Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1870-12-27
Staunturt Spettator.
TuesG0u, December ~, 1870.
The So-called Rail Road Tax.

OOW0eptUplC SpCah VI hhO foeS w p0DSS~A>S
to the Valley r. r. as vote to tao the cltl-
zens of this county. This is palpable misap-
plication of words. 1t is true that technically
it is tax, but substantially it is not. 1t is
rather vote to get rid of a heory tar than to
levy an additional tax.
Let us examine it for a moment. Every
farmer who wishes to go to Richmond by rail
wav. to attend to business, has to pay as fare
$3.50. A fair remunerative price would be
about 81. The farmer is therefore taxed $3.50
and like sum returning, equal to $500, on
each round trip.
Again, every farmer has to pay on every bar
rel of -four, or whiskey, or brandy, and on eV-
ery head of stock, every bushel of corn, rye,
oats, potatoes, apples, &C., about double as
much as would be fair rate of transportation.
He is, therefore, tared By the r. Il. to the ex-
tent of this double freight, on every thing he
has to send to market. On such articles as
hav lime. &C., the tax levied by the Rail Road
company is so high as almost to amount to
prohibition. By reason of the same ezorbltant
tax levied by the Rail Road, our iron-works are
kept in languishing condition-our mineral
resources are kept locked up in the bosom OF
our mountains, and our people are deprived OF
the markets which they would afford, If worked
to the extent of their capacity.
On all return freights the tax is equally
heavy-on every ton of plaster, guano, bone
dust and coal-on all the groceries, hardware,
drv goods, stoves, machinery, &C., which are
used in the county, exorbitant taxes in the form
of hioh freights are enacted from our farmers
and others.
The aggregate amount of this tax every year
is enormous. The people are getting tired OF
paving it. They want now to get rid OF IT,
and in order to do so, they are willing to pay
moderate temporary bonus to get clear OF
heavy permanent burthen. The annual tax
now levied, in the form Of passenger fare and
frcights. is not less than $4,000 or $40, OOO.-
Surely. if We can get rid of this by paying an
annual bonus of $4,000 for two years, it
would be wise to do SO.
Can We get rid of it in this way? We think
we can and we will now give, briefly, our rea-
sons for SO thinking:
We all know that it is human nature to pur-
sue our interests. Give to any man, or to any
corporation, the monopoly of any branch OF
business, and they are pretty sure to try and
make the most out Of it for themselves, with
ont much regard TO the convenience or interests
Of other people It is upon this principle that
the Chesapeake & Ohio r R. acts. 1t looks
to the interests Of It's stockholders, and 1t ex-
acts Just as much from the people as 1t can
We do not pretend to charge that it is more
exacting than any other company would be un-
der the same circumstances. But all monopo-
lies are necessarily oppressive. Competition IS
the ouly thing that can make them stay their
hands. Wherever the Baltimore & Ohio T.
R., or any other r. r. has monopoly, it
charges as high as it can, without banishing
passengers and freight from its line. The
Chesapeake & Ohio E. R. does the same thing
We would not be willing to trust either OF
them with monopoly Of transportation and
freight. because either would be certain to use
it for their own benefit.
The only security for the people is to encour-
age competition Competition is said to be the
life of trade In this case, competition is the
salvation Of our farming and other business In
terests. This competition, in our case, can on
ly be secured by building up the Valley Road
as rival to. and competitor with the Chesa-
peake & Ohio Road.
The moment we get the Valley Road extern
ded to Stauuton, we will have two competing
markets for our produce and two competing
roads to carry it off. Baltimore and Rich
mond will waut our productions, and wish to
supply Us with dry goods, groceries and fertili-
zers. The Chesapeake & Ohio Road and the
Valley Road will both want the travel and
trade from Augusta and the surrounding coun-
ties. They will at once be bidding against
each other for it, Under this competition
freights and fares will go down and the price
Of Agricultural products will go up. These
propositions are too plain to require arguments.
The bare statement of them is enough.
We think, therefore, that if, by voting sub
scription OF 100000 to the Valley Road, they
can secure the completion of a rival line OF
Railway to the one which now exists, and by
that means bring down fares and freights on
all the produce that we send off and all the
fertilizers and merchandise that We get back,
and at the same time open better markets for
all that we have to sell or to buy-it is money
wisely expended. Ii We can, by paying a
small bonus Of $4,000 for two years, buy a
perpetual exemption from the annual tax OF
$4,000 in exorbitant freights which We now
pay, we will certainly be doing we'll.
We think, therefore, we are justified in say
ing that this subscription to the Valley Road
should not be regarded SO much in the light of
tax, as a measure to get as rid of ecisting
onerous tdEatton
If any of US held our homes, or our farms,
subject to an annual ground rent, We would
gladly rid ourselves Of it by paying sum equal
to one third of the capital represented by that
ground rent The proposition before US is al
most exactly parallel. We now pay tax of
$4,000 annually in the form of exorbitant
frelghts This, at per cent, represents cap
ital of $500,O0O. Now If we can get rid Of
this annual charge by subscribing 5000, 900 it
seems to us it would be good bargain. But
when we remember that $500, 600 is to bring
back to US, dividends, in money, equal to the
interest on it, and at the same time free us of
the other burthen we cannot for moment
doubt the wisdom of making the subscription.
Radical amnesty is remarkable thing, and
ought to excite the gratitude of all southern
people. Butler, the Beast, has shown more
than his usual skill and ingenuity in framing