The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1882-02-23

creasiug fruit business of Southern illinois
that one station alone in this county {Cob
dcnA ships annually four hundred Cal
loAds of fruits and vegetablcssto Chicago
distance of three hundred and thirty five
miles. They have classed oar berries, to-
matees, pears aud peaches. the same az
potatoes and corn, and have fixed rate
upon them that will prevent shipments to
chicago, and drive our people out OF the
| fruit growing business. The commission
crs, especially our friend Smith. are posted
on cattle, hogs, and corn, and did not take
into consideration the fact that straw
berries, tomatoes and peaches had to be
handled with care, and thai It las
profitable to all concerned to let the fruit
growers load the cars at the station, ana
unload them in Chicago. There are twelve
to fourteen car. loads of strawberries, dur
ing favorable seasons, shipping daily from
Golden. The fruit shippers do all the
work, and relieve the railroad from the
necessity of employing extra laborers DUR
ing the fruit season; besides, the fruit is
handled with more care than it would be
otherwise. With this cooperation of the
Fruit Shipping Association the Central
Railroad have given car load rates that
have enabled the growers to reach the
distant Chicago market with some
profit. But now the railroad COM
missioners proclaim that the railroad COM
panies ehal1 make no special contracts, and
proceed to make freight rates for all the
companies in this great state, which, car
ried out to the letter, bids fair to ruin many
industries, and put an end to progress and
improvement in our borders.
Our contemporary of Rock Island is cor
rect in his views on the question of dis
elimination. The enterprising citizens of
Rock Island and Moline have improved
the natural advantages of their water pow
er, and have built up manufactures that
give employment to thousands of people,
and adds materially to the general wealth
and prosperity of the state. These cities are
the best markets for our fine hard wood
lumber, and hundreds of car loads are
shipped from Southern Illinois to those
points, bringing in return agricultural ma
chinery of all kinds. Now those commits
sioners propose to shut out this lumber
market to our people, and compel them to
buy agricultural implements where they
cannot be manufactured SO cheaply. II
this is not unjust discrimination" against
the people of our own state, we are very
much mistaken.
Competition will regulate the railroad
tariffs better than any law the legislature
may enact, as has long been demonstrated.
We have the Illinois Central, Cairo & ST.
Louis, and Cairo & Vincennes Railroads
running to st. Louis and Chicago; the tive
former running through this county. and
the latter only few miles distant. There
has been sufficient competition between
these lines to prevent exorbitant rates,
and to make our country prosperous. This
being the situation, the schedule adopted
by the commissioners, while it may be
beneficial in a few instances will, upon
the whole, be great injury to Southern
Illinois. The commissioners, we presume,
(Biliy Smith especially,) are reasonable
gentlemen, and, after seeing the impracti-
cability of their schedule, will, we hope,
amend it, before any great injury is done
to cur shippers.