The people's voice., 1939-12-20
By ]. B. BENTLEY

| Dy u. bIlN
One of the greatest steals that wa.
ever put over on the American publ,
was made by the railroads. They
weren't satisfied with just putting
their hands into the pockets of the
American people and grabbing a cou
pie of times, but were so enamorel
with the feeling that they have KEEP
one hand there at all times. But let's
drop back a short way in the history
of the railroads and see how they
put over this collosal steal of what
should rightly have belonged to the
public, as transporta ion has direct
bearing on the very life of the people
"The situation is well summed uI
in the case of the Union & Central
Pacific railroads which were con
| ceived in he womb of the republican
party; were born into the world as
the full-fledged children of corruption
and iniquity, and which never for one
day drew an honest breath. Ames
and his associates (who were like
Ames, the most prominent bankers
and business men of their day. or
| ganized the Credit Mobilier, came to
| Washington, and acted as nidwives
for the congress of the United States
while it gave birth to these twins.
"Ames and his associates distri-
buted the stock of the Credit Mobilier
among the senators and members of
the House of Representatives, every
republican member with particle of
influence receiving share, while al
most all of the prominent democratic
| leaders were taken care of in the
same manner Thereupon laws were
passed by which the government of
the United States gave these two
roads land grant of half of all the
land ten miles wide on each side of
the track from Omaha to San Fran
cisco, and in addition furnished a sum
of money more than sufficient to build
and equip the roads. In exchange for
this grant of money, the government
received a second mortgage. The
roads never paid any interest to the
government, and in 1896 when the
second mortgage fell due the man
ayers of the roads selected a reor-
ganizing committee of professional ex-
ploiters to devise ways and means to
swindle the government out of its
money-principal and interest. This
COIullllIltC COhololCu VI
Marvin Hughitt, president of the Chi
cago and North Western railroad,
Chauncey Depew, president of the
New York Central, and Louis Fitz-
gerald, T. j. Coolidge and Oliver
Ames, who represented the Goulds of
New York and the Ames crowd of
Boston" Imperial Washington by
Sen. Pettigrew, PIP. S6-S7.)
This 1000 miles of railroad can
be reproduced for $23,600 per mile,
and yet the government of the United |
States is asked to go into partner |
ship with party of dishonest men, |
and bond and stock the road for $685. |
600 per mile, and the public whom
this road serves is to be called upon |
to pay interest on this vast sum
'But they go further than this, and
tell us how they will distribute this
vast amount of stocks and bonds.
They propose that the government
shall take $34,000,000 of the bonds,
which is just equal to the principal
If the governments claim against the
roads, and shall take $20,000,000 of
he preferred stock in full payment
Tor all the defaulting interest; that
he first mortgage bonds, which
amount to $34,O00,O00, shall be taken
Up and a like number of these new
bonds issued in their place; and for
every $1,000 of bonds issued to the
present holders of the first-mortgage
ponds of these roads. $500 of pre-
erred stock shall be issued as a bo-
lus, the remainder of the stock and
he remainder of the bonds to be the
undoubtedly of the conspir
tors in this stupendous transaction"
Ibid, p. 88).
''The frauds begun under Cleveland,
democratic president, were enlarged
nd completed under Mckinley, a re-
publican president. Millions of acres {
Il forest reservation were established '
n Montana, all within the grant of I
he Northern Pacific railroad, where !
here was no timber or forests, only t
little scrub pine that never was and
ever will be of any value for lumber I
I any kind of forest products, and q
hat was done so that the Northern l
'acific railroad could exchange its c
id sections of worthless desert for ?
Grip, acre for acre, and this scrip Y
ellis for from So to $40 per acre, and L
an be located on any land the gov
rnment owns anywhere within our !
road domain -" Ibid, PIP. 24-25).
A committee from the Senate of the II
nited States makes this report in d
374:
"In the matter of taxation, there =
re today four men representing the u
,ur great trunk lines between Chi =
ago and New York, who possess,
nd xxrho not ,1rfranunnt1V exercise
overs which the congress of the
nited States would not dare to exert. d.
hey may at any time, and for any
JASON satisfactory to themselves, by o
single stroke of the pen, reduce the s'
ilue of property in this country by y