The farmers' union. (Memphis, Mo.) 1891-1895, 1891-07-02
TALKS LIKE AN ALLIANCE MAN.
President Stickney, of the "Map1e Leaf"
I Furnishes More Campaign Thunder for
| the Alliance.

inc
President C. b. Stickney. of the G.,
st. p. 4 X. G. r. r., in his little book
just published on 1.-The Railway Prob
lem," makes another valuable contribu-
ton to alliance campaign literature.
Mr.. Stickncy does not go quite as far
as Judge Hubbard, but he is not deal
ing with the general subject of cor,
porations. He is, however, emphati
cally in favor of federal control of
rates, and argues at length the neces-
sity therefor, both for the good of the
public and the stockholders. The
especial value of the work to the pub
lie, however, is in its presentation of
the vital necessity of the railways to
commerce and convenience, and the
evils of the prevailing system of man
agement. He says:
hallway transportation under pres
ent conditions is to the industrial world
what the atmosphere is to the physical
world; it pervades and is essential to
all industry. AS in the physical world
no man or beast, no plant or shrub,
can refuse to breathe the air without
death ensuing, SO in the industrial
world no industry and no human being
can refuse railway transportation ex-
cept under similar penalties. 1t per-
vades every article of commerce. When
one buys food, clothing or fuel he buys
railway transportation. When he
builds houses or stores or manufacture
ing establishments, churches or school
houses, he buys railway transportation.
When he buys horses and carriages,
jewels or statnary, paintings or books,
theater tickets or lecture tickets, or
indulges in the luxury of doctors and
lawyers, he pays for railway trans
portation.
In his chapter devoted to "Methods
of Railway Management the author
scores the monopolies that have been
created for the purchase of farm
products. "The monopoly for the sale
of fuel has BEEN" he says, "fcd by
most of the citizens of the larger towns
and cities, as at times it has had the
effect to increase the cost of this arti-
Gle of universal consumption. The
discrimination as between locations
has borne heavily upon all classes IN
the towns and villages Disseminated
against. The grantees of these mOnop-
olies become rich and gradually so
powerful that instead of acting, as ut
first, as the quasi employees of the COM
panies receiving rebates as favor,
they are now the masters of the rail
ways, and by playing one against tn,
other are enabled practically to dictate
the rates they pay.
MONoPOLIES BUILT BY REBATES.
The most conspicuous illustration is
the present position of the four great
Chicago firms engaged in siaughterine
and marketing beef. Their present
business was built up by rebates paid
by the trunk lines, and each began rs
a sort of a rrotege of one of the rail
ways. Now, with their immense bust
ness by combining and throwing the
bulk of it to one line they have become
the dictators of rates to all the great
railway corporations. These firms
care but little what rates they pay pro
vided they are less than are granted tt
other shippers, so that they may con
tinue to maintain their present practi
cal monopoly.
Competition may for short time
legltimately reduce rates, but its pro
vince is to produce unjust discrimina
ton. 1t does not permit men in the
ordinary walks of life fairly to compete
with one another. 1t forces popula
tion, along with manufactures, to thu
large cities, instead of allowing the ar
tisan to live in the smaller towns
where it might be possible for him tt
own his own home and with moderate
expenses rear his family in quiet ant
amid the virtues of the country. 1t com
pels hun to live in vicious tenement
| houses of the crowded city. His child
rem have creakv pavements instead o
green fields for a play ground, ant
their ears are grated with coarse pro
family and vulgar language instead o
the songs of birds The air is lade1
with the disgusting odors of the gin
| shop, instead of the perfume of Glove
| blossoms, and instead of the peaceful
| scenes of nature they are made familia
with vnlgaritv, brutality and crime
| BY conges.ing population it indirectl,
| causes disease, ignorance and crime
it destroys Independent occupation ant
| forces the whole people into classes
employers and employees, masters an,
| servants, antocrats and menials akin t,
slaves. Why should the people longe
worship the monstrosity of discrimiua
| tion because percilunce it has be called
competition, or mourn over its destruc
ton?
HOW THE MARKETS ARE MILKED.
| Now when danger approaches, tn,
professionals, who have avenues of ad
vanced information, sell early Will
the price is high, and not only sell
but usually sell while short. But it i
notorious that small investors are al
ways ''bulls" when they should b.
bears. and vice versa. As the pric,
goes down they hold on till they cal
hold no longer and generally at tn,
lowest price they sell. Who buys
The only ones who can, the wise one
who shifted danger from afar, sol,
early, and now have money to buy a
bottom prices. In n general collapse
what an opportunity! In the wrecl
of prices n comparatively small amour
ofmoney will buy the control of half
dozen of the largest systems. A fey
men can do it. and on the ruins of tn
fortunes of hundreds of thousands o
small investors lay the sure foundation
for the enormous wealth of the futur
American billionaires. Fifty years ag
the American millionaires were as We
unknown and only dreamed Of It
then the pride of America that her citi
zens were possessed of Independent
livelihoods; that it was land of home
and of substantial equality; that ther
were no privileged classes none YER
rich and few very poor. Now it ha
been estimated that with q population
of over 65,00O,0OO people one-half Q
all the wealth of the nation is concen
trated in the hands of 10000 families
and that threefourths of it is in tn
possession of fewer than 25OOOO fam
lilies, while there are seventy-five es
tates valued at an average of $4,000,
900 each. One individual is reputed t.
be worth 100000, 900, and the incom