The Spokane press. [volume] (Spokane, Wash.) 1902-1939, 1905-02-20
BY H. Gibson Gardner.
Staff Correspondence of the News
paper Enterprise Association.

Staff Correspondence of the News
paper Enterprise Association.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 2O-In one
respect the railroads are clamoring
to be regulated; they want to be pre-
vented from giving secret rebates.
President Roosevelt himself is not
more anxious for this particular re-
road. A. ]. Cassatt, the enlightened
president of that concern, will sit up
nights to urge measures to stamp
out this iniquitous practice.
Sincere? Yes. No doubt of it. De-
velopment of altruism? Not at all.
The old motive, selishness but a
new point of view, and some changed
economic conditions.
The average man who has read the
Ida Tarbell articles in the magazines
has learned how the Pennsylvania and
other roads built up by their special
rebates the most powerful, heartless
and insolent of all trusts. He knows
the tale of the Independent oil oper-
ator who has been crushed and ruin
ed; he has been told by the news
papers, and has met in his business
every day the old familiar story
OF Monopoly Patterned
on the special favors of the power
full transportation companies. For
a whole generation the economic de-
velopment of the nation has been
the story of rebates. BY rebates
small towns have been made to lam
guish and huge terminals have been
stimulated into greatness and pros
perity, unthinkable fortunes have
been amassed. and, incidentally to
all this. and largely in consequence
of it, legislatures have been corrupt
ed, judges have been bought, and
members Of congress have been made
the hired lobbyists of these vested
interests"
The story of the rebate is the story
OF the Frankenstein. BY means of
the secret rebate the railroad built
the trust, and the trust grew great
and hungry. and turned and began
to devour the railroad. That is the
trouble of Cassatt. And Ripley. and
Spencer and Vanderbilt. and Elkins.
Having violated the law, and defied
ayers have now fled to the govern
ment and are praying to be delivered
from the consequences of their sin.
They are begging with tears to be
saved from the trust monopolies
which are grinding them down. fore
ing them to return in rebates the
freights which they legitimately i'm
pose. and compelling them to haul
their goods
At Rates So Low
that they can barely live and do bust
ness. There was time when they
need not have yielded to the demands
of the shippers. There was time
when there were plural shippers. But
the fatal rebate eliminated competi-
ton and the Independent competitor:
there was left only the trust. And
the trust had the great bulk of the
freight to be shipped.
When the railroads could no longer
stand together when pooling was de-
clared Illegal, and the central associ-
alton maintained by the roads for
equitable distribution OF business was
broken up. the trusts had the carry
ing companies at their mercy. BY
playing one road Oft against another
the shippers of oil. beef. grain and
other commodities compelled the
roads to grant rebates and transport
their freight at less than the legal
rates. For any one road to refuse
was ruin: and the antitrust Jaw for
hade that they should get together
and make the refusal unanimous.