Show THE RAILROAD COMBINE I 1 is a cloud much kiich larger than a mans hand band gradually looming up over the eastern horizon and unless dissipated by some means at present unknown andua and unlocked looked tor for it threatens i to overcast the commercial sky of the whole country this is the proposed combine of the principal among the great railways whose lines pr or interests converge at or surrounding chicago whereby they will become practically one company and to the extent of con crollin trolling passenger and freight tariffs aim to be e altogether and incontestably supreme it Is useless to point out the consequences to the public of such an arrangement to do so NO would be to labor to show that union u joyl is strength whether the same be for proper or improper purposes it is well enough understood that as against any scheme byo eans of which railroads or other cimmon carriers between the state exercises greater power in the matter of charges changes than pertains to individual enterprises standing on their own merits tile the later state commerce law stands as an insurmountable barrier but capital ever on the alert and always able to procure r acure from without such ability as rt t has not within is not prone to stopping at such age ments as hostile legislation and where unsatisfactory enactments cannot be set aside a path must be made around them with such an object in v rhew view a number of the magnates have recently antly been engaging in a confidential conference whose object was and is rendering so much of the interstate inter state law as conflicts with their interests nugatory sot not directly by overturning in the courts but indirectly by observing the letter and avoiding th tae spirit it if we cant pool interests they say in effect we can form a trust as other business siness enterprises are permitted to do and thus by acting as one company the law will not reach our acts for surely we can do as we please with what belongs to us when there is no competition we thus become became one and merely divide our earnings in proportion prep to our respective investments in the trust frost I 1 we do not pool but under another name we accomplish the same results this scheme is entitled to consideration as being ingenious it il it have no other merit Ac according accordia cordin to our dispatches the territory to te be covered by by this colossal system does not extend to utah that is geographically but for all practical purposes it might as well for reaching to colored colorado it necessarily iv takes in all our oar eastern traffic and like the protective tariff the enhanced rates will be ad ded to 11 f freights transmitted outside the cirel circle le and this will have to be met the same as though it were exacted here first handed if freight comes up to our region bearing the enhanced tariff which has been imposed ased by the transmission beyond it ft it is scarcely probable that the carriers in the intermediate scope of country could or would charge less in order that the cost to the shipper would not be advanced on the contrary they would be more likely to act in sympathy with their connections if any change were made at all so that in any event the territories territories olies gene generally rally and this one particularly will be decidedly in for it I 1 the claim seems to be put forward that the railroads must do something to protect themselves yes thus conveying the idea that they are not prosperous to those who are even tolerably informed and ordinarily watchful such claims tire are very diaphanous and instead ot of eliciting sympathy and etab lishing justification as it is of et course intended they should will be more likely to inspire a f feeling of increasing and more determined opposition all railroads are arc paying dayios enterprises enterprise a they have in many instances been paying so much that legislation has baa been invoked many limes times to ca curtail artall thir their gains to a limit corresponding with the primal and paramount idea of business quality equality the interstate inter state law is riot cot the ite first blow they have received by a great reat many but it is the first in the direction of regulating traffic between states its object was not the oppression of legitimate enterprise but the protection of those who nave to tribute to enterprises it and all similar legislation has been based upon the broad principle of equal rights to all sides most of the roads have had bad assistance of one kind or another in abe shape of gifts of land bonuses of various kinds or favorable legislation all of which came from the keople and they alad depend upon those from whom these favors ave been received for their it would thus appear that their prapee prope office is that of servants ra her har thana ili asters and it was lor for the purpose of restraining their tendency in the direction of the latter that the su supreme law mak ing power interposed and aad called a halt and the present attempt to evade its regulations will probably be met with some kind ot of carga umed opposition prompt aud decisive the cocat companies have not shown much of such a tendency as that recorded above on the contrary they are generally lair fair and considerate |