The Chickasaw messenger. (Okolona, Miss.) 1880-1900, 1881-01-27
A.E1-r.r-ve n.-r..,-


Tor the consolidation Of railrLad lines
1 IN one part or another OF this coul.
| try These movements 60 on without
auy ipicrposition OF public authority
aud little regard 70 any claim Of The
! public 20 be consulted or considered.
| Each one of them adds strength to
that corporate power whose "malign
| mlnenoen on the National and State
| Legislatures was not long ago declar-
ed by a prominent United States Sen
ator 70 be a "well grounded cause oi
alarm p There was recently a report
that the New York Central and Hul
son River, with the Lake Shore end
Michigsa Central under its control,
vas about 10 make @ combination
with The Chicago, Burlington and
Quincy and The Atol.s0n Topeka
and Santa &c, which, with one m0.e
possible connection, would bring %
through line across the continent
under a pract.cally undivided man
agement Though this has bscn de
med, there have been negotiations
looking 10 that direction Mr Jay
Gould has been for some time making
combinations in the Westsnl South
west, which evidently have i'm view o
through connection from the Missis
sippi River TO the Pac,fc OceGl under
one control, which is then 70 turn
back over the Wabash system 90 the
great lakes, thence % complete o
union with some OF the trunk lines
eastward to the Atlantic Before
very long there are likely 70 be three
lines Of railroad crossing the barrier
Of the Rocky Mountains from the
Mississippi Valley to the Pacific
Coast, each forming, sooner or later
q union with CORRESPONDENCE lines from
this side ofthe continent. The great
trunk lines OF the East now traverse
the Northern states, but a kindred
movement toward consolidation has
begun in the South, conspicuously
represented in the recent eomHna-
lions OF the Louisville s Nashville
Company, while from tie central
canglia on ,hc Mississippi, lines are
reaching out toward the Gu.fanl tle
Mexican border The tendency
everywhere Is toward aa absorption
of the important short lines and q
un.on of interests That lie iu the same
general line of transportation, either
/ by ctualcOnso i3ations of mpanie5
or by combinations under contracts
and agreements wach produce a
virtual unity 3f control
Iius is forming on lhe face ul the
territory comprised within the United
States gregt conlederacv Of rail
reads whose ultimate power il is not
easy 10 forecast However great
the separate systems may be, and
however faE ldey maY bg rivals in The
business Of through transportation,
tHeY sill have certain interests iu
common They will have a common
interest lin resisting Government
! control ia obtaining and maintain
ing laws favorable TO their purposes,
aud in strengthening and guarding
their power over the business of the
country By compaets among
/ themselves they may lay what tribute
they will upon the Industries and
commerce Of the people. They will
rest like one gigantic despotism OF
iron upon the face Of this land, and
regulate the development Of indus
trial interests, direct the currents OF
trade, and exercise a control over all
the energies Of the people which they
may be pOwerloss to resist The
/ business OF the countryis absolutely
dependent upon the agencies OF
transportation, and any power shat
hold these in its grasp will have oui
material interests at its mercy Oh
course, such a power acting without
restraint would consult its own profl
and sofety, aud aim Go pursue thC
policy which would enable the busi-
ness of the country to pay it Cd,
largest tribute. It could not iniurC
that business as a whole without So
defeating its own purposes, but I
could do great Injustice 10 persons
aud places, and interfere seriously
with the natural AMI equitable cours,
! oil things and it could ,aYa tax on th,
country tor the enrichment OF taN
! plutocracy that directed it create
J than that which the Goyerameu
would dare to exact.
a committee of the United State
I Sena.e reported, six years age
/ that even at that time the men wh,
! controlled the four great trunk line
! between New York and Chicag
could, "by a single stroke Of tie pen
s reduce the value Of property in thi
+ oountry by hundreds OF millions G
r dollars "An additional charge q
a Eve cents per bushe on the trans
y portauon oil cereals would, y they sal
"haye been equivalent to a tax {
E $45, ,000,000 on The crop Of 1873 N
Congress would dare TO exercise E
a vast a power, except upon a noCcs
]. sity Of Tie most imperative nature.
n Ii this were SO then, how vastly ID
Z creased will this irresponsible pow,
have become when tue work oil cor
sOlidaton and confederai0nhas eOl
on few years more. or its incjpiel
strength we have had many instance
) already What will be its enormol
j might when ID has reached
.. maiurity2 This growing corpora
= power has been created by q
Fl people, and we are told by high Tee
Nv authority that q holds and Cxercis
~ oil its privileges subject 60 tho pub
o. will No power inherent ia the Sta
6 has been given up to 10. The abs,
6 Lutte right 10 bring it into subjecti,
h, and keep il in control exists
4 holds no ultimate property in {
ai highways which it has been permi
Is led 90 consWuc, and use, and it
las exercising franchises granted Dy {
"A. pu liic which gave that public auth'
th itv over it But il threatens 10 I
/ come q question whether the mas
4 or the servant is the more powert
h and which shall rule The other. 4
re- public can work only through legis
IA lion and the administration Of las
ew sBd The railgoad confederacy will
with the people IN making and co
trolling Legislatures and admin
tradons. They have already enter