The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1870-05-12
VOLUME 5---NO. 40.
Railway Competition.

Railway Competition.
The Chicago 7.si6une has the following article
in reference toa plan for converting railroads in.
to common highways suggested by letter from
Gov. Palmer to the Illinois Farmers' Conven.-
ton, recently in session. In this section Of the
country, the question discussed is yet novelty:
Governor Palmer's letter to- the convention of
farmers tssBloomington proposes remedy for
dear freights and heavy cost Of transportation
which, though not new as proposal, has never
before, perhaps, been so clearly stated or 80
highly indorsed, as by our excellent Governor.
He says:
'I trust that this convention will itself con-
slider and call attention to the old-fashioned and
just theory of competition. The canals and
river Improvements will, I trust, receive share
of the attention of the convention, and, fully
understanding your views and knowing your
zeal in this direction, do not feel at liberty to
say more upon that subject, but insist that we
must create competition on the railroads, and,
to do this, break up the monopolies of the car.
rying business by the owners of railways.
There is no necessary connection between the
ownership and management of railway, and
the business of common carrier, and there is
no reason why railways, like rivers and canals,
may not be free to all carriers of freight and
passengers, upon such terms as to compensate
the owners of railroad property for the use of
tracks, engines &C., as may be agreed between
the parties, or fixed in the manner prescribed by
law under the power of eminent domain. The
General Assembly can authorize individuals or
associations to place machinery and cars upon
the railroads of the State upon the payment Of
such compensation as may be fixed by the proper
tribunal, and, in that way, healthy, vigorous
compensation may defeat all the arbitrary reg.
ulations of conventions of ticket and freight
agents, and leave the growers of beef pork
and wheat and corn pittance, at least, of their
own hard earnings. The amendments to the
constitution proposed by Mr.. Church in the
convention contemplate the exercise OF the
power adverted to, and will, no doubt become
part of the constitution"
The Governor proposes that the present Cons
stitutional Convention authorize the Legisla-
ture to convert the railroad tracks of the State
into common highways, upon which all compe-
ting parties who choose may put and run their
rolling stock at such prices as they choose, thus
giving rise to competition on each road between
all the common carriers carrying over that road,
in addition to the competition between differ
ent roads. illustrations of this common use OF
the same track by competing cars may be seen
on many of the city railroads of our larger
cities, where for several miles two, three, ora
dozen railroad companies are compelled to. Ese
the same track, in order to run their cars for
portion of the way through some leading thor
oughfare. This accidental working of our pres
ent system produces competition over the same
track as to that particular street, furnishing
more cars and better service than either of the
single companies would render: Upon asteam
railroad the Governors proposition would work
o1,,f,o w
the railroad business seems to be inevitably
tending. Already the railroad companies per.
nit express companies, fast freight lines, own
ers of sleeping coaches, &C., to furnish cars for
their tracks, and run them at private cost and
profit the railroad companies furnishing only
the track and the power. 1t is only needed to
apply to the railroads the principle of the COM
mon law applicable to turnpikes, ferries; and
all other appropriated highways; that whatever
privileges are granted to one must be granted
to all Under theapplication of this principle OF
the law. of highways, all who choose can puton
any railroad track cars or coaches, for any pur-
pose, and oblge the company to haul them on
terms as favorable as are granted to others.
At all events, while it might involve too many
complications and delays to convert the rail-
roads of the country into common highways
for all vehicles capable of running on their
tracks, by the entangled and expensive means
of suits at law, any Legislature which would
pave the way for such reform would be clearly
in the direction of the theory of all our laws,
that the railroads are highways and should at
all times be kept as open to all forms of COM
petition as possible. In the infancy of the rail-
way business, none owned the cars except the
company which also owned the track. But
when that business became so extended as to
have suspended all other highways of travel
over whole continents. and when the prosperity
of cities and states might be made to rise or
fall. according as these iron tracks were kept
open to competition as highways, or closed
against it as monopolies there can be no doubt.
that the monopoly on the part of the owners OF
the track, which was tolerable under other con-.
ditions, becomes intolerable when those condi-
tions have changed. If our own leading rail-
way shippers were permitted to put their own
cars on the track, on paying q fair toll to the
company for hauling them to their destinations,
and if whosoever desired to compete for the
profits of carrying passengers or freight were
at liberty to compete with each other over each
and every road, it seems certain that full COM
petition would reduce the charge in all cases to,
the very lowest sum at which freight and pas
sengers could be carried consistently with the
fair value of the labor and capital employed;
Governor Palmers proposition is wholly dis
tinct from all proposals that the State or gov
ernment shall take possession of or run the
roads. To that there may be many objections.
He proposes that the railroads snail emerge
from their infantile state of priyate-ways, and
shall become, in the full sense, highways, to
the end that mutual competition between di-'
vers carriers over the same road shall insure
fair reduction and equalization OF prices.
While we have no information to induce us to-
believe that any proposition to this end was
likely to be adopted by the convention, 1t ls
well worthy their thorough consideration, as
well as that of the people of the whole State