The Union and journal. [volume] (Biddeford, Me.) 1858-1882, 1870-02-11
Consolidation again.


Railroads in this state do not pay common inter
est on the Investment, and A. they nave oeen run
on one system and that system has hAa s,,,.,,
system which, wherever adopted, has been iound 70
pay, should be adopted III. .,
You say, "let Us have . general railroad law,
than the opponents Of consolidation urge against
the measure; Cor then sny body who could raise the
money could drive q railroad through your Pepper
ell Mills, for instance ~.
will cheaper hres and freights. Take Tor iilustra-
ton wel-known and simple matter To show deep
er hets Bangor Il not properly connectch win
Boston, having only one train day, because y
will not pay 10 run more trains n the Central puts
on Q night train will the kennebec, and the Two
lines val commit suicide because competing In the
natter while with consolidation the night express
might run alternately over each road. be made u
paw. and thus .ooominodsts a largo public. Fur
therm0re, the Central needs and must have oettsf
depot facilities In Portland but the land cannot es
had except at enormous cost, while wants 70 pana
road nom Danyille Junction 10 Portland wnsn
will cost say a million. With consolidation the
Central will have 20 build only TO Falmouth, ana
then run In on the Kennebec track and use the hen-
nebec depot accommodations ~.
Allow me 10 call your attention 10 two hee
Your opposition % consolidation on the ground OF
monopoly" Is not we'll put for there Is nothing
81 prevent one company IRON isa,,g all the fea.'
Another is Massachusetts, people are trying 10 iorce
the railroads 81 that state into eOnso,ldanns.
Would they do u II they thought the public were
not Much 10 S6s SpIs g. & su, Osear to
pass your patience l hope you viii SEQ NJ W
publish there remarks, and correct erroneous I'M
pres.IOns Public.
In giving place to the views Of "Public" We
are forced to reply, because his argument is
well drawn and il not answered, will, or may
mislesd the public to its own interests. We
take the liberty, for the benefit Of this cores
pendent, Of repeating an extract from an cdito-
rial in this paper Of date Dec. II, on this same
subject:
Now, n corporation IL Of necessity an aristocracy
In proportion a. IL Is wealthy, By the act granun;
turv that is, the people) have given away 4 sme-
thing which WAS brincrly held In cOnmon-hsye
parted with power which many held, and which the
few now posses. The only Inducements which, &C
stated could be equivalent 10 such loss OF power,
must be found In better development OF our re-
sources in enterprise, talent and industry, nst as
the nation gives money and lands 10 build the Pa
clic railroad, or the State parts with her public
lands 10 endOw colleges and the like. The wise
legislator will kcenly sin every scheme asking for
corporate powers until he Is satisfied that The pubhc
will reap an equivalent Tor parting with Its ifan'
ehisc,
In enacting laws there is ono rule that admits
Of no modification or suspension. and II is this
the rights and privileges Of the whole people
can never be placed in competition with the
rights and privileges Of any portion OF the poo
pie. Our correspondent, who Is lawyer,
knows very well the common law in regard to
the right Of eminent domain right, OF which
the people even by unanimous consent can new
or diyest themselves. IL he had started right
his conclusions might have been right; but he
speaks wholly for few hundred stockholders,
while we speak for the people at large, AMI we
cannot admit the onset that any proposition
which cannot be and is not proved to be in the
interest Of the public. is for one moment debata-
bic. Let Us examine his position:
III. Before admitting this statement we
should not only want It proved, but should
want to know what is meant by "commOn in
tcrcst." They do not pay ten and twelve per
cent, but that is uRcommon interest. III CAPT.
talists are anxious to take secure bonds having
twenty and thirty years to run at four and five
per cent. then four and Eve per cent is tic
.'eommon interest" That they are so anxious
Is fact, as Is also fact that with two excep-
tons (short roads built where nobody in their
senses would ever have built rUad) all lines in
this State pay and are paying common interest
on the investment. But SuppOsing the invest
ment does not pay, are the ancient rights and
privileges Of the public to be even jeopardirci
by a measure Of doubtful popriety, and by
means Of class legislation Why should A &
d who invest money in railroad have any
more protection or legislation than c 4 ID who
invest money in saw-mill' Is the State
bound to insure the bargains Of its citiIens' II
the present system fails, II does not necessarily
follow that consolidation (Of questionable utility
to the public interest. to say the least) is the
only other system to be adopted.
ri. A general railroad law might work in
justice in one case in hundred years, but
there is not one probability in thousand prob
abilities that property would be seized unneccs-
sarily and without due compensation. We
would have law that anybody might build a
railroad when and wherever they pleased, sub
iect to common sense restrictions. Capital is
shrrwd and will take care Of itself, and II is not
foo, enough to do public wrong by building a
railroad to the moon or into the Atlantic ocean,
or where there Is no demand for IL; and
where there Is no demand for Il the inter
ests Of the public will be subseryed. the same
being your warrant. But IL "Public" thinks IA
general bill is dangerous, supposing we admit
il. How docs that'help consolidation ~ No
one Is at all anxious about a general law, and
therefore have nothing to compromise to get 1t.
[3l. II "Public" can show that fares and
freight would be cheapened by granting his
prayer, he has got to do IL by showing that hu-
man nature is different from what II has ever
been since the Eden experiences. History and
observation have forever shown that when men
have power they use it. II the fare from X to Y
Is three dollars, you will never get any man or
men to carry passengers for two because il costs
them only one, as long as they can get the three
dollars. Railroads, like other Investments, are
not built to accommodate the public except rs
"the dear public pays for them !. &C., they
are built to put money in the pockets Of the
stock holders. which is legitimate and right.
We aim, the facts in regard to Bangor's nc
commodatiOn, but deny that to get more eonsol-
idation is necessary. Those two rOais are sit
ua,ed the same as the b. s NJ. and the Eastern
road are; aud yet we have train like the one
spoken Of. running alternately over each road.
The matter Of depot accommodations in Port
land concerns the stockholders, and is nothing
with which the public have any business, or are
bound to consider.
[il. II there Is nothing to prevent, 'ehy doa'i
usy do Il, The fact that they don't do Il proves
exactly that our opposition to monopoly was
l. Il