The semi-weekly miner., 1885-05-02
4 THREATENED EVIL.

IHkEAIENEOA AsA"
Monopolies are always to be feared
and the law rarely errs in breaking
them up. Monopolies are a'ways
grasping and greedy, and never fair
They have no thought for the future.
no consideration for the people, but
are looking solely for immediate re-
turns. The greatest monopoly In
America is the Western Union Tele-
graph Company. Having monop-
DIV, the people are compelled to pay
it about triple fair prices in tolis' IN
order to enable it to earn interest on
some $5O, 900, 900 of watered capital.
Much fear is expressed IN many
quarters relative to q threatened land
monopoly in the United States.
Large tracts of land have for years
been passing into the hands OF for
eign capitalists and noblemen ana
the true American, who sees gooo
onlv in the subdivision Of the public
domain into small holdings, has oc-
casion to feel uneasy over the matt er.
It bodies the country no good. The
cattle men, native as well as foreign,
are also showing disposition to
grab the earth. They are not only
not content with seizing upon and
puttinp to their own use the public
domain. without so much as asking
leave-much less pay ing a royalty,
but they absolutely have the temerity
to inclose the public lands by wire
fences and thus keep off other people
who have an equal right, at least, to
the enjoyment thereof. This danger
has been brought to the attention OF
the G government, which has already
taken measures not only to stop fur
ther encroachments, but to cut down
snd destroy the fences already built.
But the one movement toward
monopoly that threatens more harm
to the country than all others is The
steady concentration of the railway
interest, to which the Hon. Charles
Francis Adams, the President OF the
Union Pacific Railroad, has recently
called attention. According to Mr..
Adams, and he is nearly confirmed
by Poor's NJ anual, there are 125,OOo
miles of railway in the United States,
representing securities to the value of
$1,000, ,OOO, 600. This is a far-reaching
and an immense power, which, when
directed from a common head, would
be almost as strong as the G 'vern-
ment itself. The tendency is to more
and more consolidate this wealth, so
that in the general liquidation there
will be only a few great systems.
The consultations already made will
be sufficient to show what the future
has in store. The Pennsylvania sys-
tenn, operated by the Pennsylvania
Company, leads all the rest. with
1922 miles. The Missouri Pacific
system, with 6,O45 miles, comes next.
The Chicago & Northwestern system
comprises s. .645 miles. The Hunting
ton Southern Pacific system has 5. 747
miles. The Chicago, Milwaukee &
st. Paul, 4,sO4 miles. The Union
Pacific system, 4. 74s miles. The Van
derbilt lines comprise 3,76l miles.
Then there are the great lines
of the Northern Pacific, the
Santa Fe, the Burlington, the
Baltimore and Ohio, the Rock
Island and others, footing up
thousands of miles. Indeed, fifteen
systems already embrace one-half of
the total railway mileage of this
country. Mr.. Adams is right; we
are not far from the monopoly that is
so much to be feared.
What is the remedy? That Is the
problem for the statesmen. State
legislation will help, but it will not
control. The establishment Of
national railway bureau was a step
in the right direction. 1t is a bureau
of statistics, of information, but not
OF power. With SO competent an
engineer as General Johnston in
charge, q man not only of brains, but
of honesty, We may expect informa-
ton and suggestions that will prove
of value to Congress in the treatment
of this danger. There is no doubt
that safety lies in the direction of a
national law, whereby interstate
commerce may be regulated. The
objection that Congress has no power
to make and enforce such a law is
not valid. The railroad companies
are the creatures of the law-making
power. They exist by the will of the
people. The power that gives life is
always endowed with the power to
kill. When these creatures of the
people combine in a manner threat.
ening to the country and to the pub
lie good, they will have to be checked
by appropriate laws. So long as the
people hold this power SO long are
railway combinations not to be
feared, however much they may be
deprecated.
Says the Inter Mountain: 1.-The
MINER seems disposed to ridicu!e in
its weak way the moral element of
Butte, and misses no opportunity to
heap reproach by inuendo on the
cause of public decency." Our con-
temporary does not confine itself to
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