
duty it shall be to enforce the laws of the
state, to regulate the rates upon the Rail
ways what the farmers want, aud what
they can justly demand, is representative
who shall, in the largest and best sense,
represent them. With commission
drawn from the best men representing the
leading interests of our state, neither the
public nor the railroad interest would be
likely to suffer, but those men should be
appointed having the
HIGH EST QUALIFICATION FOR TINE OFFICE.
The men who hold positions of honor,
trust, and profit, by virtue Of the votes of
an Intelligent people, and those corpora
lions, who have derived their franchises
from that people, should soon be- made to
understand that the people have rights
which must and shall be respected that
the day has arrived when oppression and
eXtortion will be resisted by determined
people. Those corporations should under
stand that IN every county in this state
there Is a nucleus around which ,o-d.v /.