West Virginia Democrat. [volume] (Charles Town, W. Va.) 1885-1890, 1888-12-21
RAILROAD POLITICS.


but. as soon as the result was known,
we found a concert of action in all
parts of the country in railroad cir
Giles to induce Congress to repeal
that part.of the law which is of great
est value to the public. Then came
rumblings which could not be mis-
taken;- the people were talking;
and the conspirators concluded that
it would be unsafe for Congress to
make an open surrender to them.
Presently it was suggested to form
gigantic railroad Trust to be called
"a Railroad Clearing House" The
purpose was to combine or pool all
railroads under one central manage
ment having power ''to make rates
as high as the traffic will bear" The
purpose was to accomplish exactly
what the Interstate Commerce Bill
prohibits. The rumblings were again
heard; the people were talking: and
the conspirators hesitated. But the
vast profits to be gained by plum
dering the masses made these con-
spirators bold. They determined to
get rid of the Interstate Commerce
Bill. They concluded that the rail
road influence was strong enough to
control politics,
Mr.. Charles Francis Adams is
President of the Union Pacific. He
was formerly railroad commissioner
for Massachusetts,, and for a time
was disposed to side with the pub
lie, but he finally entered the service
of the corporations. The CONNER
cial Club held its annual meeting in
Boston on the 18th and the occasion
was used to assemble railroad mana
gers from all parts Of the country
and for Mr.. Adams to deliver q very
adroit and specious argument in be-
half of the proposition to combine
all the railroads and in behalf of the
repeal of the short haul clause of
The Inter State Commerce Bill.
If this subject was understood by
the people; ii the rank and file had
a clear conception of the purpose to
plumber them, there would be an out
burst of popular indignation such as
this country has never witnessed.
Unfortunately while the best intel
lects in the land, commanding I'M
limited means, are busy to suppress
the truth and to mislead public opin-
ion there is no one with sufficient mo-
tive to apply himself to publishing
the facts and explaining the matter
so as to bring the truth fairly home
to the understanding Of the masses.
There was q day, not very long
ago, when the preachers and the roy
atty Of England persuaded the com
mon people of that country that the
king ruled by divine right and that
the masses were created for the ben
eft Of the king and not the king for
the benefit Of the masses. History
teaches that the money power can and
does impose on the rank and file any
and every fallacy however absurd,
that will keep, geese quiet while be-
ing plucked. So now to-day, it will
surprise US, if these railroad mana
gers, called together, from Maine to
Texas, under the pretense of at
tending a meeting of the CONNER
cial Club, do not succeed in persuad-
ing the thoughtless multitude that
the people of the United States are
created for the railroads and not the
railroads for the people.
We have not time to expose the
blatant fallacies Mr.. Adams has
sugar-coated and we must be con-
tent with trying to focus the public
eye on only one of his propositions.
1t is the custom of railroad mana
gers to make rates too low at points
where there is competition and then
levy excessive rates at points which
are unprotected. Thus the b. & o..
completes with the Pennsylvania
road at Baltimore and at Wheeling
for the business between these cit
les. The rate being too cheap at
these points, the loss was made up
at intermediate points. For exam
pie, the rate from Wheeling to Fair
mont, 40 miles, would exceed the
charge to Baltimore, 800 miles. In
other words, the short haul paid
more than the long haul. This the
interstate commerce bills prohibits.
II Is unlawful to CHARGE more for 4