As these studies progressed, the writer became more and more convinced that the heart of the railroad problem lies in the question of impartial treatment of shippers. The chief complaint against our railroads is not that the rates as a whole are unreasonable, but that favoritism is shown for large shippers or special interests having control of railways or a special pull with the management. This book consists, in the main, of the broad study of railway favoritism, which was made as a basis for the generalizations outlined in the brief chapter on that subject in “The Railways, the Trusts, and the People,”—one of the thirty chapters of that book. This study reveals the facts in reference to railway favoritism or unjust discrimination from the beginning of our railway history to the present time, discloses the motives and causes of discrimination, discusses various remedies that have been proposed, and gathers hints from the railway systems of other countries to clarify and develop the conclusions indicated by our own railroad history. Special acknowledgments are due to Dr. Taylor, who paid a part of the cost of the special investigations on which the book is based and has taken a keen interest in the progress of the work from its inception, and also to Mr. Ralph Albertson, who has worked almost constantly with the writer for the past eight months and more or less for two years before that, and has rendered great assistance in research, in consultation and criticism, and in the checking and revision of proof. FRANK PARSONS. BOSTON, March, 1906. CONTENTS