The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1881-04-12
RAILROADS
How they have become
Monopolies.
Vanderhilt's Peculiar Method.


From the Atlantic Monthly.
When Com modore Vanderbilt began
the world he had nothing. and there were
no steamboats, or railroads. He was thirty
FIVE years old when the first locomotive
was put into use In America When he
died railroads had become the greatest
force in modern industry. and Vanderbilt
was the richest man in Europe or America,
and the largest owner of railroads in the
world.
He used the finest business brain of
his day and the franchise of the state
to build up kingdom within the re.
public, and like king he bequeathed
his wealth and power to his eldest son.
Bancroft's History OF the United
States and our railroad system were begun
at the same time. The history is not yet
finished, but the railroads owe on stocks
and bonds $4,000. 600, 900 more than twice
our National debt of 81. 100000, 900. and
tax the people annual $4,000, 900. one
and half times more than the govern
ment.s revenue last year of $274, 600. 900.
More than any other class our railroad
men have developed the country and tried
it's institutions. The evasion of almost
all taxes by the New York Central Rail
road has thrown upon the people of New
York state more than fair
share of the costs Of the govern.
msnt, and illustrates some of the
methods by which the rich are making
the poor poorer. Violation of the trust
by credit moblliers. Jay Gould's wealth
and the poverty of the Erie stockholders.
such corruption of legislatures as gave the
the Pacific Mail is subsidies and nick
named New Jersey. The State of Cam
dem and Amboy." are sins against the
public and private faith On scale i'm
possible in the early days Of republics and
corporations. A lawsuit still pending
though begun ten years ego by citlzon oil
Chicago, to recover the value OF baggage de.
stroysd sby the Pennsylvania railroad
Judge Barnard's midnight orders Tor
the Erie ring: the surrender of its judicial
integrity by the supreme court OF Penn
sylvania at the bidding of the Pennsylvania
railroad, as charged before congress By
| President Gowen, OF the Reading railroad
the veto by the Standard Oil Company OF
the enactment of Law by the Pennsyl.
vania legislature 10 carry out the provision
of the constitution of the state, that every
ons should have equal rights on the rail.
lroads-these are few of the many things
that have happened to kill the confidence
of our citizens in the laws and in the ad
ninistration of justice
No other system of taxation has born,
: as heavily on the people of those extortion
Ion inequalities of railroad changes whiei
caused the granger outburst in the west
and the recent uprisiug in New York, Il
he actual physical violence with whicl
railroads haYe taken their rights of wa,
through more than one American city
and in The railroad stricks of 1876 an,
IIS77, with the anarchy that cam
With them, there are social disorder
we hoped never to see in Amer
lea These incidents in railroad histor.
shows most of the points where we fail. 9
between man and man, employer. an
: employer. the public and the corporation
the state and the citizen, to maintain th
. equities of government and employ
ment-''of the people, by the people, fo
, the people.
] |. Our treatment of the 'rsi.road problem
will show the quality AID callbre OF Gu
political sense 1t will go far 10 forshadoW
: ing the future lines of our social an
political growth. It may Indicate whethe
the American Democratic experiments
e which have preceded it is to becom
: extinct because the people had not VI
{ enough or virtue enough to make the com
mon good supreme