The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1889-04-23
Furnishing a Railroad for Reducing
Foreign Rates,
lChicago Tribune, April Is. ]


1t seems that Senator Cullom and major
ity Of the members of the Senate Commit
tee on Interstate Commerce intend to
spare no brain labor in devising scheme to
punish the Grand Trunk Railroad for reduc-
ing freight rates on Illinois and Western
products to the seaboard. The Senate COM
mittee is soon to meet in New York, and, af.
ter consultation with the Wall street holders
| OF chrome stocks in the American trunk
lines, will try to arrange some plan that will
| force the Grand Trunk Railroad to put up
| freight rates on Western farmers on traffic
between Chicago and the seaboard or else
abandon the Western carrying business al
together II the Grand Trunk insists on
| giving Western farmers low rates and COM
peting with the American trunk lines it is
proposed to shut it out entirely from doing
business in this country.
Senator Cullom and his associates are
greatly mistaken If they think there is
| popular prejudice In the West against the
Grand Trunk Railroad because it is Cana
dian corporation and part of its through
line between Chicago and the seaboard runs
over Canadian soil. Patriotism does not re-
| quire that Canadian corporation shall be
forbidden to compete with New York and
PenDsylvania roads and punished for making
lowrates to Western producers. 1t is true
tnat IN taking freight 900 miles from Chicago
to New York the Grand Trunk carries it for
| about 500 miles through Canada after cross
| ing the Detroit River and then, crossing at
Niagara Falls, brings it back to American
| soil to be forwarded to the seaboard over
| American roads. IL American freight is
carried longer distance through Canada it
Is only to reach the markets of Boston
These circumstances, however, are inmate
rial. The Grand Trunk may be owned by
Britishers, as is the case with the Illinois
| Central and other American roads (the stock
and bonds Of half the roads in this country
are largely held In England, Holland and
Germany. but the Western people are inter-
ested, nevertheless, in having this Canadian
| road free to compete and make the best rates
for American traffic it can. The Grand
Trunk has saved the people of the West dur
OF an extortionate combine between the Wall
| street trunk roads. Lake competition keeps
| rates near reasonable level in.the summer.
| but the allied Wall street lines would recoup
| themselves as soon as the lakes were closed
and levy on the Western traffic for all it
would stand if it were not for the competi-
tson OF the Grand Trunk. 1t is most FORUM
ate that this Canadian road has kept out of
the wall street pools and given the Ameri-
can public lower rates than the allied Wall
street lines would willingly permit.
Without such rates to the seaboard It
would be impossible for Western farmers to
keep footing in the grain markets of Europe
against the competition of the Indian and
Australian colonies. Low export rates are
lmperatively necessary to permit the ship
ment o. American produce abroad and pre-
vent an adverse balance of trade. 1t is of
vastly more Importance to Western interests
that all roads, Canadian or domestic, should
be left free to compete and make as low
rates as they please than that scheme
should be adopted to insure the Wall street
pooled lines fat dividends on fictitious can't
tai.
Senator Cullom seems to think it his dutv
to represent the interests of the speculative
patriots who manipulate stocks in Wall
street and want to squeeze all they can out
Oh western traffic. The trunk line pool NAV
pc manipulated by Wall street gentlemen
DuL tney are rapacious set nevertheless
ana want all the feathers they can strip from
the western geese. Free competition against
tne trunk line combine is welcome even if II
comes from Canadian road. If Senator
Gullom is determined TO punish the Grand
trunk LOT competing and to compel it to ad-
vance rates he will encounter the unanimous
opposition of the people of Illinois. Chicago
and Illinois and all the Western States are
vitality interested In the preservation of COM
petitive rates to the seaboard Ii domestic
roads will not furnish such rates they will
be accepted gladly from any other carrier.
Who does Senator CulloE think sent him to
the Senate and whose interests should he
represent? Chicago comprises nearly one
tnlrd OF his constituency, and the merchants
ana business men of this city will unite with
we farmers of the State In holding him to a
taiglu accountability for ANYTHING done to
ttoo oy OF impair railroad competition be-
Smoon luis point and the seaboard.