The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1881-03-03

OLE NUMBER liz.
ANTI-MOM0p0ly.
Gareas Meeting In New York - Rrotest
Against Menspslles-Eloqne an1
Ahle Statement - the Situation ~
Judge B1aCb-speech ~ Represcnt.
atAve Reagan aaA Letter frona Sen.
tor vVinAOm.
A large mass-mesting was held at
Cooper Institute, New York, on the
evening Of Feb. q, under the auspices
Of the National Anti.Monopoly League.
Peter Cooper WIS present. President
l.. E. Chittenden briefly stated the OBJ
jects and purposes Of the League, assert
ing its origin to be IN outgrowth OF the
abuses Of corporate powers, and urging
the necessity Of universal organization
on some basis BY the entire taxpsying
element of the country.
Judge Black, Of Pennsylvania, was in-
troduced. He spoke for over an
hour, and In tho course Of his
address, Of which the keynote
was the legal and constitutional
aspects Of the transportation question,
considered at length the relations Of
corporations to the public. He said
that the course Of these institutions had
been steady toward complete monopoly.
Their ultimate designs were fraught
with the greatest danger to the State,
and, unless legislation should step in and
aid an oppressed people, the whole ma
chinery 81 the Government would be
thrown into the hands Of the monopo-
lists. These men, said The speaker,
sessions. They will still continue to
water their stocks, to absorb tho prop
erty Of others, and the tax-producers at
their own caprice and, BY consolida-
ton Of railroads, union q telegraph
lines, subversion of laws, and the inse-
curity given corporate properties BY
their refusal to recognize the rights
Of the minority Of shareholders.
they have set ct defiance tho rights
Of the public and tho individual. pre-
vented beneficial competition, and tram
pied upon the spirit 0f the constitution
and laws Of their country" He advo-
Gated that railroad men should b turned
out Of Office under the Government, and
their duties compelled q we'll . tho
rights observed through the interpretation
Of the law. Constitutional methods by
which the people may be protected 10
ties quoted to demonstrate that the REM
edy lay in the hands Of the public itself.
Il was shown that, BY the power Of their
wealth, the railroads had obtained q
large share Of the control Of tho Supreme
and State Courts and various Legislative
bodies, and that Judges were elected
and Representatives selected with spec.
| ial reference to their fitness for advanc-
ing the interests Of the corporations they
| represented. Railroads were rapidly
assuming nm influence disproportionate
to the relative position they occupied
toward other bodies. The character and
extent of such laws as should be enacted
Was explained, and their adoption strong
! " recommended
"Tho voice Of complaint" says
Judge Black, "comes on the wings Of
the wind from every quarter Of the con-
| tinent. Cases Of individual complaint
viii be recited to you in every counting
house, in every hotel, wherever you go
to talk with your neighbors. The proof
has assumed an even far moro solemn
tone. The public records OF the coun-
try arc full Of the evidence. Commit
tees Of Congress and committees Of
State Legislatures have considered il,
and al who have given it attention de-
clare with one voice that the accusation
is true. There is ono fact which we
may take IS . starting point in the cal
culation which al will admit. The
through freights, North and South, East
and West, and particularly between New
York and Chicago, are tho lowest
charged. They are twice - high -
they ought to be. They are now IS
cents per 100 weight, and be.
fore the Hepburn Committee in
Albany it WAS proved by experts
that an enormous profit could be
made by charging 20 cents. Now. il
was computed before moro than ons
committee that m advance Of cents
per 100 weight on the crop Of 1873
amounted to ! gain OF 35S, ,OOO,'
COO to the railroads The same
allowance on the crop Of last
year would amount TO not less than 475,'
Doc, 600. This Was on the grain croI
alone, which was certainly not one-tliire
Of tho business. Multiplying by three
We have S225, ,OOO, 900 in one year on AZ
average Of but 5 cents, but the charge il
Is cents above what experts say woule
be just. Multiplying again by three ",
have the enormous amount of 1915, 600,
600 extorted from tho pockets Of tn,
people in one year. Enough TO pay hal
Of the national debt, and this is only OF
through freight" Judge Black say'
that on the "short hauls" the railroat
charged fifty times as much IS on tn
through freight. Media is town bu
twelve miles from Philadelphia. but Il
man there wants = ton Of goods from
Philadelphia he is obliged topay as mucl
freight as the same goods cost to b
hauled from Chicago to Philadelphia,
, distance Of over 600 miles. su th
! charge from Chicago TO Philadelphia j
. moderate and fair, which It is not, con
tinued tho speaker, "the charge =
: Meiias il fifty times higher than
: ought to be. In other and plaine
. words, q Of every so is m honest dol
lar, which the company ought to have
Q and the other 80 arc tho proceeds Of
!. deliberate plumber. I don't suppose thi
: transaction comes within the legal defin
. ton of stealing, but the difference bt
e tween it and the larceny for which you
3 courts send poor, starving wretch
4 Sing Sing is purely technical. / def
4 any man TO point out to me any NOR,
!. distinction between them. The questio
e is. What is to be done? IA voice.
q "Confiscate their steaiings. Vel
s that is hard to do, for they have g
n them pretty we'll ont Of sight. I am
y favor Of allowing them to keep what the
q have got, but, Of course, they must !
!, = stopped from getting any more OF Il
Is same sort. They are making goe
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