The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1873-02-01


II becomes more evident every year thai
the railroad charges for freight and fare will
have to be better regulated by law. The
people OF the West especially feel the neces-
sity OF this They are far removed from the
great shipping marts for their produce, and
the high rate of freights is the cause. really OF
vast amounts of agricultural products being
left to rot on the ground. The communica-
ton of our correspondent from Chicago.
published yesterday. shows the deep in
terest the farmers and others in the West
are taking in this matter. There is an appre-
hension, too, that the gigantic railroad COM
binations and monopolies may control the
general government. as they have controlled
too many of the State governments. There
is good reason for this apprehension. The
majority of members of Congress ore, per-
haps, interested directly or indirectly in rail-
roads. Then tho vast sums of money at the
command Of the railroad managers, and the
compatibility of Legislators generally, both
in the State and federal governments, leave
little hope for redress except through de-
termined and general movement on the part
of the people Fortunately the people begin
to realize tho truth, for our correspondent
says that the agitation to compel the railroads
to reduce freights from the Western States to
the seaboard is really surprising. Gin Michi-
gan, Illinois, Missouri, Wisconsin, Iowa and
Minnesota there is hardly newspaper the
columns of which are not filed with edito-
rails and correspondence on the subject, and
meetings and conventions are being held in
every county to discuss the railroad and
freight question" The Legislatures are pressed
by numerous petitions and bills on the sub
ject and the Governors of the States deem it
of sufficient importance to devote large por-
ton of their annual messages to it.
So high are the rates of freight, so crowded
are the railroad lines and 80 Overwhelmingly
abundant are the crops in the West, as our
correspondent justly says, that farmers burn
their corn for fuel because they cannot ship it
at profit. If this was so last year or in pre-
vious years, what will be the prospect for
next year, when, judging from the favorable
season likely to follow the deep snow-covered
soil of this Winter, the production will be
enormous What, indeed, must it be in sue
ceeding years, as the West is 90 rapidly in
creasing in population and farm products2
Is the world, which needs the vast corn, grain
and other farm products of the West, to be
deprived of them by the grasping cupidity of
railroad companies? Shall this great COM
mercial metropolis and the other Atlantic sea-
ports lose large portion of the trade that
needs on outlet, and, as a consequence, the
corresponding return trade in merchandise,
because few railroad monopolists choose to
impose high tariff of freights for their own
benefit?
The incipient steps taken by the farmers and
traders of the West to protect themselves may
do some good, but nothing will bring sufi-
cient remedy short of Congressional legisla-
ton. We understand there is scarcely town.
ship in the Northwest without its "grange" or
patrons of industry, organized something
after the manner of the trade unions Iowa,
it is said, has seven hundred lodges and Min
nesota a hundred and ten. This shows how
profoundly the people are impressed with the
necessity of combining for protection against
railroad monopoly and exaction. But it is
uphill work. The railroad power is mighty
Even the candidates for Legislative honors
who spout about reform and controlling the
railroads before voters, no sooner get into
the Legislatures than they sell themselves to
the railroad corporations and cheat their con-
stituents Examples of such conduct we have
seen at Albany, Harrisburg and other State
capitals. Railroad magnates, such as Tom
Scott, Vanderbilt, or Gould and Fisk lately,
have, to use a familiar smile, carried the
Legislatures in their pockets. 1t is needless
to expect any reform from these bodies. The
State of Illinois, which is as independent, prob
ably, as any State in the Union of such railroad
influence, which has vast agricultural pro-
duction and is greatly interested in finding
cheap outlet for its produce, passed law
lately to regulate freights and fare, but it is
almost imperative.
There has been good deal of discussion of
late, and particularly in the West, as to the
advantage of canal and other water communi-
cation for the transportation of produce to the
seaboard and merchandise to the interior.
President Grant, in his last Message to Con-
gress dwelt upon this, and recommended q
vast system of improvements to that end. No
doubt the country will need all the water
communication possible for our growing in
terror commerce as well as the railroads, but
every merchant knows that railroad trans
portation is best, both for the better condition
in which produce and goods are delivered than
by water and for the advantage Of the time
gained We know one gentleman, largely
interested in our street cars, who prefers to
pay several cents bushel more for the corn
with which he feeds his thousand or more of
horses when brought to market by railroad
than when brought by water, on account of