The daily Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1878-1???, 1882-02-10
A STATE CONVENTION.

There is loud complaining among the
merchants and citizens generally who are
interested in the shipment of freights of
any kind by rail, because of the manner in
which the lately adopted schedule of freight
rates established by the state board of rail
road and warehouse commissioners, ope-
rates. The complaints are very general
and very loud throughout the state, and
both the railroad companies
and the board are denounced
for conniving to rob the people.
AS an instance of the result of the new
schedule, Carmi may be cited. SBefore the
adoption Of this tariff" says the Carmi
Times, 1.-THE L. & N. carried slaves to St.
Louis from this station at $3.50 per car,
while now, under the legal rate, which is
enforced by the company, the charge is SB3.
The charges for lumber, stock, -four, etc.
are also considerably increased. AS this is
about all there is to bring money into this
section at present, it works great hard
ship" AS stated, this is butt one instance
the same complaints have gone up from q
large number of other cities in the
state, Cairo excepted, and the
merchants, shippers and citizens in some
places have held mass meetings, with a
view to taking some formal action to re-
lieve them from the wrong complained Of.
Prompted by desire to assist the ship
pers of the state in their efforts to correct
the wrong, the National Farmers Alliance,
having its headquarters at Chicago, has is-
sued the following call for state conven-
ton:
"All citizens of Illinois who are in
favor of compelling the railroad corpora
tons doing business within this state, to
comply with the laws, and of securing q
schedule of rates that will be exqitable to
all parties ana industries, are invited to
meet in convention at the state house in
Springfield, on wednesday, March 18th,
1882, for the purpose of organizing the
state and placing every county in charge
of an intelligent, energetic and discreet
committee, to detect, report and prosecute
every violation of the laws by the corpora
tons and to adopt such measures as shall
insure justice being done the people by
the agents Of the law who haveits enforce
ment in hand.
In view CT the fact that the railroad cor
porations have for years been openly disre-
garding and defying the law, and are to-
day fixing their own rates regardless OF
legal provisions, except when their inter-
ests are fully served by a schedule of rates,
which in many respects is unjust to the
shipper, and must be revised; that they
have been and are discriminating against
individuals, communities and industries;
that they have been and are evading taxa
ton and by such and various other ways
shouldering upon our citizens an indirect
burden Of taxation which annually amounts
to from one hundred to three hundred dol
lars per capita, this call for convention in
the interest Of simple justice and the gu
premacy of law, should enlist the sympathy
and cooperation Of every law-abidine
citizen.
Therefore all associations that are in favor
Of accomplishing the objects named in this
call, and all citizens who believe that our
laws should DO respected by rich corpora
ticns as well as by individuals, and who BE-
lievs that the people have rights which