The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-12-15
Benefits of Monopoly.

From time to time we have been told
that no matter how vicious might be the
possibilities of the consolidation of the
Great Northern and Northern Pacific j..
J. Hill was a benevolent master, and that
at least so long as he lived the merger
would be Of great benefit to the north
west, We have also been assured that
although rate competition between the
two great systems is a thing of the past
the competition of service remained and
that there was a friendly but keen rivalry
between the two roads.
These assurances have a nice, pleasant,
comfortable sound, and we think it very
thoughtless Of those Red River Valley
farmers to come into court and disturb
our placidity. Theories are so much
more agreeable and obliging than facts,
however, they are always raising besides
wheat and other crops the produce that
James Gordon Bennett considered the
legitimate output Of newspap ers when he
said that their business was ITO raise hell
and sell papers," In the merger case
last Friday they raised quite a little Of it.
Addison Leech, a farmer of Warren,
took a conspicuous part in the agricul-
tural process referred to. In those bad
old chaotic days Of competition from
which the genius of a Hill has emanci-
pated us, Mr.. Leech had a spur track
from the Great Northern to his farm. He
shipped from 10000 to $1,000 bushels Of
grain year, and the company seemed to
be quite willing to take his business.
When the merger was effected the track
was torn up without consulting Mr..
Leech. Why not? Why should a side
track be maintained for the convenience
Of a poor devil of farmer who had to
pay tribute to the Hill pocket whatever
happened. 1t was truly, as the Great
Northern's attorney said, business
proposition
In the barbarous times before Mr.. Hill
came with his merger and wrought great
good Ewald Wielan of Glyndon, Mimi,
had about seventy five cars of wheat to
ship each year. He had in those sad
times but to push button and cars were
forthcoming, and special freight agents
Of the Great Northern waited on him and
respectfully, even obsequiously, solicited
his patronage. In these merger days he
has to beg hard and wait long to get cars,
and when he gets them he finds that he
must build doors for them. Gladly does
he do that, but he does hate to pay de-
| murrage charges on the cars for the time
he is occupied in repairing them. Mr..
| Wielan estimates his loss from the perfect
| merger at $500, to say nothing of the
| pleasure Of being the object of cynical
| laughter by railway satraps when he com
plains.
| Johnston Wagner of Fargo had an ex-
perience to relate that is much like Mr.
Wielan's.
| Now that we in this unpleasant
business Of aspersing the perfect merger
we might as well call attention to the
| fact that the evidence shows that wher
the merger thought its case was as good
| as won circulars were issued abolishine
competitive point rates. Later wher
| the outlook became more dubious, the
Northern Pacific withdrew it's circular or
| that matter
We have no doubt that all of these
facts can be proved by competent au.
| thorlties to be evidence of the excellence
! of railway monopoly, but to us in OH
blindness, still unaffected by the merge,
illumination, still unable to perceive
that whatever is is good, we must sa,
that somehow they seem to have a cons
trary tendency.