370 Meyer—Early Railroad Legislation in Wisconsin. 
legislation has been as great in the new states, possessing very 
little capital, with very few rich men, and very few rich corpora¬ 
tions present to influence it, as in the same states when they have 
grown older and richer and when those influences have become 
stronger. ” Then follows a discussion of the taxes which have been 
levied on railroads, and various lessons are drawn from the 
railroad history of New York. " The committee have arisen 
from their investigations with new courage. ” 
In a similar manner I shall try to present the main points of 
the "minority ” report. (1) The avowed object of consolidation 
is to destroy competition and raise the rates. This will injure 
the business and farming interests. As shown by a variety of 
statistics the committee believes the rates to the Mississippi to 
be excessive. (2) The prospects of this consolidation have led 
to announcements in eastern papers that these roads would con¬ 
trol the business, be secure against competition, and hence be 
able to pay dividends. (3) Wisconsin would be taxed for high 
interest on watered stock. If consolidated at only twenty-eight 
thousand dollars per mile, Wall street would realize over ten 
millions; but the aim is forty thousand per mile, which will put 
into the pockets of the consolidationists twenty millions of dol¬ 
lars. (4) This monopoly would be the Camden and Amboy of 
the northwest. " It would control the legislation, overawe the 
courts, override the constitution when and as it pleased, and 
hold every public man at its mercy, from the governor down to 
county officers. ” (5) The consolidated road would not be owned 
by Wisconsin people. (6) "Both the undersigned (J. A. Noonan 
and J. D. Colver) were sent to Madison last winter, by the Mil¬ 
waukee Chamber of Commerce, to defeat the consolidation of the 
Chicago and Northwestern Railroad and the Racine and Missis¬ 
sippi Railroad. This was before it had been known that the 
bill repealing the consolidation act was stolen. If consolidation 
was bad then, how can it be good now." (7) Robert J. Walker 
projected the consolidation scheme fifteen years before; Macy and 
Ogden (railroad men) favored it. These men have interests in 
Chicago. " It is not our desire, if it is within our province, to 
call up the past railroad history of Milwaukee with its bitter 
and humiliating memories. Its generous and confiding citizens 
