The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1882-01-11
1OFFICIAL PAPER.l
Wednesday Ja1uar; i, 1882


There is one feature of the recent action
of our wise railroad and warehouse Com
missioners that it would be well for the
Mississippi river towns to take into thought
full consideration; and Chicago as well.
So long as navigation is open a season of
at least eight months, all the cities along
the river have enjoyed the advantages of
a competition between the railroads and
the boats This has resulted in good in
several ways. In the first place it gave us
more than one place TO buy from or sell in
| giving US a choice between Chicago and
St. Louis, and in the second, gave US
much lower railroad rates. As a cOnse-
quence Rock Island shippers could buy or
| sell IN either of the places as best suited
them, and the advantage was all with us.
| But now, mark the effect of the order that
there shall be discrimination" When
the boats were running of course the rail
road companies in order to meet this com
petition had to lower their rate to Rock
Island, but did no: to point like Geneseo.
and consequently freight would be carried
cheaper to Rock Island, where there was
river competition to be met than
to points on the line of the
road, nearer to Chicago, but not affected
by this competition. But the commission
ers say that such lower charges are unjust
determinations, and the company must
not make them, but must charge more to
Rock Island. Hence St. Louis will in
the future be able to undersell Chicago in
our market; we will not have the advan-
tage of two competing markets, and all
competition between rail and river routes
viii be destroyed.
In like manner all competition between !
two lines of railroad into our city will be |
viii not be allowed to us cheaper than TO
Green River, nor the G. B. at less rates
than to Cambridge. They must not dis
criminate," say the commissioners, which
means that one line of railroad is of as
much benefit to a city, as dozen, and diff
ferent lines are forbidden to compete with
each other for freight.
Now what harm does this so-called dis
do anybody? Under the present
rate freight is as high to the points
which have been complaining as at
present, while other points, which have
been receiving the benefit of this ''discrim-
nation" are harmed. Cities which are in
tended by nature as shipping and manufac-
turing points, receive no benefit from their ,
natural or acquired advantages, and no
one is one whit better off than he was be-
fore, while many persons and places are 8
worse !
There is one idea that the people at t
arge will have to get out of their heads. /
The popular superstition is that it is the d
ailroads that are affected by this recent I
,rder; never was a greater mistake, in O
act it almost seems that that order 4
vas dictated by the railroads and in their r,
interest. The rate there fixed enables f,
hem in many instances, to charge rates %
hey never dared to before, as they now
ave no competition to fear, and in no one
lstanee does it lower the rates charged r
efore. 1t is the shippers alone who are !,
ijured, and as natural consequence, the a
,calities where they carry on business M
Jock Island and Moline are perhaps the ;.
reatest sufferers, although every impor- !,
centre in the state is affectef4
kewise. The entire animus back of Gael
y for the commissioners action, was a "
og in the manager feeling; that as it could W
ot eat the hay itself would allow no one NJ
Sc to. a state law that discrim,inates m