The independent. [volume] (Lincoln, Neb.) 1902-1907, 1905-04-20
FATHER OF THE TRUSTS
Without the Aid of the Railroads,
Neither Standard Oil, the Steel
Nor Any Others Could Endure.
COMMISSIONER PRoUTY SPEAKS
Seven Great Railroad Systems Rule
the Country With a Rod of iron
and the People Are Helpless.


"There is no monopoly which is so
insldluus and all prevailing as the
railroad monopoly. There is not one
thing which enters into every article OF
luxury and every article of necessity
like the railway rate.
There is no one thing which can
take penny from the pocket OF the
poor man and put it, together with
other pennies, into the enormous
whole and deposit it to the account OF
the multimillionaire as does the rail-
way rate"
These words were used by Interstate
Commerce Commissioner Prouty at a
banquet given by the Union League
club. Railway legislation was the
subject Of discussion for the evening,
and Mr.. Prouty's arraignment OF the
roads was sensational. Besides the
commissioner, Judge Peter S. Gross
cup of the United States circuit court
and George r. Peck, general counsel
for the Milwaukee and st. Paul rail-
road, took part in the discussion. Mr..
Peck advocated the cause of the rail
roads.
Prominent railroad men were pres
ent as guests of the club, nearly every
important system of the middle west
being represented by one or more Off
cials.
Commissioner Prouty came from
New England to take hand in the dis
cussion. .t.
GAS the president declared in his
message" said Mr.. Prouty, "there is
no more important subject before the
American people today than this and
there is unanimity of belief that there
should be by railways no. sort OF dis
elimination between shippers.
In the past the discrimination has
been mostly worked by the payment
of the rebate, and the fat Of the Amer
ican people has gone forth that the
rebate shall stop. The public demands
it. The interests of the railway equal
ly demand it. The Injunction and the
Elkins bill have gone great way to-
ward accomplishing it already. There
must be amendment to the law. You
must include the private car. You must
include the terminal railroads. You
must include the elevator.
'T think you have got to provide
some sort of a tribunal other than the
interstate commerce commission to en-
force the law. have sometimes
thought it might be necessary to ap-
point on the part of the government
the official who receives and disburses
the money for the railways. / believe
it to be absolutely necessary that the
books of account kept by the railroads
shall be subject to public inspection.
All that, my friends is possible.
when / was in Boston the other
night discussing this question before
the Economic club, Mr. Wilcox, who
represented the railroads on that oc-
casion, when I stated that some six or
seven systems now control 100000
miles out of the total 100000, asked
me what those systems were. l did
not undertake to answer that question
then, because did not desire to speak
until 1 knew that whereof spoke.
'I want to begin tonight by answer
ing that question of Mr.. Wilcox.
want to tell you what the systems are
what the six systems are that con-
troll substantially 100000 miles of rail
way. l have had certain facts put to-
gether in the office of the interstate
commerce commission.
"Now, to begin with, we will take
tie Pennsylvania system. 1t embraces
10000 miles. In that estimate / in
clude the Baltimore and Ohio, the Nor
folk and Western, and the Chesapeake
and Ohio. The Baltimore and Ohio
and the Norfolk and Western
have the same stock ownership, and
the Chesapeake and Ohio operates
Jointly with its partner, the New York
Central.
"The next is the Vanderbilt system,
and as part of that count the Chi
cago ard Northwestern. The Reading
and the Central of New Jersey are
owned by the Pennsylvania and the
New York Central jointly in the same
way that the Chesapeake and Ohio IL.