Omaha daily bee., 1882-10-05
Canada's Great Monopoly.

Canada's Great Monopoly.
San Francisco Chronicle,
The Canadian Pacific railway COM
pany promises to be as great q mon.
opoly as the Central Pacific, and quito
as oppressive to the people of the vast
prairie regions that lie north of
Dakota and Minnesota, just now
everything ,s bright with expectation.
The provinces lately carved out of this
fertile territory are fast filling with
emigrants and rapidly developing.
The produce Of the soil is already .
factor in the of the world;
cities are being built, property is
rising in value, and what was lately a
wilderness is beginning to blossom
like the rose. This is the first stage
in the building of railroads. No one
doubts their value, or the vast addi-
ton to be made to the worlds wealth
by Manitoba, Alberta, Athsbacca and
the rest of the newly christened
provinces.
But some thoughtful and patriotic
Canadians are already beginning to
look forward with apprehension The
Canadian Pacific railway company ia
said to be the legitimate offspring of
the Hudson Bay company, n Of the
most gigantic monopolies that ever
existed on the American continent.
The principal stoekholder, Donald A.
Smith, was formerly president of the
fur company, and it's president is Mr..
: Angus, manager of the Bank of Mont
real, Mr.. Smiths nephew. Mr.. Smith
is worth 8 1000, 900. Mr.. Angus is
very wealthy. The syndicate has
agreed to put up 500 eco, 900.
They obtained a charter from
the dominion government, which gsve
them $40, 900, 900 in a completed rail,
way, with its appurtenances, $780,
000, 600 in money and 20, O00, 600 acres
! of land. If the Central Pacific com
pany could accomplish so much with
the small capital with which it began
operations, what cannot be done by
this huge corporation with these
illimitable means at its disposal. II
is evident that the land was the CHIEF
object with the Canadian Pacific. Al
$40 an acre, a new estimate for these
lands, they will realize from then
$3.50, 000, 900.
Since the Hudson Bay company ant
the Canadian Pacidce joined theil
forces the population of the region hal
more than trebled. Lots on the prin'
cipal streets of Winnipeg, the chic
town of Manitoba, are already selling
for $40 per front foot, and farming
land adjacent to the towns is increas
ing fast in value. The road is com
pleted to a point five hundred milel
west of Winnipeg and is progressing
so rapidly that its completion to thu
Prcif, is expected within three years
The Dominion government deals gen
e%rously with the settler. 1t gives him 16(
acres "a a homestead, and the priv
ilege of pre-. empting 1G0 acres more
If population continues to flow into
the region as rapidly as it has fol
three years, 1t will have little left tc
dispose of five years hence. Specula
tors have already appeared in the field
They have formed syndicates and are
buying large tracts. Most of then
are English capitalists and many ar,
noblemen whose estates have been dc
preciating greatly in value during thu
period of agricultural depression il
Great Britain.
Bstween the railroad and the land
grabbera of other classes the poor
settlers will eventually nutfer grea'
wrongs. The country is menaced by
the Canadian Pacific company, which
has been granted the exclusive mo
nopoly of the northwestern railway
system for twenty years. The St
Paul & Winnipeg railroad, which il
the same as the Canadian Pacific, il
already charging exorbitant rates TO,
freight. 1t costs three times as
much to get goods from st.
Paul to Winnipeg a distance o.
five huadred miles, as to get them
from Liverpool to st. Paul. The
monopoly is secured by q provision III
the charter that forbids any Other
road to run within fifteen miles of the
International boundary. Therefore,
while everything north of it's line is
secured to them by ita isolation, there
can be- no competition from rival lines
or the south on account Of the impos-
sibility OF connecting with any feeder
OF tho Northern Pacific which might
connect with the frontier.
Each province, however, ia Like one
of the states of the United States,
sovereign within its own boundaries,
and its citizens expect by this means
to curb the rapacity Of the monopoly.
This vain hope las been at different
times cherished by the sovereign state
of California. In Manitoba heroic
remedies are talked of. Between
them and the parent dominion inter,
venes an untrodden wilderness, and
threats of Independence are already
heard should the oppression of the
monopoly become too g%rievous to be