The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-08-23
LETTERS FROM THE PEOPLE.
railroad Pools.

Railroad Pools.
To the Editor of the Indianapolis Journal:
"0nly by the pooling system has il been made pos
sble to keep rates uniform to aashippers at all times
This appearing in your columns few days
since as quotation from the New York In
dictator, if merely describing the theory Of the
pooling system, is correct enough If intended
to define the practical results of railroad pools,
as seems likely from additional remarks of the
same paper in your issue Of to-day, it is about
as far from the mark as it well can be-
The principle of the system may be passed by
with simple expression Of the conviction Of
business men generally that it is unsound, I'M
commercial and in the case of chartered corpora
tions- in spirit at least-unlawful.
The strong argument of railroad authorities in
favor of pools is based on the assumption of GER
tain vast benefits already derived therefrom and
of certain ruinous effects to follow their aban-
donment The extent of both the assumed good
and the prospective evil may well be questioned
by those who believe that if railroads were
operated on true business methods, in the in
terest of stockholders, relieved of surplus official
weight, the barnaeles, in the shape Of superauous
fast-freight lines and expensive pool agencies
shorn off the chances for success would be
theorists and stock jobbers.
But, concede the soundness of the principle,
and admit that pools have been of advantage to
the roads, there is the other argument, second
AIRY with the roads, of prime Importance to the
public. 1t is captivating in sentiment and
tickles the common sense OF justice; the parties
interested accept it as consistent with their no
tion of fair play; newspaper meralists parade it
as evidence that the god of the scales is a natur
allied American deity. THE assurance of uni
form rates to shippers" Surely, that ends all
question.
Bat is this splendid assurance carried outY Is
this the practical result of ppolss Take the
trunk line pool, for example; Suppose it be con
eeled that in the first flush of an experiment
whose theoretical beauties promised much good,
under the restraint of regulations the ciream-
yention OF which required time to learn-and,
LET US say, with an honest disposition to welcome
any refuge from disastrous rate wars possibly
for some little time the provisions OF
the pool agreement were adhered
to with reasonable eloseness. But
We are confronted with the fact that for a
year or two past each one of several if not of all
Of the trunk lines has bad q special friend under
its wing, to whom it has given archaic whenever
| the rate was above certain point This unde
1 niable fact--so well known that scarcely one
| dealer in hundred in the West but can give the
name of the particular firm for eaeh particular
1 line seatters sentiment and theory and all this
| talk about the honor ineulcated by the system
to the winds, and stamps the trunk Inns. pool, as
| practically worked, as deception, a fraud a
1 colossal lie Is it any wonder that Western
roads grow FESTIVE under contracts which tie
them down, while the knowledge is forced on
them that Eastern lines, parties to the same con-
tracts, quietly, for themselves and the conpec-
tons they control or can trust as partners in the
swindle, absorb the ouslnesss
The pool commissioner IN New York, capable
and honest doubtless, as the day, sits IN his
| office with his one OF two hundred clerks, busy
on the statistics Of the vast machinery he yields
with such successful results; the railroad kings
meet and renew their royal and ironelad
pledges. General managers, general freight