, 1866-12-28

TBE QUESTION OF RAILWAY
CNAE4ENH


and merchants Of Illinois to force the railway
companies 10 reduce their Freight and pas
eenger tariffs very materially, Is evidently
becoming fixed and settled purpose From
now until nett corn planting, little else will
be thought Of or talked about In the rural
districts except the question Of cheareuius
the transportation Of property and persons.
In no State Of the Union do the people dis
cns public affairs 80 boldly and radically -
IN Illinois. And now that they hare
disposed Of National politics so decisirely,
they art turning their attention to State
affairs with yisos that means business. The
Legislature will be IN session in few days,
and Is composed Of members generally se-
1ected With direct reference to the question
cf railroad charges, and supposed to be proof
against pecnnfA5y temptations that may be
offered by lobby agents of tho com
panics. And It Is very evident that the pco-
pie have resolved to test the question Of the
right of the State Government TO prescribe
limits to the tariffs that raIlwnys and Express
Companies may charge.
The meeting held At Morris on Wednesday,
WAS the opening gun Of the campaign. It
"as attended BY numerous delegates from
the counties Of Henry, Bureau, Lasallc, Lfv-
lngston, Kendall. VIII, kaukakee and
Grundy-eighi counties. After general dis.
cussion Of the questions before The meeting,
serdes Of resolutions were unanimously
adopted, one Of which reads as follows:
J. Ihat We urge upon our Legislature. at Its
Coming seseion. to provide BY law i Me1ItAu,a
.se IL. e. l. oa t aet@ a I'D ID az y
rkoy1ds aeaiast atbirar! discrimination In ali
such charges tor Or scainst diaerent poiats on
u same lines also, TO provide acafnst 'h- cog
fohdAlidu of conlpcGhg lines; also tp dx the
Eas1t19nm rate or charges tor express comp1nic.,
S,a;e. - '''As
1t is very easy to ask the Legislature to
pass law restricting railway aud express
charges, but it is quite another thug to
frame bill which will stand the legal tests
OF the Courts. The Convention acting on
the suggestion contained In the letter Of the
Hon- +. Is. " "ashburne, proposed the follow
lng mode OF getting around the difficulty:
-. lhAt VIC call upon the Legislature Of the
Stais TO Esarfno mo1c railroad chsr'esa without
I1esehta, hut 20 adopt such measures i viii cs-
t9fse ne right o. ne people 10 use, the public
tnishEays on tulr terms Among the measures
prosid,ng thai all Ghe ,aout<s collected raiIrssd
se,zsosHttons 9rtT fair naor!nn6a ssou be
4G1 0fs he fr0slcsktt " Futd c05s10}1fiHS IN be
cos!erftd 1ad raid info III. S.ctt 1ftasury
This certainly Is very adnolt aud sngeni-
ous proposition, aud may t'hold wa1cr.'.
suppose, for Instance, tlnt the Legislature
OF Illinois should pass 1aw taxing the rail-
ways OF the State on their frauclises. SUN
equal to their Passenger rcc.Ipls over two
cents per mile, and On their freight receipts
a sUna equal to *'three" cents per ton per
mile, Wonld ench lAE be constitutional =
Have the rnilway companies, As commun
carriers, doing business under special CHAR
tcrs IN the nature OF gifts from The State, the
absolute right to e1act whatever SIM they
please fos conveying the property aud per-
sons Of the clttzens! Can the people, acting
through their Legislature, place any rcatric-
lions Upon them: Il the railroad charters
arc contrncts with the State, what cousidc-
ration docs the State or The people receive
Tor granting such extraordinary privilege ~
the right to Charge without limit, and act
without regulation by Law! Can it be pos.
siblc that tile Legislature ever intended to
Frnnt, or the people to sanction SPECIAL
privileges 50 dangerous to the public 4ool .
