The great West. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1889-18??, 1889-11-08
If Not Purchased, What Is II?

: knowing well the sentiments of the
st. Paul Dispatch, when in the past the
Hight of it's own counsel has broken
though it's artifcially constructed
opinions, we are amazed at the pro-
found somersaults it executes at
times. For instance in Tuesday 8 issue
oflast week, itrefers to C. P. Hunting
ton, the railroad plutocrat, in these
terms:
"The Huntingtons and the HAITI
fields are the peculiar products of two
different continents, in one of which
unlimited wealth is too often the re-
ward Of unlimited but peaceful public
robbery
Now, in this sentence does not the
fact appear that really, and practi-
cally, the Dispatch sees in the rail-
way management OF the country a
colossal system Of robbery? Hunt
ingtOn made his millions in that
way. The Dispatch sees it, and so
expresses itself. But in the next col
umn we read an article on the new
railroad departure. 1t can be seen
by any person familiar with
the organization OF a newspaper
force, that the article was written to
order at the dictation of the railroad
ring. How much was paid for inser-
tion, or whether it went in free, is one
OF the secrets which the chief and the
company alone know. But it bears
every evidence OF being gotten up to
order. 1t opens up:
The panacea for all commercial
and industrial woes, competition, has
wrought it's sweet will among the
railroads. For time it worked un-
told mischief in the premium which it
set on fraud and falsehood both on
the part Of the carrier and shipper.
This is as much as to say that
competition ruins railroads. But
none have been ruined. 1t also con-
founds the roads with the country.
The country is blessed with that kind
Of ''ruin." Again, if a lawyer, doc
tor, a plowmaker, a blacksmith, a
printer, compete and do their work
cheaply the powerful city press does
not jumpinto the arena and howl over
the ruin of the country! If the rail-
roads want to carry freight for moth
ing it wont hurt the country. If
the Directors don't like it they needn' t
|do it. If they want to do 1t, It 'is
their privilege-and the Dispatch
need not fret either. The paper says
that wherever pools were made there
was an "absence of scandals!' Now
this is one of the flimsiest prevarica-
tions ever perpetrated. Wherever
and whenever a pool has been formd
it has been broken up by rank scan
dals and downright, Infamous dishon-
esty! The Dispatch knows that no
business in the world ever showed up
SO much nasty, dirty, lying, cheating
and rascality between partners, as
the railroads in their solemn pledges
called pools! 1t says:
''The granger statesman appeared
on the scene and added to the tur-
MOL and folly Of the situation by
undertaking to run the road his
own way and for his ownpurposes to
the exclusion and at the cost of their
owners"
A more brainless bray ofassininity
was never published. The granger
did appear on the scene. He came
when he saw every factory, wagon
shop, tannery, cooper shop, CONNER
cial mill, ashery, boot and shoe fac
tory, foundry, etc, ETC., driven from
the villages by shameless discrimina-
tions. He came when he could not
ship a bushel OF grain where he wish
ed. He came when a railroad actu-
ally refused to transfer cars. He
came when no man could sell a bushel
of wheat except to corporate eleva-
tor which pronounced the price and
compelled a sale. He came when he
was paying freight three times larger
than required to pay cost of trans
portation and interest on cost of
road. He came when the Infamous
Millers' Association sat on the corpse
OF agriculture and demanded the
shroud! He came when the farmer
was dickering for his wooden shoes!
And when he came. these banded cut
throats leaped upon him. They
made him drunk. They bribed him.