The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1878-11-30
It's Destruction Threatened by the Rail-
roads.
Full Details of the Scheme TO
Robbing 1t Of It's Business.
A Sop to Present Avarice to be Fol
lowed by Shameful Extortion.
some Figures showing Why the Canal should
be Sustained.
A Conspiracy Worthy the Attention Of the Rail
road Commissioners.
FROM the Chicago Tribune.

- the chicago tribune
t Each succeeding day brings its quota OF cir
!, Icumstantial and in many cases positive, evl
dcnce To prove to the satisfaction of all that the
railroads reaching out IN westerly direction
C from this city have engaged in deeply-laid
a plot to discriminate against 1t in favor OF pre-
a tcntious rivals And in this they are aided and
abettcd by the Eastern railroad lines, which,
Though ostenslbly not working in harmony,
5 have combined 10 destroy If possible, but II not
Q to render useless, the magnificent line OF water
Communication formed by the great lakes and
the Erie and Illinois Il Michigan canals
Il It's well.known law of trade that where
) the producer finds a market for the results OF
(, his toll there will he purchase the manuiactur-
ed goods needed for himself and his family.
The farmer who markets his load Of corn,
wheat or potatoes at Podunk will there pur-
chase what dry goods groceries, boots and
shoes, clothing, etc, are required for household
consumption After selling his produce he is
mot gong to the next town, ten miles away, to
make his purchases. Doing SO would involve
the loss OF one day, and the modern farmer is
perfectly familiar with the importance of the
IOld saw that time is money" This same law
holds good IN the marketing Of raw produce
on large scale. The gran-shippers and live
stock dealers, who dispose of their goods IN
this city, are sure To be followed here by the
country merchants, for wherever exists the de
pot for the produce Of the field, forest, ocean,
or mine, there will be found to an equal extent
the products of the loom forge, and workshop.
The two invariably 90 together The ware
house in which is stored the raw product has
| for IT'S neighbor the elegant store in which are
displayed the labors of human skill. As the
I one grows in extent, so grows the other Take
away from this city five or ten million dollars
worth of grain lumber, or live stock, and the
|jObbing trade will show propOrtionate reduc-
ton. This is inevitable.
| For nearly month past the gran-dealers
| and bOat-owners on the line of the Illinois ca
nal from Mlnooka TO La Sale, and on the Hi
nois river from Peru to Peoria, haye been no
! little excited over Il raid that is contemplated
against them by the managers of the Chicago,
! Rock Island d Pacific road, which runs side
| by side with the canal and river almost the en-
| tire distance between Joliet and Peoria 1t is
asserted by the gran-deaers doing business at
! the various landings-and the TTi6une has no
reason to doubt their Statements-that war of
determination has been inaugurated by the
railroad officials, having for its object the
cleaning out of the boatmen and the ultimate
drying up of the canal. The railway gentle
men point with glee to the wiping out of the
canals in OHIO, Indiana and Pennsylvania,
and gloat over the prospect of similar result
in this state within the next three years The
General Freight Agent of the Rock Island
road, it is said has frequently declared that he
proposes to push the fight until the canal is
drained Of Its resources, and then it
MUST OF NECESSITY BE ABANDONED
The Constitution of 1870 expressly provides ::
| The Illinois and Michigan canal shall never
be sold or leased until the specific proposition
for the sale or lease thereof shall first have
ala If fln
state at general election, and have been APP
proved by majority of all the votes polled at
such election. The General Assembly shall
never loan the credit of the state, or make APP
preparations from the Treasury thereof, in aid
| of railroads or canals; provided, that any sur
| plus earnings of any canal may be appropriate
ed for its enlargement or extension.
! This feature of the Constitution prohibiting
! the Legislature from making any appropra-
ton in behalf of the canal owes its origin, so
| it is said by those who pretend to know the in
side history of the Constitutional Convention,
to shrewd and active railroad lobby, which
assembled in Springfield at that time. The
prohibition cuts n prominent figure in the
scheme that has been incuhated by the Rock
| Island road 1t is well known fact that the
greater portion Of the surplus earnings of the
canal were expended IN the construction Of
the locks and dams at Henry and COpperas
Greek, both az gregating a little over SS0O,O0O
At the close of last year there was to the credit
of the Canal Commissioners Il little over $40
600 This year the earnings are estimated at
| s 100000, from which deduct the running cX-
pcnseS repairs, etc, about SSOOOO, ana there
remains some 100000 to be added to last year.
balance making $50 900 in all as the surplus
earnings Of the canal at the close OF this year.
| The scheme of the railroad officials contcm-
al III I'M ti nj a
| few shippers along the line between Joliet and
| Henry The proposition is that these shippers
| shall transfer their business from the canal to
the railroad, and load Eastern cars to be con
| signed to Eastern points, VIA EngeWoOd or
Joliet At the former point, connection VIII
| be made with the Fort Wayne and Lake Shore
roads, at the latter with the Michigan Central
cutoff The gram so loaded is not under any
circumstances to be unloaded In TINS city. n
rebate Of four cents per 100 pounds on the rates
! from the various points to this city VIII be al
lowed to the shippers. This, it is stated, will
/ be contributed by the Eastern roads, though 1t
Is suspected that the Rock Island bears a por-
ton. Let us see how it will work. Take
| Henry, H., as Il specimen. The present rate
on corn from that point to Chicago, by rail, is
Ieight cents per 100 pounds. On the East
bound cars the shipper receives rebate OF
four cents. making the freight virtually four
cents per 100, or two and one-tourth cents per
lbushe The canal rate during the summer
ranged from three To three and one-hali GEMS,
and at this figure there was very little lett To
the boatmen after paying tolls, insurance, re.
j pairs, etc 1t is very easy to understand that
the country grainbuyer who can get his
/ freight for two and onetourth cents has ma
ltcgiai
! ADVANTAGE OVER HIS COMPETITOR,
1 ,,bn il ,hliUcd tn noy ono cent more | L. can
afford tn pay one cent per bushel more than
the latter. and the inevitable result is that 1t
will have the business all to himself To save
himself the canal shipper will be obliged to
put in a switch if the company will allow HIM
land if it will not he must abandon the bust
moss for he cannot afford To conduct il at Il
loss.
! At all the stations between Peoria and Blu
reau there are what are known rs railroad
houses" These elevators were built by the
Railroad Company, the machinery was put IN
l.. , merchant Df This