The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1881-03-19

llliTktG gone. AS IL idppeHeu- oii tiio
occasion they had already sold the most
I Of their crop, but the occurrence shows
how the outlet for wheat could be cut off
by combination of railroad men and
spectators, just rs the outflow of oil
was cut of by the Standard and the rail
roads. Some of the spectators most
prominent in the recent wheat specula-
! tions are powerful railroad owners and
directors. Given tie power to raise and
change the freight tate at will. these
! specializing directors can control prices the
West shall get for its grain and cattle,
| and those the East shall pay for its bread
and meat The New York Chamber Of
Commerce, on Feb. ). 1880, unanimously
adopted a report-Si"ned by Charles 5.
Smith, jackson S. Schultz, Ben amin B.
Sherman. Francis 3. Thurbcr. Benjamin
G. Arnold. Jacob Wen:leiI. and Charles
{. Dodge-in which these significant
words occur: "What has happened in
the case of the Standard Oil Company
may happen in other lines of business.
With the favor of the managers of the
trunk lines. what is to prevent commerce
in the rest of the great staples from be-
ing monopolized in a similar manner:
Already it is taking this course. One or
two firms i'll Baltimore, Philadelphia,
New York, and Boston, with their branch
houses in the West, are, by the favor of
the railroads, fast monopolizmg the eX
port trade in wheat. corn. cattle, and
provisions, driving their competitions to
the wall with absolute certainty. break
ing down and crushing out tho energy
and enterprise of the many for the benefit
Of the favored few
The case of the Standard Oil Company
brings the three great trunk lines and
their magnates. Scott. Vanderbilt. and
.Jewett, 4 great national export and in
ter-S State commerce. into one condensed
illustration of our subject, but otherwise
it is not peculiar. Mr.. Vanderbilt as
surcd the public over his own signature
that the New York Central made no spe-
cial rates. Mr.. Sterne's examination of
the officers and books of the road proved
the existence Of 5000 special contracts.
The Northern Pacific, which has been
built by grants of land from the people.
and which is now an apple mt before the
peoples Congress for the extension of its
land grant, gives special rates to the Dial
rymplcs. the Casscs, the Grandins, with
their 80. 900 and 10000 acre farms, and
charges the poor farmers full rates. The
| St. Paul and Sioux City Railroad fur
nishes the large farmers along its route
with rates one half those charged the
small farmers Who are the large farm
erS? President Drake. of the road: Gen
eral Bishop, its Mana ger; President Geo.
New York: Mr.. Orr, a partner of the
great house of David Bows 4 Co., of
New York; Goldschmidt, the rich Ger
man banker. of Frankfort-on the Main;
and every director on the road. The in
yestments of these men average Il return
of twenty per cent the first year, and
| fifty-five per cent the second year.
One mind invented the locomotive.
established the railroad, ami discovered
the law of this new force. All railroad
history has been vindication of George
! Stephenson's saying that where combina-
ton was possible competition was impos-
Sible. To-day, wherever in this country
! there is a group of railroads doing bust
! ness at 4 common point, You will find 4
pool. These pools are nothing more myS-
| FERROUS than combinations To prevent com
petition. They are continually breaking
up into railroad wars, but as constantly
forming again with improvements gained
| from experience. The Saratoga agree
ment, the Colorado pool. the Evening
system. the Omaha poo, the Southwest
crn Rate Association. the Southern Steam
ship and Railway Association. accounts
of which are continually appearing in
the papers, to be always skipped by the
general reader, are all experiments in
this Observation-Disclosures TO kill COM
petition. For three years our ablcst rail
road men have been trying to invent n
pool that should put ali railroad traffic
between the Mississippi River and the
ports of Europe under one control.
The New York Central. the Erie, the
Pennsylvania. and the Baltimore and
Ohio roads. undo. the direction of Mr.
Albert Fink. the greatest of our railroad
experts. have formed Il combination I'M
der the title of the Trunk Line Executive
Committee. which besides themselves in
cludes thlrty-two Western roads and one
great Southern road. the Louisville and
Nashville These roads tax the people
in their territory sl55, 000.00 year fol
transportation. This pool fixes for each
of these roads the rates which it shall
charge and the proportion of the entire
business it shall do. Only two important
Dads east of the Mississippi do not be
long to it. the Rock Island and the North
western, but they are both in the Gould.
Vanderbilt system, and are operated r
substantial harmony with the pool Ex
Governor Seymour. of New York, in al
interview at Utica with a special CORES
pendent of the New York World. helt
that rational regulation of the railroads
ought to be opposed by New Workers
because it would take away from New
York its advantage of position in the
struggle with Boston, Philadelphia. anC
Baltimore for the business of the West
Governor Seymour is apparently no
aware that the Fink pool have alread,
done this. One of their main regulations
J is that rates from common Western
points of shipment, like Chicago to En-
rope, shall be the same whether mad
through New York, Boston, Philadel
phia, or Baltimore. OF this latest poo
Mr.. Albert Fink is the executive. period
zeal meetings of the representatives o
the roads form its Legislature, and
Board of Arbitration, composed o
Charles Francis Adams, Jr., John a
Wight, and David a. Wells, is its Judi
cary. 1t has lasted little over year
and its members are bound to keep tn
peace till 1854. 1t is stronger uniol
than any the roads have yet made. an'
is the most powerful. the richest, AM
the ablest trades union that has yet con
fronted any government or people. 1t