The Athens post. [volume] (Athens, Tenn.) 1848-1917, 1858-07-02
RAILROAD FARES AND FREIGHTS.

Our respected contemporary of the Knox
vile Southern Citizen takes strange view
of the policy which should govern the con-
duct Of Railroads. 1t is opposed TO the dis
termination which is usually made in favor of
through fares over local fares, and thinks it
unjust to those who make the roads to have
TO pay more for travelling over them than
penilemen living al n distance and who never
contributed one cent to the enterprise. In
other words, the Citizen thinks il wrong that
citizen of Knoxville should be made TO
paw four cents per mile to ride to Jonesboro',
while the citizen Of New York or New Or
leans should be made TO pay only three cents
per mile.
Now, il seems 10 us that there is nothing
wrong in such policy, and moreover that it
is founded on justice and reason, and war
ranted by universal custom. II Livery
stable man hire you buggy and horse for
one hour, he will charge you one dollar. If
he hire it for a day, he will charge you three
dollars. Now there is no sort of proportion
in these charges, but there is nothing wrong
in them. II Lynchburg merchant sell a
Knoxville merchant fifty bags Of coffee, he
can afford to place his charge at much
lower figure than when he SCI Is citizen Of
Lynchburg single bag. The retail man,
therefore, has just as much right TO complain
Of the reduction of prices by the Wholesale
merchant as local traveller on railroad
has to complain Of the reduced charge on
through passengers. A man who travels
only ten or fifty miles can afford to pay n
higher rate Of fare than the man who travels
1000 or 1900 miles. Local travellers and
local freights are more trouble ard expense
than through travel or through ireights.-
Through travel and freghts require no stop
pages and delays, and no agents and depots
except at two points on each road But local
travel and freights require depots and stop
pages al every interval Of or 10 miles.
Not only is there no injustice in this sys-
TEN Of Observation-Disclosures only is it found
ed on universal custom and unquestonable
proprety-but il is absolutely essential to
the best interests and success of our great
railroad line. There are three leading lines
Of communication from New Orleans to New
York-a Southern Northern and Middle
route. The travel between these two points
and their environs, amount TO mllors of
d,,llaro Onlt
cy of the Citizen be adopted, and through
travellers be made to pay at the same rate for
fifteen hundred miles that citizen of Knox
vile or Lynchburg is made to pay for riding
ten miles, what would be the result? Why,
clearly 10 drive all the through travel exclu-
sively TO the other routes, and thus occasion
loss TO our railroads of thousands upon
thousands of dollars! There is no eyadng
this point. The through travel is almost
clear gain TO railroads To carry fifty
through passengers from Knoxville to Bris-
FOL, and from Bristolto Lynehburgh, will not
add twenty dollars additional 10 the cost Of
The trip. 1t requires no more agents, no
more hands, no more stoppages, and but lit
tie If any more fuel, wear and tear of ma.
chinery. When, therefore, you shall drive
off through travel you drive off by far the
most profitable part of n railroads business.
That the system recommended by the Citi-
zen would have this result cannot be ques-
toned for one moment 1t is 1862 miles
from New Orleans TO New York, which Mt 4
cents per mile, would make the fare of sim
gle passenger sos %. Iii now only $4s.
The difference would necessarily drive every
through passengers to one Of the other
routes, and the consequence would be loss
to our railroads of thousands of dollars per
annum.