Bedford inquirer. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1857-1884, 1867-12-20

/ some steps be taken in the direction Of pur-
/ chasing the railroads for the good Of the
state. This very evening the 3l-t Of No
1 vember. he is 10 present his views to the
Social Science Association, now in session
/ near US In a pamphlet on this question
/ Dir. Quincy has stated some Of the system
/ be tavoTs. He says -
''W hat might BE- the advantage of govern
/ ment management of RAILWAYS IS shown not
! ONLY IN the canal system of New York but
/ even more strikineig IN the Post office ar
+ rlHEeulents Of England and this country
! The Post Otiee conveys our letters on one
/ system bY government management; the
rdl way companies our persons On one totally
/ oltteEent The first is conducted primarily
I for the public good, and incideutly for profit
4 The second exclusively for the benefit Of the
managers and stockholders 10 the corpora
! tons. By the one / can send look from
I here TO San Francisco for four cents BY
/ the other | cannot send the same from here
% New York for less than fifty. II | am
gfissati>i5ed % flse0Bs case, [ can apply TO a
man whose interest II is to see every abuse
at once corrected. To the other, at best
am sent from one employee to another, until
trouble and yexafion make me submit TO i'm
! position.
The telegraph system in Switzerland IS
/ full of suggestions on this kindred subject
( Thar country IS covered with a network Of
! telegraph wires and the whole is under the
control OF the Federal Government The
| charge Is twenty cents for twenty words,
/ forty for fifty, sixty for one hundred; and
the Government has resolved, after the first
| OF January, 1865, to reduce the charges fifty
| per cent, when a despatch can be sent 10
any paFt Of the country for half a cent a
word. Let our merchants, who would pay
FIVE dollars aud FIVE cents for sending a
hundred words 10 Washington. mediate on
the difference between the Government
management in Switzerland and our private
monopolies
We see nothing bur good resulting from
this movement, In which Mr.. Quincy has 50
prominent place Whatever may be the
decision of the public, after a full eXamina
tiau ot the subject, there Is no doubt that
di-cUSsie2 of the Uses and abuses Of railroads
wIll be great public benefit
st present they are practically beyond
our control and may be well managed drill,
Bithout the public being able to protect it.
self from injury, or to share 10 the good re-
suits. \ few persons generally coutrive 20
direct all the operations Of railroad some
times for their own personal benefit, some.
sometimes for both, as may be the case with
the late extraordinary proceedings IN regard
20 the New ork and Erie and Hartford and
Erie Railroads We hear further ruuors Of
a possible combination Of the Erie and Cen
trai Roads 70 keep up or increase the rates
Of freight Very likely they have no ioun
catlou, bat the possibility 0t such combiua-
tIonS, and the nature Of the monopoly that
would result from them, should put US 90
our guard. IL may not be best for the State
to own It's railroads; bat in some way il
should have the means of regulating Them
aud making them serve the general interests
Of the peOpIe For this reason we welcome
Mr. Quincy crusade against The czi~ti,.s
system. without knowing exactly what ought
to take its place.-N. J. Ld.psgrleRt
TIE TERR0Rs or BAsHFULNESs If
there Is any defect more striking than an
other Ia the American character, 1t Is bash
fulnass Young America, IN particular, Is
painfully affected by II. An incident is
mentioned by correspondent, who was de-
sired hg his aunt 10 go to neiEhbOr Shaw
and see If be- had for sale any straw suitable
tog filing beds Mr. Shas says our in
isTmaut was blessed with g15dly mum
Der of ali-zss Shaw. and / therefore falt
little timil al gncouuteriny then. To make
the matter worse, l arrived just as the family
were seated for dinner Stopping at the
doorway hat 10 hand, : -tammerd ont.
AIr. Straw, can y1U spare enough Shaw
% ti.i q couple OF beds?
"Wen, replied the old gentleman, CLAN
cling around his large family, and enjoying
my mistake I don know but / can, how
many Bll. you need2
Before | could recover, those hateful
shaw girls burstinto chorus of laughter.
and [ returned 20 my excellent aunt