The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1902-08-10

OF the land offending the pubic, OF nay
ing to spend too much OF nus So -. ,,,a,..
revenue in substituting the press IN max max
ing his policies popular when extracuns
from the purse Of the public a reVsnue
either by legisatSe TN tn
tation or competitive transpoa a,,,,,nth in
stitutions have long since realized that
the only barrier that caused thenl "
halt In gathering taxes from tue peeps
was their own competition with their own
~ TO = avoid void this. they resorted to what
was first known as the pooling syS
tenn" by which certain companies IN
certain territories, agreed 70 sus Idih
rates, This, however. was rendered nu-
gatory in 1857 by a judicial decision
The next effort succeeding this was
known as the gentlemen tratnc agree
ment." by which the presidents OF GER
tain lines agreed to maintain rates. Thls
was found to he insufficient because OF
the very reason assigned by MT; SUCK
ney, when he said: What VIII tnae
mount 10. Mr. Gould? L would not be-
Ueve any railroad president under oath
when a question of rates is the issue.
AND THEN THE MORGAN MERGER.
And the last great effort TO attain
this end seems to promise success, ana
is said to be the offspring OF MI Nor,
gan's genius. 1t is called merger,
which simply means that the raiiWdys
Of the United States are divided into
many men, each with a distinct imam
cial following Their system Is not to
rely upon the word or contract OF ono
with the other, but to actually purchase
the shares in each others Institutions
until they all become shareholders in the
properties of the whole. and they are
bound together by bonds of mutual in
terest and not by vows or business I'M
derstandings. The movement now on
| foot in the South bids fair TO unity, I'M
/ der one management, every important
railroad traVersing what is known as the
| Southern country. The amalgamation
will embrace anywhere from 1000 TO 3d.
/ 900 miles of operated lines. When this
| takes place, what will compel the man
agement to build new roads into those
| portions of our country that need de-
| velopment? What will entice capital to
construct new lines under the control of
| independent companies II there Is no law
| to make the old corporations carry the
freight of the new, or to force them TO
allow the younger Institution entrance
into terminals of capitals of States and
| large towns and cities In the land where
they have gone before, and sequestered
| to their own separate use every avail
able avenue OF approach? What power
will persuade these great societies to be
enient in the matter of tax collecting
from the people for the exclusive privilege
of rendering them q service for pay
through the medium of a charter orig
lnally Issued by the people for the peo
pies own benefit-for this State alone
has contributed 100000 10 the con
/ struction of Tennessee railroads, and
have seen the shareholders of the Nash
vile, Chattanooga and st. Louis rail-
way meet In this city, composed Of thu
most noted and respectable men of thi
state, and V. *. Stevenson, one of gu
citizens and founder Of the corporation
was Its president
WHAT WILL THE PEOPLE DOT
AS the president of the Tennessee Cen
trn pail
have expended nearly eight millions o
dollars in this country in the creation
of an Independent railroad and the &C
QUESTION and development of one of tn
greatest mining districts In the Unite
States. ! ask the question: What ar
the people OF this State going to d
when they are brought face to face wit
the fact that the old roads occupyin
the capital VI the State, with a view c
destroying the competition, openly an
defiantly, in violation OF their charter
ana tho plain statutes, refuse to allo'
the new company to do business with tn
people OF Tennessee, If 1t becomes neces
sary to use either their tracks or term
a nails to accomplish this end, even thong
y rendering any fair and equitable comper
y sation for the same
q viii they still remain supinely upo
% their backs when / tell them that ever
- railroad in this country will soon |
K merged into one unified system, and IL
q Tennessee Central Is the only indepent
"a ent mileage left in this section OF II
" country? The people and this road
a less than three hundred miles in oper;
IL Ton ana under construction are lie
70 standing side by side, allied by the
"a own isolation. both left exposed to
4" common destruction, unless the peop
OF this State see fit to invoke their ON
power In their own defense, by enac
ing such statutory limitations and re
Is ulatons Of railway transportation in ii
State as viii fix rates and cor
pei exchange of business between ra.