376 WALL STREET AND THE WILDS 



the mind of man to conceive of the burdens 

 monopoly would have laid upon the people. 



Transportation, which is the life-blood of com- 

 merce, has been less fortunate. I wasted energy 

 and invited opprobrium when I hammered away 

 at the fact that the people had paid promoters for 

 transcontinental lines down to the last dollar of 

 construction ; that huge bonuses were given in ad- 

 dition; and that finally this property for which 

 the people had paid was presented to monopolists 

 with privateer license to levy tribute upon them. 

 The wrongs of the past must remain unrighted, 

 but they should serve as warnings for the future. 

 Transportation is the people's business and rests 

 on their right of eminent domain. It should be 

 conducted in their sole interest by their own 

 agents. To allow Trusts to exploit it for their 

 own ends and trust to Commerce Commissions 

 or any other device to work out justice for the 

 people is as fantastic as it is foolish. 



My plea that the people's representatives 

 should establish for them oppositions to oppres- 

 sive Trusts was derided as Socialism but it is the 



