The farmers' vindicator. (Jackson, Miss.) 1873-1???, 1873-10-31
CHEAP TRANSPORTATION.

A. railroads have in many localities
loonme The exclusive means Of trans,
uer saws the Manufacturer ana
B,dller, it is natural that BY the ten-
dency Of all human undertakings a u
nlace selfinterest paramount, railroad
rpo r have taken advantage o.
tbair peculiar circumstances, ana IN
n ie instances raised the price OF
transportation to very high hgufes.
No wonder that those interested In low
TRANSFORMATION rebel against this, ana
attempt to check such extortlons by
ali nossible means at disposal; Tor IN
stance, promoting the construction o.
competing roads. In many instances;
however. the original roads succeeded
in obtaining such large interest ID
these competing roads that finally
consolidation was the result, which TO-
tally defeated the project OF the origl-
majors of the competition In the
moont;me the increased money power
or the large consolidated railroad cor
norations became able to buy up edi-
Tors of certain journals to defend their
actions as immaculate, ana even, III
manv instances, to crush all further
comnetition by bribing legislatures,
a which that of New Jersey has for
many wears been the most glarlng
The opposition to extortions by mo-
nopolizing railroad corporations has re-
Gently taken another form, in the cree
tion of an American cheap transporta-
ton association, chiefly intended to
fight the abuses in railroad manage
ment. for instance, the building, OF
railroads on mortgaced bonds While
the stock is divided among the proJec-
tors without equivalent, in consequence
of which the public is taxed with ex,
cessive freight charges, 50 that interest,"
on the bonds and dividends on the
stock may be paid. Besides this wrong
the stocks of many railroads have beer
watered, doubled and and trebled, II
order to prevent public attention benz
too constantly turned to the enormou
amounts thus wrung from the people:
Another enormous wrong IS that i
almost every company we find a ring
in the management, which charges Tn
road two or three prices for its supplies
The officials of all the companies ar
interested in the fast freight lines
to whom they give special privilege
because they are so interested; ines
lines take the cream OF the buslnes
and their officials become mlllionalr.
at the expense, nominally of the raj
roads but in reality of the public
What the merchants, the farmer
the whole community have to compla,
of in the present railway system, is u q
rank abuses which accompany It'll
inside "rings," the swindling manag
ment, the "Credit Mobilier. frelg
lines, and the watering OF stock whie
make it necessary for railway comp
MES to charge the price of four busht
of corn at the place Of production
ret one bushel to market. All won
lament the failure of our western Gro
as a sad calamity, but the shlPplll
merchants of the east are as much Q
nriyed of the profits of handling al
exporting cereals, as though the co
were widowed in the fields. Inc ev
of the railway system, as 1t has De
conducted, and in which stockhoid'
are often as much abused as outside
the cheating vi the rcd, wnl'e Il
bue lines, the swudiing and thievi
Of the officials, who appear to lea
honesty behind them when they EN-
railway service, all these and OIL
argravations have so accumulated
UPON another, that the people have
solved to bear them no longer L
remedy can be found for them.
This is what the American che
transportation association, which J
organized last month in New Y
city. and recently published their c
stitution and bylaws, intend 10 corr
by all legal means at disposal Eve
BODY who is not railroad stockhol
or official, is interested in cheap tr'
portation of persons and property,
therefore we expect that the great
iority of our people will not only '
this association all the success it II
deserves, but demand powerful as
ance from our government.