The Columbus weekly dispatch. (Columbus, Miss.) 1902-1905, 1905-01-19
RAILROAD DISSEMINATION.

are rapidly being recognized as
one of the great evils affecting
our system of commerce is one
OF the hopeful signs of the times
and it leads to the belief that
through the government agency
these injurious and perniciOus
methods may come to an end.
Commercial organizations t h e
country over are taking cogni-
Zance of the matter and a strong
sentiment is being developed in
favor ia giving the Inter State
Commission more power so that
il may regulate and control such
matters.
A certain feature of the exclu
sive privileges enjoyed by the
many at the expense of the few
was called attention to f0rcibly
last week at the meeting of the
National League of Com mission
Merchants which was held in
New Orleans. The president,
Charles B. Ayers, in his address
took occasion to cite the special
car lines, such as the ArmOurS
and Swifts enjoy, as one of the
worst forms of private monopoly.
In the course of his address be
said:
We have instituted a fight
against one of the most unrelent.
ing and unscrupulOus monOpolies
of the age; a corporation that
terrorizes the railroads of our
land and even goes so far as to
say to the interstate commerce
commission, Keep your hands
off us; you have no right to inter
fere, no matter what our trans
gresSiOns may be; we are out
side the jurisdiction of any court
or commission; we are private
car line, and will continue to
charge the limit we think the
puplic will stand, ana if per-
chance you are not satisfied to
pay our toll for the privilege of
living you can let your goods rot,
as you must do business with US
or quit. This is what the Ar
mour exclusive contracts mean.
The agitation of this matter and
the publicity the press of the
land has given to the investiga-
ton has startled the country and
set thinking men to ponder over
the conditions as they have been
exposed. F"
The conditions which Presi-
dent Ayres protests against our
patent to all. The private car
lines have subjec ted every com
munity in the land to the opera
tions of the companies owning
them and competition is practic-
cally shut out. 1t is true of the
commission business, it is true
of the oil business and others.
The people are helpless through
the special privileges enjoyed by
these great organizations and
they are forced to stand and de
liver any price or to agree to any
terms which they may dictate.
The whole country notes with
pleasure that the President in
his interview with party leaders
last week took the position that
the Inter State Commerce Com
mission must be given more
power so that it would be in a
position to stop the abuses and
to regulate the great question of
inter state traffic. While he
is willing to leave the matter of
tariff revision to the party yet he
avowed his determination to
press this matter of freight rates
before Congress. that the people
may be granted relief and n this
good work he will have the
universal support of ali sections
and all parties. Such a course
will involve great fight. for the
great corporations will not sur
render their special privileges.
the railway companies will not
consent to their operations being
subjected to inter state control
without bite rly opposing it.