The daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1873-1877, 1876-01-29
Eastern Freights

j. Meredith Davies, general passenger
agent of the Rockford road, with the fol-
lowing note:
will the editor of TIE ARGUS please make as
Times as you can, favorable to this road and 10
''cality, and very much oblige, Yours truly,
| j. M, DAVIES,
| We cheerfully comply with the request
of Mr. Davies and give place to the en-
tire article-but it strikes us that Mr.
Coxs little speech was about the worst
possible thing he could have done for the
interests of those who are managing the
Rockford road especially 50 in his state
ments as to the great falling off of bust
ness. and of their inability to work with
the Chicago lines. The reason Mr.. Cox
was before the Chicago board of trade at
all was request from the officials of the
the Rockford road that he might be
heard there, 1t was unfortunate for
the Rockford that they sent young man
to that meeting of SO little experience and
Judgment as VIM M. Cox, who made ad
missions aud statements there, published
and unpublished, which show that he is
not competent man to haye charge OF
such large interests The effect Of his
speech is to show that the Rockford road
can not be madea paying institution unless
run in friendly connection and on equal
terms with the Chicago roads
Several sharp conflicts ofopinion appear
to have taken place between Mr. Cox aud
Mr.. McMullen, one of which the Times
reporter gives only one side Of The re-
port, as printed, says:
In answer to an inquiry on the part of the chair
man of the committee why such state of affairs
should exist and what had caused the three great
roads to Chicago [the Chicago, Burlington &
( Quincy; the Chicago, Rock Island 81 Pacific; and
the Chicago q Alton to adopt the policy they has
toward his road, Mr. Cox replied that it owing
to powerful combination between the three roads
with the end IN view of so gripping the finances
of the Rockford Rock Island & St. Louis road a,
to make its sale necessary, and enable the combina
ton to purchase it At a small price
Upon this statement being made, Mr.
y McMullen, who is general superintendent
9 of the Chicago & Alton, asked Mr.. Coz
if he had noticed any anxiety on the par
Of the roads he charged as being in com
: bination to get possession Of the Rockford
or if he knew of any steps either of then
had taken towards such an end. Mr.. Co,
: said he had not and did not know of any
movement Of the sort, and he voluntaril,
:. added that Mr.. Osterberg was great dea
) more anxious to sell than those roads wer
It to buy.
:. The allusion Mr.. Cox made to ''the so
called bankrupt roads" is understood 4
), mean the Peoria & Rock Island. the Toledo
;. Peoria & Warsaw, the Peoria, Pekin &
Z jacksonville, the indianapolis, Blooming
g ton & Western, etc., but Mr.. McMulIel
u sharply repealed the idea that they wer
fighting men Of straw, and said 1T wa
idle for the pool managers to argu
II that they were fighting bankrupt roads
;. for if the lines out of indianapolis to til
% east are bankrupt. then the Pennsylyani
It company is bankrupt"
It MIR. McMullen submitted statemon
a showing how he was discriminating agains
q points in Indiana, in favor Of Chicago, i
rate demanded by the eastern lines ha
almost entirely stopped the grain trade t
- Chicago The roads from Indianapol
II are offering to take grain from points c
n the Alton road to the east at 10 cents les
per 100 pounds than grain can be shippe
n for from Chicago. The same roads thu
N control the rates from Chicago contr,
It the rates from indianapolis, an
are parties to the low rates from th;
point He felt that the Chicago board
trade had the power to demand that til
re eastern roads should not allow the roaC
n from Indianapolis to discriminate again
Chicago If they would take care of Il
no roads from Indianapolis, the western roa(
would take care of the bankrupt concern
in the interior of this state"
. 1t thus seems that Chicago is good de
10 10 troubled because all the Mississippi vale
is not its tributary; troubled because Il
"a, people of this locality can fnd tran
,s' portation to the Atlantic seaboard withol
'0 going through its borders and payia
tribute to its robbing elevators and war
NO houses and whines because of the India
20 lines, and Mr.. McMullen!gives Chicago
rs lick back by saying: 'Yoa sChicago, unde
re take to control the roads from IndlanapoI
ne east and we, the western roads, will tai
r. care of the bankrupt concernsin the interi
at Of this state.
st.I And this brings US to the fact developed
We this report, viz: that the interest of 18th
nj locality" alluded to by Mr.. Davies, il
raj peratively demands that these Indla1apol
in and Toledo connections east shall
patronized and fostered Through the
lines this locality" has been placed on
par with Chicago as to cheap freigh
go Without them this locality" would be
-e- the tender mercles of the Chicago lin
and the Vanderbilt lines What I'll
lth manufacturers, and the commercial me
ain and the farmers,of this locality" want
ing cheap freight to the Atlantic seaboar
s0p ''This locality" can never get that throus
the Chicago railroad interests. II o.
ay canal were built we could then hold the
Chicago roads pretty level for or
ar ar months in the year and that would be
leo ed great point gained for cheap transportatio
ear But greater point still is to keep op,
ew the Indianapolis and the Toledo, and Il
Pennsylvania, and the Baltimore & Oh
;, connections and bring those interests
=" fight for business from this locality"