The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1885-01-19
LAW FOR RAILWAYS.
VAN WICK OF NEBRASKA TALKS TO
The SENATE.
He Puts His Remarks Into Vigorous
Language in Giving His View OF
the Necessary Thing To
BE Done.

FREIGHT fifty miles shall not be more than the
charge for hauling the same quantity 100
miles.
During the debate Van Wyck asked SEN
ator Ingalls, personally whether he thought
the charges from Missouri river points to
Topeka ought to be greater than from the
same points to Denver ingalls, made no
answer Immediately, and the gentleman
from Nebraska turned on Senator Allison
next, and asked him if he justified the charg-
ing Of higher rates from Chicago to Des
Moines than from Chicago TO Council Bluffs
After some lively sparrlng, In which ques-
ton was met by question, Messrs Allison and
Ingalls, admitted that as a matter OF justice
charges ought to be proportioned to the length
of the haul, but circumstances frequently
arose that compelled deviation.
Van Wyck made the principal speech OF
tile day in favor of regulating the roads by |
act of congress |
lie said that since 1872 all political parties |
had demanded redress from grievances III |
TRANSPORTATION, but the party managers
seemed to learn no lesson from disaster, and |
were still trying to amuse and caJoie the
people. The people only demanded reason
able rates, DO discrimination, no pool
ing. no rebates, 10 greater charge for
IL
sis 10 time to delay. The work OF deception
can not longer be carried on. You can not
pretend willingness to do something ana thaC
an obstinate or unwilling house OF represent
atiyes refu aS If the senate falters now TO
ACCEPT the house bill an indignant people
believe it falters in double sense, and Is
seeking by disagreement to prevent leglSia-
ton So long sought and long denied.
The roads owned and controlled elevators,
81 ! ba H. rn
bly, ship lis own grain aud cattle to marker,
foI he could obtain no rebates. The power
Of absolut control IY railroads was NOT al
ways exercised in aiatiy manner. 10 Ii
IN Gra4e; Tne Union Pacific became inconsed
at Columbus, an active interior clty OF Ne
hra>ka, whose citizens we're ehtefpfIsihS' anu anu
aided to secure an other road. Ihe com
any determined they should be pun
| isAed for such temerity and rebellion,
! so rates were chan led, and more was
| charged per carload from Omaha than TO
! kealney, and other points farther west. 30,
| the Central Pacific, with an excuse OF re-
venge for Furnishing reheliious ssbJects III
their territory, actually charges to politS
east of san Francisco through rates
| Ia San Francisco, and then local rates
| back. Was it not evident the rall-
| roads should tie restricted from exacting
! more for u short haul than long ones
Van Nyck quot6i from letter written
| by the Hon. William " alter Phelps, II
| which he said the latter showed that sena
tors and representatives purchased rallroae
shares on a basis Of one to three, Certainly,
he said, stocks and bonds according to tins
evidence are owned in this chamber ano
the other end of the capitol on that basis
that is, YOU put down 81 and take up al
| So it would appear even members OF con
cress learn where the little joker Is. Nc
wonder there is here manifested the Sanf
contempt for public Clamor as NanderblI6 Il
said to have exhibited III language more
| fnrcible but not SO reverentlal aS by uls
tinguishcd senator's"
According TO the written and prlntet
statement Of one New Jersey statesman ant
Poore's Manual, S4,000,00O,00J IN hcCltiouH
watered stock was represented in the stock
and bonds of railroads. On this interest anC
dividends were collected from the people
male a mortgage on every acre OF lana IL
the republican initiation OF paralyZHlS III
| dustry, having a tax upon the producer an
consumer: yet we must remand ali ViiiS /
the natural laws Of trade.
jaw Gould had greater wealth than u
anpasse1 property, real and personal OF DOT
K..nsos and Nebraska and Vanderbilt coul
buy both states and have $40, ,000,OOO lei
Were these milkons honestly acquired III
senator from Iowa tWilsonl tremoied lest te
much should be done, and the senator frol
u
advocate or champion OF that "chea
demagorv that appeals to public opinlc
aoaiuSt railroads + = Railroads WEI
entitled to the protection OF the law
= i In Kansas and Nebraska fft
bushels of corn will not purchase one ton
sz soft coal; 150 bushels Will not buy one ton
hari coal. Your sympathy expands Tor ii
nauner labor of Europe and India, viii
your hearts seem steeled against the cry
braad by Americans who are forced to wo
at starvation wages or have their places su
piled in mines, by specially protected min
owners by pauper and convict labor IL
ported under contract from Europe.
So. too, in Minnesota and Wisconsin, IN
who elect representatives and senators
the theory that they will represent them
protect their interests, must give near
twenty bushels of wheat for q ton OF ST
coal or forty for ton Of hard, Corpol
tions behind 81 600, 900 900 of stolen prt
erty. for wears controlling state legls
tllres, the national congress, and Judicla
as remorselessly as did slavery, need l
the sympathy Or active support OF ST
ators It is the toller seeking labor III
furuace-heat in the underground labyrln
the SETTLER in the dug-0ut on the frontier
Kansas and Nebraska whose wives and el
dren are drawing warmth from corn bocat
the great corporations refuse to reduce ia
of freight so the coal of Pennsylvania II
he exchanged for the corn OF the west
twenty years these corporations have gro
rich. strong, and defiant in violation OF Ia
and now lei us see to it that the protect
of the law shall be given to those who
the victims of their extortion.
q. Brown, Of Georgia then entered upon
elaborate analysis and discussion of
- question of railroad charges and mana
ment Consolidation, he said, not con
titinp, was the solution of the railroad u
ton The legislation proposed would gre
discourage the building Of railroads. III
NAV oe enough of them in the north
west. Those sections may have emo
came in the trap to be able to afford to
the trigger 1t was not so with the sol
which vet needed railroads Ii the !
ent ill passed, the people
were now clamoring for its passage w
soon be founl clamoring for It's repeal
would either drive railroads into bankrul
. or else it would prohibit all lnterchang
commodities at greater distance than
zrzm or 6OO miles, as statistics quoted by Br
-vIR showed that freight rates could not poss
bear 5he same proportionats rate for
miles. 1t would not only destroy inter-
commerce, but by making long dist
freirhts from the west to the Atlantic {
30 expensive as to prohibit shipmer
rv would also destroy our foreign commerc