Tan any contract be enforced, wuIch Is 1n9uI,
fcstly Injurious to the public welGar.s
It mug be laid down as 4 sound tnaxin,
that "hen any service of great public utility
Is performed BY chartcrcl cn,n1aart
which is not fairly susceptible Of fsre CON
petition ike orli1ary occusatious, til. pab
Lie good impczatirely requires that a1i.e
the charges for such Service ktMf not De Eef
10 Ae a.;&h di>eyzfion or un6YialeI asIriee O,
tie corporation. And We deny tha; aug LcEis
1aturc has the constitutional authority t.
surrender or bargain away the iualica,ble
right of tho people to an cqual voice In de-
tesnining What compensation chartered
company shall be allowed to take aud rccc,ve
tos Its services under said franchise. WeAold
that the people naay by law, limit the 1ns xxi
Inulu WHICH only chartered CON E;unIcs may
cha'Ec, and VT also hold that such cumpsu,
ts III liberty to refuse to operate, under .heil
franclhc, tor the rates prescribed, Il dscus;
Inadequate In other woran, the rights o
encli eide, corporation and people, asc e.tua
lu the ina:ter Of deter1niui1:. compensation
for services And as In all SUCH cases, til
people will never refuse 10 pay Gate au
Just price, 20 the privileged body shontd no
bcT ermitted 10 cxto:t m unjust price
We are firmly convinced that tue tailwa
companies are acting In their oun light i.
maintaining their present ratcs for frclsh
and Passenger transportation. We hc1i.v
that Il they charged half as much the
would make moro money In the long rur
A reduction ia tleir tariffs Of fifty per cen
would enormously stimulate production au
Travelling fcnp1c Will travel in the c3ues
Ola year, moro than twice as many mics u
two cents as at four cents per mile; an
rast numbers Of persons will use the CARS
eAcap lates. who would not sci f1.,
inside Of them at dear rate:
Suppose the Chicago lortc railways charge
ftn cents instead Of tfre cents, would q
nany rci sons rides Or coursc not. Woul
halfns many! No, not onc-qnartcr Of III
pIcscn; number. A peEson can tsayrl thrs
Miles on car propelled By horse power 70
i've cents, while on car propelled hy eteas
the same dlstanccft IT costs twelve to flflcc
elnts, THIS Isl bluudrr on The plrt OF tn
railway managers and an imposition IN tn
public. How much better It would lr for
locomotive tc drag five coaches, with fit,
neteons in each, ut a cent md q half per mile
than to move With two coaches, with twcu
ty-tyc Passengers IN each. In tho forne
case the company would receirc s3.15 pc
milk. ard IN the latter Int s,.09 re
nli'e for the distance the train moved .Aut
this in all Likelihood would be the result o
.ne adoption Of fifteen mills per mile in plac,
..lorty mills now charged. Bat il the re
celIts from the low rate xerc even somewhat
!ees than IRON the high rate, VIC hold that i
is the duty ofthe company ia carry for tn
low rate- Tho community, who patronlz
the rnlways, hAye rights na we'll ~ con
porations- II the latter have the right t
lake money. the people have an equal t1sh
to save money. II tha y~sl~sys lusls. q
charging what they please, the people ms
also iEsist on only giving what they please
The people have exactly NJ much moral
and VIC believe, legal right, 10 oblise rail
waya TO perform services for iess than it l
worth, as the railways have to e8tort iron
the public more than the service Is worth
The people woufd be no more In the wron,
IN naiutaining that raiaways have no right
Which they are bound to respect, than IL
the railways to hold the converse OF tn.
proposition. The citizens are Just As nuc
entitled 10 protection against railway cxto,
tion IS the latter Is a!ga1nst popular opprc.
sion. But justice and equity lies mid. wa
;'etwccn those extremes. Without the rail
roads tho interests Of the people would b
greatly injured and incommoded. W,.hou
the patronage Of the people the car
ital invested ID the railroads woui
Ee worth only y bat the rails would sell "a
s.s old iron and the ties fetch for drc wood
minus the expense Of hauItng them away
The people once Tired without railEays aa
could do SO aesin. although 1t would be yer
incon7cuicnt; but the railroads could not exis
without the people. The people are there
fore paramount TO those corporations. I
adjusting and determining scale Of compc,
fatlou for transportation services the In
tercsts OF the people should be considered q
wcn Is those OF the railway companies. I'll
prevailing rnlc il, 10. perform the least scrfic
fdr the most money. II should be set aside a