The weekly Oskaloosa herald. [volume] (Oskaloosa, Iowa) 1855-1885, 1873-03-27
THE PUBLIC PERIL-WHAT MON
OPOIlES ARE DOING.

The action of the State Legisla-
ture, the popular assemblages, the
combinations among merchants, the
ORGANIZATION of farmers clubs
throughout the west, are all slgnifi
can't indications of the restlessness of
the people under the exactions and
unjust determinations OF railroad
com binations. The consolidation or
union of lines in order to facilitate
travel and prevent delay so apt to
occur where there is diverse man
agement is result every way desira-
BILE. The closer and more harmo-
NOUS arrangements become between
the multitudes of companied organi
zed in every State, the better for the
shipper, for the traveller, for the
prompt transmission of the mails, al d
for the operation of trade. 1t Is not
such things that excite the people
and arouse the clamor that is heard
so generally through the country
1t is the consolidation of roads so as
defeat competition, to sustain exorbi-
tant prices for travel and freight,
the unjust determinations by which
way freights are compelled to bear
burdens out of all proportions to the
service rendered and the distance
travelled, that creates so much feel
ing. The combination OF great lines
by which they are virtually made
one, controlled by a single animated
spirit, established prices that if they
do notplace the embargo upon large
amount of trade, come so near absorb
ing all the productions as to make
us: wish that they were abated as
nuisances.
The evil step does not stop here.
there are rings formed in all these
companies by which the storage bus,
mess is controlled, the shipping in
terest absorbed. the elevators man
aged, the classification of grain regu
lated, and, in a word, nearly the
whole commercial business Of the
country is controlled. The railroad
companies are not willing to confine
themselves to legitimate bushes:
and legitimate profits in that bust
ness as public carriers. They are
enabled to establish an absolute
monopoly, by which profits tina
should be divided between host o
traders and merchants and small OPP
peraters are all swallowed up. Thi
, grinding over shadowing monopoly
has startled the country into sud
den realization of danger The PEG
pie realize that through acts of leg
islation they nave nourished into life
a power that Is rapidly absorbing al
, other power, making itself ubiqul
, tous, and exacting tribute through
out the length and bredth of tn
land.
These evils, patent to all, do no
complete the category. The wors
of it is that the people are absolute
, ly being compelled to pay for tn
privilege of being thus depleted
States, counties, cities, towns, ant
,, townships are groaning under al
f enormous load of debt occurring il
aiding to build the roads who's
profits and control they are not per
mitted to share. an area of territor,
adequate for vast empire has beer
absorbed, and the national treasur.
itself has paid out millions upon mil
lions of dollars to aggrandize thes
great monopolies. The amount o
railroad debt now resting like an in
cubus upon the people is astonish
, ing. Upon this vast debt they arr
paying interest year after year
while the principal goes on increas
ing by reason of new ventures Il
f new communities, unwarned by tn
experience of older settlements.
During the late session in Con
gress while the investigations wer
going on, the people obtained {
slight conception of the matter IL
which profits and resources are alb
sorbed in a road that claims to be 81
+ poor as not to be able to pay interes
on the money the government ad
vanced to build it, they obtained q
little insight, too, into the coal riDs
of the Union Pacific, by which i'll
revenues have been depleted tor the
benefit of few stockholders, while
ruinous embargo, is laid upon thu
coal trade on the line of the road. -
Washinqton ChrOhicle.