Geographic Constraints Quotes
Samuel Langhorne Clemens, 1835-1910. Railroads were vicious monopolies at the time. One technique they used was to build the railroad to the next town. The town would not only prosper by being able to ship its goods and produce back to other towns and cities. Once the town prospered a little, the railroad would extend the line to another town. Then they would raise the rates dramatically for the previous town. If they complained or some farmers or merchants would no longer use the railroad, the railroad would threaten to bypass the town and never stop to pick up and deliver goods. There was no government regulation that said that all towns had to pay the same rate or even a rate that was rationally related to the distance. Often the rate hikes were continued until the town was ruined. The only safety was for the towns or cities at the end where the railroad had to stop there to get cargo from ships or transfer to them. There was no legal requirement for railroads to be fair or reasonable.
