The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1877-05-10

TO San Francisco, is absorbing another
route across Canada and Michigan,
and thus the process goes on till few
individuals will own the endless rail
way system Of the United States.
Within the next year or two we will
find that these few men, for all practi-
cal purposes, will consolidate these
roads, giving them one master and
management and one single system OF
freight and passenger rates throughout
the country. The mighty congeries OF
corporations will rapidly absorb nr de-
stroy every competing road that is
constructed. Each is dependent on
another, and when the great trunk lines
are consolidated, branch roads, acting
independently, are impotent and value
less. The short road from Little Rock
to Memphis, over a level plain, and
now in perfect condition, is throttled
by the long extended lines from
St. Louis and from Cairo to
Te1Arkana. st. Louis and the
St. Louis road would force all
travel from the Gulf States and from
Virginia, Tennessee and Kentucky to
pass through Cairo or St. Louis, and
this great circuit costs no more than
the rapid flight over level plain and
air line from Chattanooga to Little
Rock. Traffic and travel are forced
into any desired channels by the own
ers of through lines, while branch
lines and tie towns and country along
branch lines are suffered to starve.
Everybody in America, unless it be an
average Rutabags ex-member of the
late Constitutional Convention, is sd-
Vised of these plain, commonplace
facts. Texas Congressman are cog
infant OF them. Gen. Joe Johnston
was expounding these simple truths
only yesterday at the Raymond House.
We have spoken of them till these as
sertions are threadbare, and only ad-
vert to them now because of the rapid
progress of this process of consolida-
tion which has already made the tele-
graphic system a terrible and most
dangerous monopoly. Not only are
rates fastened on telegraphic CORES
pondence enormous and intolerable,
and not only is public opinion often
and corruptly perverted by the one man
power of the despotic corporation, but
the establishment of competing lines
is rendered impossible. Whenever the
competitor appears rates are reduced to
niAility, and the daring, adventurous
capitalist who fights the omnipotent
telegraph company of the United
States would find it wiser and easier
task to compete with the generously
managed express company as engineer
ed by Mike O'Brien.
1t is quite impossible to legislate in
antagonism to the interests or selfish,
grasping ambition of those great
combinations OF wealth and ability.
Senators and Congressman owe their
places to the paid employees of these
aggregstions of wealth. Senators just
chosen by innocent legislatures, before
they have opened their infantIle eyes
upon the new world they must inhabit,
declare tina. the diVinest creation of
human wisdom is the Philadelphia,
San Francisco, Scott Huntington road.
1t is q grand thought and must crown
with imperial power the few who
build and own the wonderful thorough
fare. They will not only be masters
of . railway and its fifty thousand
stipendlaries, but of cities and towns
and branch roads and of telegraph
lines and then the story is only half
told. Steamships plying between the
terminal cities of this mighty railway
and the worlds great centers of com
merce everywhere on the globe will
invest few men constituting this cor
poration with greater power and more
nearly worldwide than was ever
welded by any Gear or Tsmerlane.
These results may commend themselves
to Republicans and to Democrats, but
not to those who would perpetuate pop
ular and local freedom. In telegraphy,
in railways, in steamships, in mercantile
operations, the tendency of the age is
illustrative of the resistless forces of c.
Operation among men and associations
Of men. Great good and as great evil
are alike attainsble, and while our peo
pie contemplate the facts the local les
son should be accepted and every citi-
zen of Austin, strong or weak, should
contribute his share of force to the
construction of our little railway
| towards the northwest.