The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1868-04-29


the privileges of navigation by all
water crafts, under the same estab-
+ lished tolls and regulations as those
heretofore adopted by the Board OF
Internal Improvements, except a
/ change is made 10 tolls upon steam
aud other freight and passenger boats.
If the franchises Of the corporation
are so valuable as to call forth COM
petition, why did not the Legislature
allow competition, and apply the pro-
ceeds of the rivalry upon the payment
of the States indebtedness? We are
confident companies could have read
lily been formed who would have been
willing to pay a handsome bonus for
the privileges granted to Judge
PAYNE's Company for noehing. Tbs
IS an item for the consideration of
Kentucky voters.
Judge PAYNE very complacently
admits that his company is a monopo-
ly. He says: " While monopolies
should be restrained, corporations
should be encouraged. AL corpora
tons tend, more or less, to monopo-
lies" Quite a logical Judgel While
We are 70 restrain monOpofes, we are
to encourage corporations because
they tend, more or less, tomonopolies.
We see it clearly.
We do not care to multiply words on
this subject. We will, however, copy
two of the closing paragraphs Of the
Judges communication, from which
our Green River steamboatmen and
merchants generally may see the fate
in reserve for them:
So far as the Company has express
ed its policy, they would not impose
an oppressive rate of tolls If they
could. Their charter Except in tolls
upon steamboats, and freight boats. as
before explained,) prohibits any
greater tolls than were imposed by the
Board Of Internal Improvements.
That clause in the charter they sug-
gestedf themselves, aud would not
have it otherwise.
So far as the stocking of the line
with boats is concerned, 1t is not yet
determined what policy they will
adopt. They may put their own boats
into the line, but il is doubtful. They
do not desire to do that, III other boats
will come in sufficiently to support
and remunerate the line without im-
posing too heavy a rate of freights
upod the people. The Company are
determined that shall not be done,
and to prevent it, if necessary, they
will stock the line with boats wheu-
ever their interest requires 1t; but not
to make a monopoly.
We submit the question to steam
boatmen, whether the change made ia
upon steamboats, and freight
boats-compelling them to pay the
toll for no cargo, as for a fill
load-is not a change so radical in its
nature, as, had it been adopted by the
State previous to the transfer of the
improvements to Judge PAYNE and
his associates, no difficulty in keeping
up the repairs on the works would
have been experienced. To our
the Legislature not only gave
away the works paid for BY the people
for nothing, but coupled with the gift
change in the assessment of tolls,
by which the gift is made of inesti-
value. We Plito agree with
the Judge that he would not change
that clause in the Charter if he could.
We are confident but few months,
the thirty years monopoly, will
passed away before the people
on Green River will begin to realize
the effect Of this change Of tolls aud
he ~control-of all the steamboat in
-erests in that stream by the same
men who have the regulating of the
oils and navigafion