, 1880-05-07
THE RAILROAD PROBLEM.
A Review OF the Situation upon
the Pacific Coast.
Gigantic Combinations In the Inter.
ests Of Private individuals.
f1eduxopsrandi Of kouopoiy psratIous-DiHrtpiua.
I tions and Their Remedy.

East, and the consolidation and absorption Ut
tho, those "a; already in opefa1n ave ,a atns the
ppahsm st ,vl~ naforo S't tbo % conio
California; md, while frequent attempts ut
its solution have been made by the legislative
l,o;lics ~ Sadramcnto nntl Washington. noue
n5ars o5an oa naeo sn. 'ao u u.,am"n ,rhnt to
railway power Of the Pacific Const, rs welt rs
IT tho country at large, IL every yenr
h.1nr cnntrr,1 morc compluteiv in
-. s.,s.,L, - ..,.n ,r,,.,,,.
lew inaiviunals, 3,,o IS well .F,'No,',ii know;
puols and combinations seems to be ever
Without avail. PROMISES have been ma,e
sd only to be ltstegarded;. and the theory
tint the railroad Is King, md that tho King
Scarcely IS oRer ne9e as4eI pe,re M % OF The ' fancy
,.,,t ~ ',ast .ta,,.,ni,;,, n,, ,n,n,rtnnt foct
IVY u We,-es''so'isheu aaa t',pol.N''t '"0''
Ill the matter or tax"t'ols' Il 1ew men, repre-
II power which the Congress of the United
S,ntaa ,vo,,,d ooa,celv Inre ~ nssrrt nv a
a,n~Ia strnna mu ~ w., ro'' tnov ,nov ot INV
sh'e'e stloAe u tlo pun tncy n,ns, y. IVY
urupeyty IN tho country by hundreds of mill
ipns IF jo1lnrs: nnd their Immense power.
U:n t,,ot W ,ho fm,t9nj uarnn ~ nucient
tlea '' fs usnIt WI wI,homt % Tho siirhest eSnin,,os
ton or apology.
TIE POWER or rArr.noADs,
A learned aud llgl, authority o,, the s,,b-
icct Of rallway-transportation, not long
sincc, summed up the situation rs follows:
L, utfce men "leet III room III New 1oik'
They are not called kaugs, wear no crowis'
md bcar no sccptrcs; They merely repro
sent trunk lines OF railway fro". the Miss's-
e'ppa . w ~" ~. -. a;.. pv.s .;'o1, .'.
make 1t 10 from ChIca@ow "Agrretl; crops
n5s heavy ss d we s" , nys 0S1sh a1 :" &
hot,i"s - win" rh" @ aoiiv no,mrs vs1 nrss.ntiy
po..aes u "ne. e ..s .rs a",s pupess ,s pressnay
announce anas sa,, ,IsnR nes ratss "1ve
frpights, which Is, In effect, n triaine
{ucrrasc M grain. fro,n ~ To 20 ccnts from
ch,o.@ W W e1 M'm WI. ,,,t,, so,ea % ~ at,'ar
, H.1saso -, !" ., New aors, VIII r",es o " osnve
versatlon was insignlflennt,-tli Increase
triNing. But 10 the farmers OF the Northwest
It nnons that tl,u viii nj thrra men i,ns fnken
'nsa "a onn os on ny WI. o., o. '.es t .a '1@e
pro ducts for TINT year, and $5oO, ,000, 600 from
tho actual value of their farms. The conycr-
satioll is imaginary, but the startling facts
Wpou w'1en ~ IN poeu ',.u tsli'o'y ,, leu. w.
Western farmers have leArneu. Tho few
asn ,,, Mllo contlo! tlr Ereat y Tnilway lines aye
~ III tsAEtt ponNl ~ fotlAp vSSsEtA nfA4Iuit-
ure of all Its .earnlngs.-not aft
Or the manner Of nnclont highway
lncn by Mrll-handed IL aeilanee: lance. Of g., society
ot steel, md tho stern "Ssand a''d deliver"
Ths bandits OF modern civilization, Wio GU
rich themselves BY tlle pl,inder of others,
come with, chests full Of charters; Judges
ayc sheir friends, u not tio3r toplss anu tlley
little pencil with which they calcuiate stif.
isrenees of rate, apptrN9tly so Insignificant
TINT pu6llc opln1o', wonders "Wl1y thg farl''
The extraordinary growth 81 the Wabash
systen, Az a,,d tue Yhlo.l % OF ~ Interests M @ with
md Central Pucliic systelns, since the above
na'nsrApli was INMned. haye formed .
still more gigaiitlc combinat10n than
uny which bclore exiSteu; i. and the
dcspotlc Insertion OF Louis MY, that i'e was
tue State, WIS not urged with GREATER nrro-
gnnee t'Id cunflde'ice tllnlr the claims OF the
railway lnaEl'atGs TINT theirs Is tho absolute
flg!it to coitto! tag enrrying tr9de OF ~ Coi..
tihent, ard TINT their power IL beyond that Ut
human Inv, EK0rbltNut rites for irGtKhty