80 HISTORY OF THE GRANGE MOVEMENT; OR, 



solidation, so far, was perfect, and had taken place 

 under a State law and within State limits. Growth, 

 however, did not stop here ; the combinations of capital 

 simply adapted themselves to the forms of a political 

 system. Beyond the limits of New York, the corpora- 

 tion held, in the eye of the law, no property; it did not 

 control a mile of track. At Buffalo, however, the Cen- 

 tral connected with another company, itself made up 

 of four separate primal links which had once connected 

 Buffalo with Chicago, and which had united in obedi- 

 ence to the same law of development which had built 

 up the Central. West of Chicago came yet other links 

 in the trans-continental chain. Three lines competed 

 to fill the gap which lay between Chicago and the east- 

 ern terminus of the Pacific road, the Northwestern, 

 the Rock Island, and the Burlington & Missouri. In 

 the autumn of 1869, the consolidation of the Central 

 and the Hudson River took place. Immediately after- 

 wards, at the annual election of the Lake Shore & 

 Michigan Southern, the Vanderbilt interest took open 

 possession of that corporation, controlling a majority 

 of its stock. In May, 1870, it in like maun or assumed 

 control of the Rock Island and Chicago & Northwestern. 

 The same parties in interest were now practically the 

 owners of a connected line of road from New York to 

 Omaha ; there was no consolidation as yet, but, so far 

 as the public and competing roads were concerned, the 

 close of 1870 found the six parties, which but a short 

 time before had been in possession of the trans-conti- 

 nental thoroughfare, reduced to three. Without taking 

 into consideration the immense influence which their 

 position necessarily gave to them over other and less 

 powerful members of the railroad system, here was a 



