The Cairo bulletin., 1906-11-01
PROFESSOR RAPS
RAILROAD TRUST
NAMES The BIG HOLDERS
TELLS U. OF c. STUDENTS THAT
SEVEN MEN EXTRACT $780,.
100000 ANNUALLY.
or Stocks But Does Not Directly Men.
tion R7ekefeIier-Says Gould,
Morgan, Hill and Others
Are the Ones.

| Chicago, Oct 31--'Willam Hill prp-
! fessor of political economy in the I'm;
veri ity of Chicago, declared In a lee.
| ture TO his students that the railroad
Of the United States were owned by
seven men, The tutor in the Stand.
ard Oil controlled university further
asserted that an Illegal and pernieieus
agreement had been entered into by
the combination to raise and control
The freight rates Ct the country and
that they had exacted tribute of $500.
00000 last year from the people.
Government ownership the lecturer
asserted must eventually wrest the
property from them should they con,
Itinue TO pursue the policy now In
vogue. The recent upaeavals In the
Illinois Central properties was point.
ed out by the professor as scheme Of
=, H. Hartman to juggle the property
and decrease the dividends to it's sock
holders by issuing fresh stock and 9th.
erwise manipulating the railroad.
Avoid Mentioning OH King.
In naming over the men who own
the railways the professor referred
vaguely to the Pennsylvania group
as one Of the seven. avoiding by name
the oil king who has been associated
with the control Of the system.
The lecture was delivered In Kent
Theatre at a divisional meeting. The
emphatic statements Of the educator
startled the students. who once ven
'nred ripple of applause as the les.
turer paused
Nineteen companies operate four
hfths Of the mileage OF the country
assorted Professor Hill These ninc,
teen c0Iupaaies are controlled by
seven socalled groups, who In reality
are men, Each group is persenitiel
and dominated by one man or family.
They are George Gould ]. Pierpont
Morgan, James J. Hill tho yanderbilts.
II. L. Hartman. tho Moore brothers
and the Pennsylvania group
Enormous Profits on Traffic.
Last year s2000o, O0O. 900 wa col.
lected from the public by The railways
or the t'1ited States Ten years ago
their profits on the traffic Of the conn
try was s60.000000. Last year II OK,
'eeded s3O0.000. 900.
In 1870 the freight rates of tho
country averaged three cents ion.
with Increased traffic and the inn.
'rovement of the lines the rate stead.
~ decreased for thirty years untlI in
900 IL was placed at seventy-two-one
of enc cent per mile. Then
hese groups had alta ned control and
'ince that time the rate has been
steadily increased. IT now stands at
lghty-one hundredth on one cent.
me normous profits OF these
'roups are evidenced in the case of
Mon Pacific stock. which last year
declared dividends equal 10 tho value
# The stock ten years ago.
In Crop of a Few.
The greatest industry of tic TTnl.
ed states has been placed In the
rip Of a handful of men.
With this concentration comes the
reatest danger to the public. The
eople are powerless in the hands Of
he men who by understandings and
erbal agreements can do as they will
'ith what they deem their own prop
rtt.
"One thing The public has a right
, demand is publicity in all opera.
ons, in the knowledge Of the profits
nd in the combinations agreements
nd policies undertaken by the opera
YES. They have The right 10 iemand
lat responsible operatives be placed
the control OF there branches Of
and TO know that the mau-
gers are 20 protect the public. not :,
apriyc them Of their rights
II this Is not given them govern,
ental ccntrnl or ownership musi
seniually force il.
Mentions Illinois Central Tilt.
we have had striking exhibition
the attitude of this group tousrti
ie public in the recent struggles fpr
Iprcmacy in the Illinois Central Rail-
az
The lliirois Central line occupies
very strong pos lion TODAY This
a. been seized upon by one Of This
--up as a chance for a Teorganlza-
ON and vast profits for he manipu-
tors al the expense Of the public I.
.ust seem 10 the student Of the situ-
ion that Mr. Hartman is struggling
" control only that he can through
le reorganizatic1 issre more securi-
es and by lesseuing the profits Of al
.hers take them to him Elf
There is no reason Why. IL he =
Iccessful. ne viii not realize many
illions Of dollars through the acqnir-
e Of the road and the chance to man