事业 · 创业者自述
P.T. 巴纳姆：奋斗与胜利·补录 638
P.T. 巴纳姆《奋斗与胜利》· Struggles and Triumphs · 领导
But the great struggle which lasted nearly through the entire session was upon the subject of railroad passenger commutations. Commodore Vanderbilt had secured control of the Hudson River and Harlem railroads, and had increased the price of commuters’ tickets from two hundred to four hundred per cent. Many men living on the line of these roads at distances of from ten to fifty miles from New York, had built fine residences in the country, on the strength of cheap transit to and from the city, and were compelled to submit to the extortion. Commodore Vanderbilt was a large shareholder in the New York and New Haven road; indeed, subsequent elections showed that he had a controlling interest, and it seemed evident to me that the same practice would be put in operation on the New Haven Railroad, that commuters were groaning under on the two other roads. I enlisted as many as I could in an effort to strangle this outrage before it became too strong to grapple with. Several lawyers in the Assembly had promised me their aid, but long before the final struggle came, every lawyer except one in that body was enlisted in favor of the railroads!
出处：
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/50115
定位：Additional excerpt 638 · 核对日期：2026-10-19 · 核验：短摘录
白话
巴纳姆在州议会遇到一场硬仗：范德比尔特控制了哈德逊河和哈莱姆铁路，把通勤票价涨了两到四倍，住在郊区的居民因为便宜交通才安家，现在只能忍痛挨宰。巴纳姆担心新港铁路也会照做，于是联合议员想提前制止。可到了关键时刻，除了一个律师，所有律师议员都站到了铁路公司那边。这说明利益集团会用法律和游说把不公平变成合法，普通人若不提前组织、不盯紧立法过程，等涨价成定局就来不及了。
上下文
巴纳姆是美国19世纪马戏团大亨，晚年写自传《奋斗与胜利》，记录他任康涅狄格州议员时反对铁路垄断的经历。
今日一问
你身边有没有看似“合法”的涨价或收费，其实是垄断者在立法环节提前布局？
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