The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1897-09-24
NOT YET TOO LATE.
BUT THE RAILROADS ARE
TIGHTENING THEIR GRASP.
Let the Government Take Charge of
and Operate the Union Pacific and
the Monopoly of Carrying Will BE
Destroyed.

This statement-that if ever the United
States buy in and operate the U. P,
the whole monopoly of carrying will
step by step be destroyed. But under
present control of our government this
can never be done. II ever done it
Will show hat the combines have
given up their hold of power. Who
ever talks of such a thing as at all
probable now, knows nothing of the
condition Of our affairs. Were the gov
eminent to go at it and build one great
railway, to be operated by the govern
ment entirely independent of all out
side control, it would compel all the
other roads to compete with it. They
would soon be using all their influence
either to have the government buy or
sell. But it is altogether probable
that they would manage to buy the
government roads. There is not one
person in a thousand who understands
the enormous power of the railway
combine. All the other trusts and COM
Dimes owe their origin and standing to
this one. Our government is now a
railway empire. Congress and every
State Legislature and Supreme Court
are controlled by it. For this reason
/ deem every attempt at reform as use
less as that Of the Prohibitionists' un-
til this despotism has been destroyed.
The people must grow poorer under it's
rule, because it gathers up, as net
profits, all the surplus made by labor
and lever redistributes a dollar in the
Moreover, it takes advantage of any
rise of price in Europe of Il agricul-
tural products, by keeping us in ig-
norance through it's control of the tele-
graph and thus secures to itself all the
advantage. This was seen during the
famine. The whole exportable crop of
the Dakotas and other regions was
secured by the railroad ~manipulators
before the news of the famine was let
out. The real profits of the roads
themselves are hidden from the world
by various devices, such as the express,
fast freights, Pullman %sleepers, pat
ents of various kinds, supply compan-
1es-all devices to absorb the profits
of the roads and throw them into re-
%ceivers' hands. While the road is in
. receivers hands the express, fast
freight, Pullman sleeper, patentee and
supply business all are paying big
profits to the combine. Enormous
fees are divided between receivers and
the combine. The very rails and cars
are supplied by one hand while the
other smites and destroys, and taxes
the public to repair and renew. /
say, not m man in ten thousand has
the slightest idea of the power and
of this railway empire under
We groan. All the other evils
we complain of are either conse-
Quences of this one or as a drop in the
bucket. Imagine now that we gained
free silver, the referendum and every
good thing, yet have left this
one monster to stand untouched-what
off are we, the people? In this,
such vast confusion, I feel like
one standing alone. Mark the predic-
to this one thing we shall come
at last, and come by force, unless we
are wise in time. BY combining all
together and demanding that Govern
ment shall build two great trans-con-
roads, East and West, North
and South, issuing small shares and
legal tender treasury certificates, the
whole can be done without debt. Gov
eminent roads to be operated as the
p%ostof1ce is. This done, all else will
The very keystone to the rail-
road empire will be broken. Every
dollar issued will be returned in pay
ment for services long before the roads
are finished, and all this trouble about
Labor and money will cease in six
months from the start. In this way
the English country people built rail-
roads costing several billion dollars,
and never used a cent of money. Sure
ly this people can do the same, under
the plan here proposed, and not use
half the effort.
You are no aroused by this PROPOSE
ion. 1t does not u you to feel the
least excitement. You think it might
do for one plank in the next platform
of our party if there are enough of us
to care about it. But just try it once.
Let it be made the one plank with a
support formidable enough to u
the real rulers of these States the least
fear of its ultimate success, and then
you shall witness such a stirring among
the dry bones as never was. Then in
deed shall the enemy show you that
you have planted a fatal blow at their
power. Every argument and device