Year: 1872

READING THREATENED BY THE PH1LA-


DELPAIA q READING R. co. AN IN


TEREsTING CASE FOR THE AMERICAN


PEOPLE,


There is most interesting condition of Affairs
at Reading, Pennsylvania. 1t is confict-or
threat Of confict-of such character az to Justly
claim the attention Of the whole country. The
case is this The Philadelphia and Reading
Railroad Company have large building and repair
shops located in the city They give employ
ment to a great number Of men, and conse-
quently add largely to the citys business pros
perity. Heretofore, the Railroad Company has
been without any competition in the trade to and
from Reading. But it is proposed to extend the
line which now runs from Wilmington, Della
ware, to Birdsboro', (thS latter point nine miles
below Readlng,) through Reading, and North
ward, by route through Berks County, to tap
the Lehigh and LAckawAnnA coal regions. This
will bring coal from those fields to the great iron
works and other industries Of Reading, and will
bid, under favorable conditions, for a fair share
OF the carrying trade to and from that city.


But the Philadelphia line, (Which is controlled
b. two or three very wealthy British capital
lists, and is run in their interest by such
officers as they dictate,) is determined
that this Extension line shall not be built or
that it shall at least, be crowded away from a
route through the city favorable for the receipt
aud delivery Of freights from and to the large
manufactures. The City Council passed an or
dinAnce authorizing the new line to lay down
its track in certain streets. The Philadelphia
corporation put its men at work, in the night,
and laid down its own track upon it, The city
authorities resented the outrage and took the
track up. Then, the Philadelphia monopoly OBJ
tanned preliminary injunction from Court in
that city, and put the matter into litigation,
where it will remain for months, and probably
for years.


This is not all, however. We come, now to
the pith and substance Of this interesting case.
on Thursday last, the Directors Of the Philadel.
phia 4 Reading Railroad Co. met in Philadelphia
and by resolution authorized the President OF
the road to remore their shops and Other tcorIs
a!cay from Reading, i he should deem il best 70
do So


The object Of this action, OF course, is very
plain. 1t is an attempt to intimidate the people
OF Reading, and crush out their disposition to
let the new line have fair chance for trade.
The British corporation threatens them with the
removal Of the shops and the consequent injury
to their general business interests, if they
dare take further action in encouragement
OF the new line. In other words, this
purely selfish and entirely soulless monopoly
t)tally Indifferent Of course to every view Of the
subject, except the dividends to its owners, Las
resolved to bully the s5, 900 people OF Reading
into an alliance with itself for the purpose Of
crushing out a railroad line which would be Of
great advantage to their trade.


What Reading will answer to this London
threat we do not yet know Her people will be
disposed, we should think, to resent it, indig-
nsntly. They should consider all the circum-
stances, The railroad says it will remove it's
shops. Il not this an empty and idle threat /;
They advantage Reading, it is true, but do they
not equally advantage the Railroad Where is
there another location SO good ; How many
hundreds OF thousands Of dollars will it cost to
moye them Where is there any other place SO
entirely convenient for the road, so economical
and so fayorably situated in all respects


Still more, suppose the shops are moved.
some other industrial operation would at once
occupy their place. The railroad company could
not carry away the ground they occupy nor can
it destroy Reading immense natural advantages.
Other manufacturers would be glad to have the
place now covered by the Railroads buildings
and shops. In fact, the only injury the Phila-
delphis corporation can do to Reading is that
upon which it is determined-to crush out the
construction OF competing roads, and maintain
its own monopoly


This Is very interesting struggle. 1t is an
instance where great Railroad corporation
one Of those Giants without soul or conscience
whose encroachmenta in few years more, will
be tie most threatening and dangerous infu
ence in the couu,ry--to awe into submission b,
an act which is at once brutal and cowardly, tn,
dependent judgment Of 35, 900 American peo
pie II it succeeds, the people may well tax,
alarm


ASA PACKERS OPINION OF WILMINGTON


It tolc Is our heart, as well as makes u