The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1895-01-04

cOIpOIdtlDils uSSuHiSu ""N~
laws Of the United States, or as
common carriers, has been vio-
lated. Their management has been
a national disgrace. Since the date
Of their inception they have been
conducted upon a purely specula-
tive basis. Their permanent pros
perity has been lost sight OF, while
their managers greedily strove for
Temporary advantage. For four
teen years the Union Pacific and
) the Central Pacific we're practically
free from competition for stretch
of !, 800 miles across the continent.
They were independent Of many OF
those disturbing elements which
! have been pleaded in extenuation
of the vicious practices OF railroads
in other parts of the country, and
yet they injected secrecy into their
affairs, inaugurated fayoritism and
> corruption in their management,
: and attempted TO destroy competi-
! tion. They organized pools for the
: professed purpose Of securing GER
taintv. uniformity and permanency
;. in freight rates, but they did not re.
y y spect the pools which they entered
! into when immediate advantages
II could be obtained by breach OF
! good faith.
- Mr.. Huntington testified before
! ! the Commission that competition
~ is killing" and that there ought to
be only one railroad for the whole
d country. The aided companies
e combined with others to tax thu
or communities which they served
2, and they forced the consuming
10 classes in all sections OF the coun
Y try to contribute to the payment @
OF interest and dividends upon the tic
&c titious capital which they had ere
al a! ated. They increased the cost Q
y. living. They laid proprietary CLAIM
iu to the traffic of large sections OF tn
~ ~ country. They squandered mil
~ lions OF their money to protect
ne their territorial claims, while es
en- pending other millions in encroacf
ma ments upon the territory elaine
lc. . by other companies. They const
'li' tuted themselves the arbiters
'se trade. They attempted to dicta
'ks the channels that trade should TO
me low. and fixed rates OF transport
l's ton that we're extortionate. Tht
ux charged all that the traffic wou
ese bear, and appropriated a share
YES the profits of every industry |
IN charging the greater part of the d
M ference between the actual cost
'us production and the price OF the a
Oh ticle in the market. They discrir
'm- mated between individuals, b
uer tween localities, and between 9
'he ticles. They favored particular ]
ese dividuals and companies. Tn
cen destroyed possible competitors, al
they built up particular Localities
the injury of other localities, un
matters had reached such a pa:
that no man dared engage in al
business in which trlnsportatl'
largely entered without first solic
ing and obtaining the permission
railroad manager. They depa
ed from their legitimate sphere
common carriers and engaged
mining articles for transportatl
over their own lines They exert
a terrorism over merchants and o,
communities, thus interfering wi
the lawful pursuits Of the peop
They participated in election CO
tests. BY secret cuts and viole
and rapid fluctuations in rates tn
menaced business, paralyzed ca
tai. and retarded investment and {
velopment."
PROFITS OF $27S, ,O23, ,357 .63 IN I
GRATING THE ROADS.
The reports Of these compan
show the following figures relati
to operation, disclosing a profit
ern- net earnings Of $27S,O23,351. I
nese equaling fifteen million dollar'