The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1868-10-31
pa;,road Obligations.

Railroads have substituted themselves AoA
..o s,rmer modes of transportation ana ira
vel. They have become q law unto the peopio'
wbo ore compelled to travel upon them anu
employ them to transport their freighfs. ~
The same time, these roads are creatures
the consent Of the people, who' III 49,
rizing their establishment, eontsr .s s us
them valuable privileges. ana 'ne .O
are thus bound, in high moral po.n.
v;ew as we'll rs they are in iaw-as 'heii
.hs~.srs generally show-to sunleo. 'he
noon,e "a no unfair or unjust exacs'on OF
discrimination hurtful to any portion OF the
community, or exposing them TO aiscomi'l'
:aaonvcn;ence wherever it is possible 70
avoid it. The people are entitled 10 equa,
rights and privileges-suck as they en1oyeo
before the introduction of the ROADS, anu
which they in no sense meant to part from
in consenting to their establishment,
Therefore all determinations in tariffs anu
fares are gross outrages of popular r'gh's
and generally Of railroad charters.
Deriving their existence from the puol,'
will, it is the duty of the railroads 70 a'-
vonce the hubble welfare by such policy as
will encourage industry and develops .n'
arr;cnItpral and mineral wealth OF the
country. This is done by low charges OH
products. Where the reduction IN those
charges should cease ia 9 question thae al
intelligent and liberal management may
wisely settle after fair experiment. But l,
NAV be generally asserted that no ra'roda
directory should allooo any article eoh'cN IS
near its line, and a1hich IS capable o.
- ,,is ssaausrted into money, to be loSt J"
to take it to marked Tf rh'sfNese"4y l0eo
ore. for instance, so situated, the charge lot
transporting it to market should be lower
ed until that orc, so to speak, Is Lifted up
out Of the ground and turned into money.
Another clear duty of railroads is to give
facility to commerce and transportation be-
tween communities and towns with perfect
eoualtv and fairness to all. 1t must al
Yays be remembered that these roads are
existing by the consent Of the people-that
they have taken the place of all other me-
dia of transportation-and that it is their
solemn duty to become thorough and I'M
partial oonduits for all that people require
them to convey, from no matter what point
to any other point.
Summed up, the roads of country
should faithfully convey the people and their
freights without odious discriminations-
should extend to all communities and towns
equal rights-should encourage industry
and insure the conversion of all things that
may be converted into money by lowering
the charges for transportation with that
view; and they should give facility to all
freights from and to all places, keeping &C.
counts with one another, and settling
freights amongst themselves. These are
plain and simple duties. They grow out of
the relations of roads to the public, and are
demanded by justice and wise policy as well
with regard to their own interests as those
Of the public.
There is great deal of narrowneSs and
olosefstedness in railroad policy in this
country. In what respect the faithful dis
charge of the duties above recited can
injure the railroads we are unable to
imagine. Yet these duties are far from
being respected or carried out. Whatever
ministers to the public comfort or convent
ence in railroad accommodations tends to
increase the uses of railroads, and, per
consequence, their revenues. Take the
policy of lowering freights to prevent the
utter loss of articles near railroad-eyen
though the road makes nothing upon that
particular article, by its sale its owner is
benefited he is enabled to buy what he
otherwise would not, and that becomes
freight for the road; he is enabled to travel
source, and he pays more fare. Only null
tiply the number circumstanced as he is,
and you have an increase Of business and
revenue to q road we may say made out Of
nothing, as it were-at least, what had been
nothing but for its wise policy. Suppose that
the article be an ore in the ground: its
development will draw together number
of people, who will form town or towns,
creating in innumerable ways business for
the road. 1t may carry the ore for nothing,
and yet be receiving an immense revenue
from the going and coming, and the wants
of those engaged in working it.
A railroad company may be likened to a
great landed proprietor-the jewellers upon
its line Of road ore it's tenants. Every mea-
sure which encourages the industry Of tho
tenants, and increases the variety and the
quantity Of their products, enures to the
benefit of the landlord. 1t increases
freights; it increases travel-it multiplies
them not only by the increased products
and means of the original tenants, but by
the consequential increase of population,
and the multiplied production which that
ensures. And the company has forever a
percentum of income from the increased
and steadily increasing resources of Its
tenants. So that wise and liberal policy
Of railroad company hath the quality Of
mercy-it blesseth the giyer and the re-
ceiver; and no benefits conferred, that We
know of, yield such rich return to the party
that confers them.