Year: 1859

FRIDAY, MARCH Is, 1859.


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4 COMBINATION OF INTERESTS


DEMANDED.


Chicago has grown to hor present position
rs by magic. Each citizen in every depart
ment Of trade, ,has had oil be could d. and has
not felt the necessity Of the counsel and ex~
pericnoe Of those who were engaged in the
samc business with himself Hence the need
for united action has never been seriously felt,
and asa consequence such action has never been
had to any considerable extent We hare, it is
true, our Board Of Trade, but that is composed
mainly Of shippers aud dealers in produce. We
do not remember an instance in which the
combined commercial influence Of tue city was
ever brought to bear on any subject


Chicago has now attained go commanding
position as commercial anddistributing centre
that the importance Of combining the intclli-
gencc and the moral power Of every depart
mcnt Of business is daily becoming more ap-
parent and imperative. OF this we need no
further illustration than tho fact that for more
than q year, under the St. Nicholas railroad COM
pact, discrimination Of SIX dollars per ton has
been made against Chicago in the tariff freight
between the West and the Scaboard- Docs
any one suppose TINT had our wholesale deal
ers and manufactures met daily with our
shippers produce dealers and railway mana
gers, on Change, to discuss the general inter
csts Of the commerce Of the city, this compact
would have been permitted to exert its baleful
influence upon the business prosperity Of chi-
cago for SO long time? Would not tue
whole thing have been understood and ex-
ploded the first month ofits existence? Our rail-
road managers should not be left alone to guard
interests 50 important to the prosperity Of the
city. Tho combined intelligence and energy
Of tho city, in we1l-eonsidened and concerted
action, should stand shoulder to shoulder with
Our railroad interests, in every effort on the
part Of tho latter to foster the growth and
prosperity Of Chicago and 10 deyclope the TO-
sources Of the Northwest.


Let no man suppose that hc las not lost by
this discrimination against Chicago in tho price
Of frciglts. Our dry goods and grocery mer-
chants our nanufacturcrs-iu fact men in
every department oftrade-haye suffered more
than, could the exact facts be knosu, they
would be willing to admit Everything that
affects the business Of the city has an inau-
cncc upon tue price Of real estate, upon our
bankers, and capitalits generally, and l.encc
it will not do for them to fold their arms and
console themselves with tho idea that they
have no interest in the cost Of transportation
on the different lines between the lakes and
the scaboard. 4 discrimination against CHI
cago is discrimination against the price Of
real estate, the profits Of banking, and, i'll
fact, against every department Of trade in tue
city.


We mention rs another instance Of tile want
Of concert among our business men, the fact
that for the last two or three years tue st. Louis
Chamber If Commerce las waecd ccasc}css
warfare against the Rock Island Bridge. What
We have always claimed was a few weeks ago
admitted by the Republican, Of that city,
viz: that the hostility Of St. Louis was direct
cd against the principle Of bridging the Missis-
sippi at all, and against the Rock Island bridge
mainly as precedent for other structures Of the
same kind over that river. We need not stop to
prove that every city east and west, situated
north Of the 1atitudr Of st. Louis, has vital in
tcrcsts at stake in maintaining the right Of rail-
ways to bridge all the rivers between the At
lantic and tue Pacific. Our own city, If it be-
comes necessary, must nainrlin that right nj
whatever cost; and yet size has left private
company to resist alone the capital unl the in-
1lucnco Of the Chamber Of Commerce Of ST.
Louis This, to say tue least is iii unwarrant-
able neglect Of duty. Our Wholesale dealers
no more than our railway and freight liucs, can
afford to resign forever tue trade Of the coun-
Try west Of the Mississippi. Let the capital and
the moral power Of tile city say to St Louis
"Your arrogant aud selfish pretcnsions shall
bc resisted every w'ilcrc and always. The Mis-
sissippi and Missouri too, must lie bridged
wherever the necessities Of commerce require il
10 dc done and the warfare against tic Rock
Island bridge will cease


We make theso suggestions from the facts
before us, with all respect 10 the business
circles Of tile city. As to how the intelligence
ind the moral power Of tho city should be
combined and brought TO bear Oh these and
kindred subjects, we leave 10 lie wisdom Of
"ur leading citizens i'll each department Of
trade 1t is plain that the cities aud the priu-
':ipa1 railway lines south of us, are controlled
by Interests which arc antagouistic to those Of
New York, Boston and Chicago, aud tue great
ttloroaghfarcs which connect them. They
1nalst lie met by combinations Of intelligence.
energy and capital equally powerful and cn.
during, Or our vaunted supremacy will in few
years desert us. With right understanding
OF tho subject among our business men and the
people generally, we have no fears whatever
Tor the result Of the contest


POLITICS AND THE BENCH,


II is time for the fact to be impressed upon
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