Daily national Democrat., 1859-02-12
Dailu NatiOnal Qemotrat.
Steam Navigation Company.

We publish below the communication of a
highly respectable merchant of this city, in
relation to the alleged high prices for freight
charged by the SteamNavigation Company
Whether the evil effects of these charges
upon the business interests of Marysville be
as great as represented, we have no means of
knowing; but it is subject of Legitimate
discussion, as are all matters appertaning to
the prosperity of the city, and our columns
are of course open to the consideration of all
such questions.
As to Mr. Uolmau's bill, fixing the rates of
freight and passage upon the rivers, we are
satisfied, from rather cursory examination
of the subject, that it is not constitutionally
within the power of the Legislature to enact
any such law. After an able discussion of
this question in the State Senate in 1857, a
similar bill to Mr.. Holmans or at least one
having very nearly the same object in view,
was defeated, upon the ground that it was
beyond the province of the Legislature to
interfere with such matters, and, if we are
not much Mistaken an intimation has hereto
fore been thrown out incidentally by the
Supreme Court of this State in the decision
of some case before them, that the Legisa-
ture did not possess the power.
The only way to reach the object contem.
plated by our correspondent, is to place no
dependence whatever upon legislative rene
dies, but to rely wholly upon the spirit of
competition which will naturally arise where
there is field open for its display The
California Steam Navigation Company, how
ever, is so firmly established, that it is very
difficult for any oppo sition company to com
pete with it. But the laws of the State do
not prevent any amount of competition that
may happen to spring up and, while such is
the case, it will not do to say that monopoly
is protected by legislation, or to call upon
the Legislature to put it down. selfsus-
tained monopoly, which really does practice
extorton upon business men, will ultimately
break itself down, and it is the interest of such
monOpoes always to keep within the bounds
of reason in their charges.
But the very best mode of reducing frcights
to their proper standard, from San Francisco
to this city, is now presented in the great en-
terprise which is now on foot, and in full
progress. for the building of the San Francis
co and Marysville Railroad. This is the kind
of competition which it is impossible to crush
out or to buy off. Let the moneyed men of
this city concentrate their energies in this
project, and they will soon have no cause to
complain of exorbitant charges for the trans
portion of their goods and stores from below
Build the Railroad, finish the turnpike from
this city to Downieville, and open ready
communication with the mountain towns, and
all the steamboat monopolies in the world
are powerless against you.
"a Merchant" writes as follows:
II am not able to say if our rivers are or
are not beyond any control of the State of
California, and before our Legislature acts
upon the bill introduced by Mr. Holman
hope legal advice will be taken, for if passed
and afterwards proved to be a nullty, we
would again lose year before proper steps
could be taken in the matter. Something
must surely be done. and, for heavens sake,
let US not be exposed, for another year, to
those shameful tariffs of powerful company
which for many years already have so merci
fully crushed the prosperity af our poor city.
/ do not know if it is within the reach of our
Legislature to give us a helping hand, but
what know is that we cannot stand it any
longer to be squeezed to death by so mighty
and INSCRIPTIONS monopoly.
Several serious companies have already
tried to compete and to reduce the rates of
freight and passage, but the California Steam
Navigation Company in such cases have al
ways spared neither pains nor money in or
der to compel them to stop, and then finished
in buying them up As long as this can be
done with impunity, SO long can [ see no
remedy for the helpless position of our for
.lorn city. We have, it appears, quietly to
submit to from IS to $40 freight per ton for,
having no competition to fear, the company
now takes about all goods by measurement
and charges whatever it pleases and SO. an
intelligent community, whole State even.
in silence but dissatisfied, bows down to the
holy deereeS Of few monopoistsl
A MERCHANT"