Kansas agitator. [volume] (Garnett, Kan.) 1890-1905, 1901-11-29
DANGER AHEAD.

An effort is now being made to merge all O
the transcontinental lines Of railroads under on
management. P. Morgan and ]. ]. Hill, tn
railroad magnates, seem to have everything
their own way, and they have strong hopes o
gaining full control of all of these railroad in
terests. Men high in the councils of the ma
ton and such fnanciers as Russell Sage seem
danger in the scheme, and they have sounded
note of warning.
In last Saturdays Topeka Capital appears
dispatch from Washington, in which it il
claimed that President Roosevelt is opposed t.
the proposed consolidation of the railroad inter
ests. In this Washington dispatch Appeals the
following:
1t is known by government officials that the
Northern Securities ompany owning all the
stocks in the Northern Pacific, Great Northern,
Union Pacific and Chicago, Burlington &
Quincy railroads, is only the beginning of the
scheme which Morgan and Hill have in mind.
Morgan's ambition is to control the Transports
tion lines of this country, not only the rail-
roads, but the steamship lines. Should he be
successful in the plan to consolidate the rail-
roads in the northwest, he will organize other
companies under the laws of New Jersey to own
and control the stock of other railroads until, as
the directing power behind all, he can practi-
cally control the transportation facilities of the
United States, and also those between this
country and Europe.
A close friend of President Roosevelt, who
discussed this question with Morgan, pointed
out to him that he was taking the greatest step
that had ever been made toward government
control of railroads.
"You may be sincere, Morgan" said this
gentleman, "and you might succeed if you
were God, but no human agency, except the
government of the United States, will ever be
allowed to own and control the railroads of the
United States. There are just two alternatives
to this question of ransportation-comp
or government control. When the people are
convinced, or have good grounds to suspect,
that railroad competition is ended, they will
insist on government control. The people will
submit to great injustice from the railroads
while there is competition, but they will not
submit to the slightest injustice from railroads
under one general management, which destroys
competition, but will ever be suspicious and
find injustice in what may appear to you as
absolute justice in rates. You are on most
dangerous grounds, and if you 60 forward in
this gigantic scheme, you will precipitate the
greatest political question of the age, and bring
the federal government face to face with the
necessity for government CONTROL"
This statement made to Mr.. Morgan repre-
sents the sentiment OF some of the ablest men
in the presidents cabinet. They see no other
alternative than government control, should
Morgan and Hill succeed in their plans for the
consolidation of present competing railroads by
forming new corporation for the ownership
OF all or majority of the stocks of these roads.
The president is not all alarmist, and he has
been induced to think that publicity would cure
the greatest evil of the trusts, but he and his
advisers have been alarmed over the dangers
presented by this gigantic railroad combination,
and he will speak out plainly regarding the
necessity for legislation to strengthen the anti
trust law and the interstate commerce act.
Russell Sage, speaking OF the same scheme,
says:
The danger lies in the effect it will have
upon weaker lines. 1t will compel them to
struggle harder than ever to get along, and one
of the weapons in the possession of the weak
lines is an appeal to the state legislature.
The roads IN the combination run through
nineteen different states and territories, and the
promoters of it have to look out for adverse
legislation from any or all of these state gov
ernments If this combination is not conducted
conservatively the next thing will be- great
public excitement in various states. A com
binaton of this sort throttles competition, and
the people don't like it. The man at the head
of it will have to be most careful and conserva-
tive to avoid the dangers have pointed out.