Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1905-05-26
A WEAK DEFENSE.

The "Private Car Trust" which has
been recently aired, is having its turn
through it's subserved press The ar
gument found in a contemporary In
it's favor is: 1.-THE companies must
have good refrigerator cars, the roads
do not furnish the cars to suit the
packers, and the result Is that all the
big packing companies have built their
own cars. 1t would seem that they
ought to have right to do this II the
roads are not compelled to furnish such
cars ar they want and then keep them
in proper repair. The packer must
have good car in which to snip DIS
fresh meat 80 that it can be kept cool.
to keep the meat from spelling. Ihis
country needs the railroads and the
big packing houses, which are the
principal private Car companies, nave
become necessity these modern times
to handle the meat products OF the
country. All that the great majority
of the people want is justice and the
way to find out what is the proper
thing to do is to keep the Interstate
commerce commission acting and the
railroad managers and the private car
companies talking. There is wisdom
in a multitude of COUNSEL
1t is poor railroading which does
not furnish proper facilities for hand
ling freight. If cattle or hogs were to
be offered for shipment few railroads
would send fat cars or ordinary box
cars to carry them. Railroads want
business, hence they furnish or should
furnish facilities. Coal cars are fur
nlshed to the coal dealers, cattle cars
and horse cars for cattle and horses,
even in some sections lumber cars are
| furnished dealers, and all are Kept In
proper repair. otherwise damages
would follow. What is there then TO
warrant the assertion that railroads
would not furnish refrigerating cars
Patents possibly put them Into the
hands of private individuals, and thus
the railroads were cut out of their first
manufacture, but 1T is useless to say
that where a demand had arisen there
could never have been supply, es
Ipecially to say in this case there never
would have been had not the packers
built the cars. So soon, however, al
they began building them then the.
land the railroads began deal, ant
the result has been that each year ha
seen greater and greater iniquitie
creep in until there is now absolute ant
positive robbery. For instance ic
was at one time free on these cars. las
, wear as much as $50 per car for ice wa
!, charged on the same line where fol-
merly no such charge was made, an
not a pound of ice was furnished. A
this money went to the Private Va
Trust Does not such robbery nee
q looking after?
The s'Private Car Trust" is a pa
and parcel of the Beef Trust, pOssib
the most ubiquitous trust ever organ
i lied, one which staggers the "Stan'
ard Oil' or "Amalgamated Copper
- 1t is shown that this Beef Trust
~ possibly the greatest thief and hlg
waymen ever yet to lnfest this or an
other country, setting the price OF ca
N tie at all the cattle markets of tn
NJ country, and bankruptlng many OF Il
:. largest beef feeding sections OF ii
west. In one portion of Iowa alo
- in 1904 over 40 banks were broken al
!. over q dozen bank officials commits
- suicide, to say nothing of the 9th
wreck and ruin following. All
IA which is traceable directly to the BE
!. j. Trust, of which the Private Car Trt
:. is a part. These trusts are out
90 booty. The highwayman who hol
ut up a stage coach is friend best
90 them. Yet they have their paid
,r tenders. Money works wonders.