The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1866-10-09

.s..ss.s.s; :, - - " 80
ruESDAf........,...o cTosrR 1. :. Uses.
.TSS Railroad Agitation.
Il i : matter Of consrasslatioa b The
neouis u the Stxts that the railroad agits-
t;oo witch has excited % much local and
personal feeling has unveiled fully the cri-
mipal par&ialitiss Of the railroad freight
tariff. By which the trade Of Virginia and
the enterpriss 1t her own citizens hare
been 90 materially prejudiced. We inns
zine that had there not been sharp COM
petitors In The Geld for the freight brought
to Lynchbuss, this exposure never would
have taken plsce. Had the Orange aud
AlexsSdvia railroad been the only rsilroad
from that town, or bad the Southside been
the only one, we should not have heard any
complaint, and there probably would have
been 70 disposition TO upset matters and
hold up discriminating tariffs to public
censure.
But the reciprocal impinging and cutting
into freiehts and travel by the adverse
lines could not b quietly endured, and vi
have tho development % useful to the
State, Il the remedy proposed one that
viii cure the evil Of determinations and
partialisiss which has grown up under the
"syaen,n o. rather "no system" which
has prevailed In The past |! Can the sim
pie placing 4 one man over three rail-
roads do III Are there any regulations
Of . well-understood and established cha
racter to take effect upon the management
of the iine thus combined under one indi-
neutrality-suspicious. not to be set aside at
any moment by the combination or the in
dividual Ut the head Of it--that would pro-
tect all alike and make all equal? None
have been made known, and there is no
law establishing such. The ipse dirt Of
the combination or its head is all the
guarantee We have.
But II such regulations be practicable,
and efficaciously 50, by voluntary arrange
ment of the corporations, are they not
equally practicable under the separate
boards and presidents Of the different cor
porations The beautiful reciprocity and
equal tariffs of the English roads, quoted by
those advocating the erpediency Of placing
one man oUer the ,ohols line from Norfolk to
Bristol, prove that they are; for in Great
Britain the corporations working thus har-
moniously have their separate presidents.
But further, is not this distinct organization
essential1o the protection Of the commu-
nifty from partialities which may, and very
naturally, originate under the "one-man'"
powcri
There are great many questions in
yolved in this agitation which columns
would be necessary to discuss. The policy
of running competition SO far-reaching,
at such rates that it might be apprehended
that the more freights the worse for the
railroads that carried them, is matter
altogether debateable. 1t may be poor
compensation lin after times that the
local freights now so ruinously discrimina-
ted against may find broken down railroads
alone for their accommodation. For it is
not probable that the Orange and Alexan-
dria and the Southside railroads could long
hold out at the cut-throat competition with
which they warred upon each other! Let
no one suppose that the printed tariffs were
the true records Of the rates charged by
these roads. Is it not known that agents
of each were undertaking each other
and all other competitors in the northern
cities9 Have we any assurance that under
the Zone IMAM" power these departures
from tariffs, and indeed from any regula-
tons whatever, would not take place!
We cannot but deplore the personal
issues and the local jealousies which the
agitation has excited. They are not favor
able to . fair understanding and decision
of the questions involved. Nor can we
discredit Altogether the charges of deep
pecunisry interests at stake upon the re-
suit and the temptation to employ extra
ordinary exertions, il not means, to bias
that decision. Freed from the personal
issue-freed from the idea of the tone
man" control Of the whole line through
the State-the question would have been
simple and the decision unanimous. All
would have demanded, all conceded the
equality Of benefits aud facilities in the
uses Of railroads, and the Legislature
would promptly have co6perated with the
railroads and people in passing necessary
laws to enforce them. Thus the agitation
might have been avoided. But the placing
Of General MALONE over the three railroads
will b only the begianing Of agitation. All
such cases whore, BY the vote Of the State,
tho almost unanimous voice Of the private
stockholders il stiAed, are only the
signal for the agitation for the undoipg
Of what Il 10 that way done. There would
be agitation among the stockholders,
agitation IN tho Legislature to "turn out "
and lsput Inn officers In the basement
story who, with the Governor, constitute
tho Board. Tie effort 70 revive the Board
elected by the people, even II successful,