Weekly Chillicothe crisis. (Chillicothe, Livingston Co., Mo.) 1878-19??, 1883-06-28
ROBBED by RAILROADS.

Robbed Bf RAILROADS
Judge Black Explains How Corporate
Power Conspire to Rob Producers and
Consumers.
If Judge Jcre Black, the gentleman
whose views are expressed in the fol-
lowing interview, would read the green
back platform adopted at Chicago in
1880, he would find that somo excel
lent notions have already been formu-
lated and presented to the people.
The points are good, however and are
rs follows:
NEW York, May 30.-Judgc Jerc
Black, the last prominent representa-
tive of the ante-war cabinets, has some
pronounced opinions on comming po-
litical matters, and expressed thom
freely. In an interview last night he
said, on the tariff question, that con-
grcss had no more right TO levy tax
on imports than ii had on land, beyond
what is necessary for the support and
maintenance of the government. All
sbovo that was robbery, Beyond that
point tho judge positively declined to
talk on the subject until ho could do it
in his own way.
"What is the condition of the anti
monopoly contest in Pennsylvania
There is Il great sorrow and burden
involved in that issue, which is for the
people to take hold of. To show You
how the monopoics are cilccting us, !
will give you an example in York, Pa,
where it presses itself on my own at
tenticn with peculiar force. The freight
extracted on the single article Of an
thracite coal is nearly 81 per ton more
than is charged upon the commodity
carried from the same mine and dcliv-
cred by the company at Baltimore
In all reason and conscience it should
be 80 cents to 81 less, seeing that the
distance is sixty miles greater TO Balti-
more. That makes the discrimination
against York ut least equal TO Sl,j0
on every ton. The quantity consumed
in the latter place is something upward
Of 100000 tons, and the excessive tax
upon ii all is, therefore Slj0,OO0. Ev-
cry cent Of this is as wrongfully taken
as if it were fcloniously stolen. 1t
amounts to rs many times rs much in
the aggregate rs all the Legitimate tax
cs which the same community pay
for the support OF the state, county,
schools and aims houses"
"Who suffers most?'
"a manufacturer who uses 1000
tons of coal must pay $4,000 of black
mail to the railroads or to the mOnopO-
ly which they have created, unless the
influence of his wealth gets it remittcd.
But the largest part of it is levied upon
poor laborcrS whose wages are barely
sufficient to furnish their families in
scanty measure with food, shelter, and
clothing. Much of it is paid by tho
contributions of charity for those who
would otherwise perish by cold and
hunger The man who can hear the
simple story of this wrong without in
dignation must be us cold-blooded rs n
snake"
"Now," continued Mr.. Black, ''wo
are often told that in this struggle for
honest government, against the power
of the railroad corporations the just
cause has no chance of success. We
do seem to be out on forlorn hope.
The little finger of monopoly is thicker
than the loins of the law. The influence
of our enemies over tho Legislature is
mysterious, incalculablc and strong
enough to make the constitution u dead
letter in spite of oaths to obey it and a
popular demand almost universal to en-
force it. There is no other subject up
on which our press is so shy as upon
this, the most important of all. Afraid
to oppose the corrupt corporations and
ashamed to defend them it sinks into
silent neutrality"
"Is it true, Judge, that the manu-
facturers all consider u protective
tariff cssentialp"
There the question OF railroad
monopolies comes in. Manufacturers
of iron assure us that they can produce
the article as cheap as the English
manufacturers can. But the latter can
bring their product across the ocean
and deliver it in our market at less
charge for freight than our own manu-
facturers can send it fifty or 100 miles
on the railroads. Tho railroad COM
panies step in and insist On taking from
our manufacturers for freight as much
as the English are required to pay in
duty, and all that they can get besides.
II the duty on foreign iron is, for in
stance, 81 per ton, then the railroads
claim that amount for freight. 1t helps
thn n,nnppnlinc NOT tho nrnIunnrS 0ur
manufacturers are nearer the market
in distance, but not in tho rate of
charges for freight. Could they be
placed on IN equality in tho latter they
could compete without tariff To
show you how the local freight rates
operate against us, observe that if
ton be carried 600 miles, from Chicago
to Philadelphia, for SIS, and the same
charge be made for carrying it twelve
miles, from Philadelphia to Media, the
rate in the latter case is fifty times as
high as in the former. | am credibly
informed that such disproportionate
charges are or have recently been
made, and that, as general rule, all
local treights, whether the haul be
long or short, are charged, without re-
gard to distance, the same, or nearly
the same, that would be charged on
the same weight il carried from
Chicago to Boston,"
But" the Judge added thoughtful
ly, "You are interviewing me-" and
he walked away.