40 UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO STUDIES 



the field, the railway manager could not fail to see that the interest of 

 his company would not be advanced by his staying in the markets as 

 a commercial trader and antagonizing the patrons of his road. 1 The 

 difficulty with the situation in 1885 was the monopoly of the business 

 by the railroads and their affiliated dealers so that private capital was 

 discouraged from going into the business. As a result of this situation, 

 the high price of this most essential commodity had a depressing effect 

 on the minds of those persons who were considering the establishment 

 of new manufacturing plants in the state. 



1 Report of the Railroad Commissioner, p. 66, 1885. 



