The following weighty article was written by Friedrich Hecker in the sick room to which he unfortunately is still confined, and where he now studies the question of the Railroad Monopolies:

Production, exchange, trade and traffic are already the slaves of this monopoly. Due to the millions with which these modern "Princes Taxis" can buy advocates, legislatures, and newspapers the subjugation proceeds quietly with a giant's steps. Soon they will command national politics, too, and it is time that the press unceasingly raises the hue and cry, so as to move public opinion to take hold of the matter in all seriousness.

The question of these monopolies is much more important than all the endless gossip about the good and the bad qualities of this or that candidate for an office.

The question is all the more difficult as the taking over the railroads by the United States would open the doors to centralization and bureaucratic power. Yet it is undeniable that such a centralization in the hands of powerful combinations already exists, and that men like Sickles, Vanderbilt, Carpenter and others, hold a royal and more than royal power..

To emphasize only one point and to show the public how it is being cheated: The highest freight rates are charged for the short distances. That is to say, the transport to the nearest market is most weighted down by the monopolists. The producer gets less for his products and the consumer, in the big cities, pays excessive, yes, real starvation prices. The difference between the product and the consumption fills the pockets of the railroad prices.