The New York herald., 1879-11-30

saching and plunder of Mr.. Schultz's or Mr. Thur
contents among the mob might be deemed the great
est good to the greatest number.
The third charge Is that the rates OF TRANSPORTS
tenance of subsidiary organizations. designed to de-
pee the OF the roads before they reach the
ckholders 1t plainly asserts that the officers OF
the companies are deliberately engaged in plunder
ing the revenues of their companies. 1t has not
side companies were merely to facilitate the
business of the railroads. The pretence that
meyey ,nsy ain e tne Issd pockets q the managers Of
the railroad companies was faliacious The next
charge related to stock proxies Neither Mr.. Jewett
nor the other OF the Erie approve or prac-
tise the system of buying and selling stock proxies
The tender soictude of the authors OF the charges
for the stockhodng interest was intended to enlist
the stockholders in crusade against their own
property" how. .o..n whsr tho com.
mittee reassembled Mr.. Shpman continued az fol-
lows:-"The firth charge is OF an omnibus character.
It calls for.i posting OF the rates T. the sstaS &
jected to the classification OF freight; I. 1t de-
nounced the pooling arrangements. l shall ask
interests of the city of New York. The jobbing
trade the grain trade and the milk trade were said
to have boen injured thereby. Dangers supposed to
threaten the commercial prosperity Of New York are
favorite topic.
'Horatio Seymour himself has said:-'The rail-
ways do not give New York the trade it had when
the waterways the main routes His fame will
not be enhanced by such utterances. The point
made is that the operations OF the railroads injured
the city. not that New York has less trade than
formerly. but that she has less compared
lakes. the Erie Canal and the Hudson River no
longer give New York q monopoly of the trade from
the West. Its true the city once commanded the
entire trade. All this chain of waterways centred
in New York. This happy state OF things would
Of railroads means OF transportation. But the
railways have not abolished the waterways in any
Guilty is simple. The railroad system has changed
New Yorks relations to the West. It has brought
nection with it. The effect New York precisely
the ii rival canals had been opened to those
points. 1t n not possible for New York to have that
essential monopoly of the trade which she once had
precisely similar case that OF san Francisco.
which. before the building OF the Pacific Railroad.
had q monopoly of the trade the Pacific coast.
''The Chamber of Commerce had dwelt with en-
phasis the decay OF the jobbing trade. The state
ment of the population Of New York had been l &C,
at the federal census. might conclude that Boston
had gained more than New York. But counsel had
Roxbury and Dorchester were both annexed to
Boston between 1860 and 1870. II New Yorks
had been increased by the addition of Brook
lyn and Jersey City. the result would have been
different. This would show an increase of seventy
by which counsel had estimated Boston's increase
at forty per cent But the fair way to take
only the increase Of Brooklyn and Jersey City and
add to New York. This would show the real in
crease to be twenty per cent, greater ratio
between 1860 and 1870 than any Of her seabosrd rivals
The statement OF the gentleman was therefore mis-
leading. The increase of New York next compared
with that Of Chicago St. Louis. Cincinnati and Mil
theywere in the life and vieor Of early manhood They
long ago laid their plans to throw of dependence
New York. In july 1870 Congress passed law au-
thorizipg the transportation of imported goods in
bond from New York. Boston and other towns to the
Western inland cities. The result is that large
in in these inland cities. especially Chicago. and
caused the great change in nth, the joobing trade
had nothing whatever to do with. TO say as the
Chamber Of Commerce memorial does that the rail-
roads have no right to break up the jobbing trade
OF the city, was to use words in their basest and
most inconsequential manner. To restore to New
York the monopoly Of the iobbing trade or to have
continued it would be impossible as to transfer
the grain lands Of the West the seaboard carry
the shores Of the Atlantic to the Mississippi Valley
nroner agency in nrodmcino resmits which IN.
exorably follow from the great movements Of popu-
lation and trade and the development OF the In
terror OF the country is absurd as It IL unjust
New York has suffered much more in other
ways for which the railways were not RESPONSE
stagnation Of business in the country large. For
nearly twenty years she has been plundered by
municipal thieves. But this city has suffered moro
from the absolute destruction of her shipping inter-
ests than from all other causes combined Her ships
hss nos ser aes dealers hers
sailmskers: her princey shipping merchants have
nearly all disappeared. Her foreign commerce is
both export as well as import. This vast bust
has been temporarily lost to New York.
Not one great sail steamship line engaged in the
European trade is owned managed here The
local agents OF all these foreign lines necessarily
labor for the foreign capitaiists who own them.
This great branch Of commerce and industry has
been transferred to Liverpool London. Hull Cardiff.
Glasgow. southampton Bremen, Antwerp. Havre
ber of Commerce could be better employed in
deavoring to restore this vast maritime business to
greatest maritime cities the GLOBE than in fomen-
ing blind the railroads OF the state. which
are the sources or much that remains Of her supre
macy and power.
''sUPREMAcY AND rowxR NEW Yonx.'
But the supremacy and power OF New York %
the first city on the continent not will they
be destroyed. She IL still and will continue to be
the first OF American cities. BY means of through
lines of rail and water communication the whole
country and its resources made tributary to
New York. She is the money centre Of the conti-
nent and will be Of the world. She still has it in
her power Dy insisting repeal of the destruc
tive legislation Of the federal to
her lost maritime interests and become the first
maritime city of the world.
II now come to the second allegation against Now
York rairoads-that their policy has diverted por-
failed to retain to that city all the of that
trade throughout the country. New York has not
suffered from the rivalry of Montreal and Boston,
they have lost more than she has. The increase of
Philadelphis and Baltimore is the particular sub
1ect of complaint. disinterested and unbiased
oberver would wonder, not that New York had lost
much. but that she had lost little. The OPEN
ing OF through lines OF railroads had removed tho
natural barriers from other points and given them.
account of nearer routes, great advantages over
New York. That after this alteration In the means
OF reaching the West by the rival cities OF Philadc
phia and Baltimore Now York should fail to increase
her percentage of receipts much those two
cities inevitable. That the position OF New
York has not been changed very much moro for the
was due to the desperate struggle of the New
York Central and Erie roads to protect New York;
struggle which cost these companies millions of
dollars. Great sacrifices had been madc by the New
York roads to retain control OF the through
traffic for New York by lowering through rates.
The Chamber OF Commerce now demands that
the local rates be reduced to . pro rate with tho
through rates. The suggestion was fagitious In
view of the fact that these local rates lower
than any other railroads in the world. The
tendency of the pooling arrangements was to dimin
lsh the difference between through and local rates.
'"The pool . combination among the railroads
for fair division OF tonnage It tended to prevent
the ruinous results OF competition. 1t was the
endeavoring to remove evils which had hitherto
proved incorrigible II permitted to continue
IL would bring order out of confusion. Tho
agreement of April g. 1877. the pooling agreement.
Q or complaint. But IL was not . discrim.
ination against the natural geographical advan-
tages of New York. Its practical effect not dis
elimination against New York in any sense. II had