Omaha daily bee., 1895-11-26
rgg yoryr TRAFFIC. AGREEMENT

TtrE JOINT TRAFFIC AGREEMENT
That the agreement entered into by
the eastern trunk line railroads. TO be
followed doubtless by Hike agreement
between western lines, Is a matter OF
great public Importance there can be no
question. II contcnplates higher trans.
portation rates affecting every interest
in the country and bearing most heavily,
it Is probable, upon the productions OF
agriculture. The wheat and corn and
cattle of the west, there is good reason
TO apprchend, will be made to bear the
largest part OF the burden of higher
rates that will be established by tho
board of managers charged with regu-
lating and maintaining charges under
this agreement. and whether those rates
shall be "rcasonablc" is likely to be de-
termincd entirely by the railroads, since
nothing is TO be expected of the Inter
state Commerce commission hostile to
the Views of the corporations with
which that body seems TO be in full
sympathy, SO far as this agreement is
concerned. There has never been a
time when the agricultural producers
of the United States were in less
of transportation than they are at pres
ent. and If the railroad combination
carries out its obvious purpose the day
of prosperity for the American farmer
now facing formidable and growing
competition in the foreign markets a
competition which has the advantages
Of the cheapest labor and low rates of
transportation-.wil be indefinitely post
poned.
1t is reported that congress will be
asked to investigate this combination,
and this ought to he done i'm view of
the fact that the attorney general of the
United States and the Interstate Com
mercc commission have declined to take
any action regarding the agreement. Mt
least in advance of It's going into effect.
The repeated representations made to
the president. the attorney general and
the chairman of the commission regard
ing the illegal character of this rail
way combination has failed to elicit any
assurance that the authority of the gov
'FnilenJ VIII ne eNeTtlStU WIFI IL view
to determining whether the combina
ton and agreement violate the law so
that there is no reason to expect any
interference Oh the part OF those whose
duty 1t is to execute the laws. Sena.
tor Chandler, in his last letter to the
president, points out three ways in
which the agreement of the trunk lines
can be prevented from going into effect
but it is entierly safe to say that none of
these will be adopted. 1t is possible
that Mr.. Chandler is wrong in his con-
struction of the laws which lie asserts
are applicable to this combination, but
that is II matter which the courts should
be given an opportunity to determine.
AS the New Hampshire senator said
in a letter to President Cleveland last
August, eff this tremendous cOmbina-
ton is not illegal no aggregation and
association of unlimited capital for one
commercial purpose can be prevented
by law"
Senator Chandler does not in the least
exaggeratc the powerful proportions of
this combination. The corporations
represented in 1t control Il railroad
mileage of nearly 1900 miles, with
capital stock of $1,51 100000 and
bonded debt of 81 1635,0O0,000, alto
gether over $3,O0O,O0O,O0O. He is cor
rect, therefore, in saying that it is by
far the most powerful association of
capital ever made in this or any other
country, capable, if permitted. of exert
ing an influence which will be practi
cally decisive in regulating the rates of
transportation in the United States. 1t
would hardly be possible to overesti-
mate the Importance of this movement
to all our people and especially to the
agricultural producers, and the demand
of Senator Chandler that something be
done to arrest it will have very general
approval.
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