The Placer herald., 1868-02-22
FREIGHT AND FARES,

not. nor does R,bert's bill demand enough.
Justice between The people who pay for the
road and the men that run it would reduce
| the rates 'wo'th.rds instead Of one.
! The bill introduced by Senator Roberts,
OF Nevada, on the 18th instant, regulating
fares and freights on the Central Paci6a
Railroad, bears upon its face the proofs Of
much study and industry in preparation, and
ed in the premises. 1t provides, among
other things, for second'class passenger cars
"a provision that would not be insppIicabe
to every railway now 10 operation or to he
built in this State-ths charges for fares on
such cars to be but twodhirds Of the charges
on frstrlass cars. I, slso divides the road
into two divisions, the first including all
parts Of the line not over four thousand feet
above sea level, the second all parts over
that altitude Each passenger train 10 re-
quired TO run second-class passenger car,
and each passenger is allowed seventy five
pounds of baggage free. The rates Of fare.
in frst.class cars, 10 the altitude Of four
thousand feet-two miles above Alta-ars
to be six cents per mile; freigh. per ton
over the same part Of the road, nine cents
per mile; ra,es Of fare from the altitude Of
four thousand feet and upwards, seven and a
half cents per mile; Of freight twelve cents
per ton per mile. Ibs present rate Of fare is
ten cents per mile, nodis,incton being made
in favor Of the valley end Of the road. The
distance from this place 10 the summit is
l07 miles, so that the passenger charge
hence TO the summit by present rates is
$40 10. BY Senator Roberts bill the fare
from here to Alta will be "a 20; from Alta
t" the summit-37 mlss-$2 II 10; total,
SC 81 l-2, or, say 81. The proposed re.
duction. then, is about l34 l-2 per cent. Of
the charges now elscted. The reduction
proposed for fr.ighls is about the same.
We are satisfied that these rates are low
enough for the present, and probably a. low
as could be carried 10 either house Of the
Legislature. What i, fair and right must
often yield to what is practicable.
OF course the aspiring company will resist
this or any other bill Of reductions We al
ready detect their finger marks 10 several
public journals. intima!ing purpose Of re-
si.iance on grounds legal and constitutional.
Que Of these journals in lengthy editorial,
evidently dictated from besdquarters. with
cool effrontry contend. that the Legislature
has no legal right whatever to raise the
tariff either for passengers or freight. be-
cause Congress. by The Act creating this
corporation, "may reduce the RATES, it un
reasonable, and fix ano establish the same by
law" This by no means restricts CaIifor.
MIA from taking the initiative. The wording
of the Act, Congress may" ETC., very
clearly implies that The provision was insert'
ed as a safeguard against the corruption and
tyranny SO often practiced by heavy cor
porations upon the States, to be Iesor'ed 10
ouIy in the event that The State Legislature
shall have eucrumbed to the seductions Of
The corporation. If when, in 1864. the Act
guaran eeiug the interest Of twelve millions
Of he bonds Of the Central Pacific, a. seven
per cent, per year for twenty years, was pas'
sed, they had put forth such an Argument "a
this, does any one for a moment believe the
State would have consented TO give away
this vast sum-$l6 800, ,000-wi'hout re.
serving to itself the power to limit the
avarice cf the corporation for tho public
goodl No man is simple enough to assert
il; and the proposition now made TO GO
back. on illegal" grounds. on the implied
contract then entered into with the State.
only serves 10 awaken the people TO tho bad
faith which accompanies the avaiice and lust
OF power exhibited by this corporation. To
asser. that this great highway was made as
mere military road is frivious and substan-
tally untrue. The military character was
given to the road only to satisfy constitution
al scruples on the part Of many members OF
Congress as to the power Of the General
Government TO subsidize any other sort OF
highway for commerce to hasten the deveI'
opment of the remote and uninhalited parts
of the Union; and this WAS why California
and several counties of the State gave 40
literally. Tho arguments Of the COMPANY
were then all directed 10 this one point-de-
velop,pent Of our resources by cbespening
and quickening transpor'icns.
The Central Pacific take quite too much
credit to themselves for what they have dore.
We admit they have made good road over
ground that five years ago set med impract'.
cable but that is more the result OF bold
American engineering and liberal State, ma
tona1 and local bensfaclons than OF this
company's public spirit. What will the
road have cost them when il is completed
Not one dollar-at least after the expiration
Of twenty years from the date Of its begin.
ming, when all its grants shall have been re-
allied. Indeed. we are Of opinion that at
much lower rates Of fare than are proposed
by this Senate bill, they will in fifteen years
from this date own the own the entire road
TO Salt Lake and have millions in their
pockets besides. We challenge them 10
sum up all their grants to be realized by the
year 1862 and show tbat the road will have
cost them . single cent. Why then all this
bugle blowing about their great enterprise
Great il is. indeed, but all the grsatness Of It
Justly belongs to the libsrali,y OF the United
States and the people Of California. urged
thereto by the public press. The road and
its profits are the companys part OF the
glory. 1t 10 the duty Of tbis Legislature to
so to it that those profits shall not accrue
from The narrow minded policy which
>.u.h>s nat Invnlnva v,nhlin intAyaats hut