Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1871-01-24
The Question of the Future.

! Inc gays, Ill ciasped TO our Savlors breast
| Well fondly cling till we are at rest,
| To that magical ''long ago."
|
The Question Of the Future
| Mr.. C. Z. Adams, Jr., calls attention in the
January number of the North american Re
vie,o to some very striking facts connected with
the growth of the great railroad corporations
OF the United States. First and foremost a.
mong these facts is the tendency of the great
companies to combine, and the extent to which
| they have ombined For instance, seventeen
years ago there were seven distinct lines of rail
road between this city Nav York; and Bufa-
lc. OF which six were not over seventy-six miles
long each. Now there is practically but one
line, owned by one company, controlling about
one Thousand miles of track; and it now also
practically controls the Lake Shore and Michi-
gan, the Rock Island and the Chicago aud
North western in other words, of the line of
| road between New York and Omaha ''One
year ago" says Mr.. Adams, five roads divi-
ded between them the distance between the At
lantic and Pac 6c; six months ago these five
were practically reduced to three, How long
will 1t be before these three are reduced to
oneY The same process is going on all over
the country. The grand corporations thus
formed, too, have completely exempted them
selves from State control. If State attempts
to reddle with them, they buy up the Legis-
lature and muzzle the courts, and they even as
sault Congress with no nconsiderable success,
and already begin to look upon the Presiden-
tial election as matter by no means beyond
their control. The Eri5 Ring has formed an
alliance with the Tammany Ring; indeed, the
same persons are leading members of both, and
have secured The political control of this State,
and make no secret OF their belief that they
will have good deal to do with the choice of
a H.
dency. Nevertheless, we are as yet only in the
infancy OF the system; if these things are done
IN the green-tr,e, what will be done in the dry
The main reliance of the community in this
country, as regards the regulation of railroads
In all that relates to the comfort and safety of
passengers, and cheapness and rapidity In the
transportation of freight, had hitherto been
competition This cheek has been got rid of to
great extent by the lassage of some of the
competing lines into the same hands. Even
where competition has been actually kept up it
has produced some extraordinary results
Comp petition generally prevails with regard to
the through business - that is, companies
compete mainly for the trafic to the far West,
and 10 order to secure i; cut down the charges
to the lowest possible polnt, often below the
paying point; out then III order to save their
roads from loss they raj e the charges to all in
,termediate points.
Hence it happens that places like Rochester,
and Buffalo and Syracu e, find themselves un-
able to carry on business With the Westin corn-
petition with New York CIR Boston The dis
crlmlnatlon against them in some cases amounts
to 10 per cent, Mr.. Adams says, Of the value
OF the goods transported and the consequence
Is that many manufacturing establishments in
the interior have been broken up and the Gre
alton OF pew ones is OF course prevented by
the, knowledge OF the risks to which the condi-
ton OF the railroad system would expose them
In short, 10 the ordinary chances of trade, and
the chances caused b. sudden and potent
changes in the tariff, we added fresh ones
caused by the contests of railroad managers,
these last being the m st difficult to foresee
and provide against.
Mr.. Adam S plan for reducing the railroads
to suhjection, and making them really the great
highways OF the country instead of mere pri-
1vate speeulations, endangering public liberty
by their magnitude and audacity, i, the ap-
poin,lpent or election Of some sort Of controIl-
ing tribunal by which, all railroad interests
shall be passed upon, ard from whose judg-
ment there shall be no appeal - thus relieving
the Legislatures, both State and Federal, from
that most corrupting Of all influences. special
legislation 70 the obvious objection that
the virtue of such a tribunal world be ezn6.sei
to just the same dangers from the blaudish-
mentS OF the great corporations as that OF the
Legislatures now is, he r..p.les that we must,
in the last resort, always trust to individual
character for defence against all evils of this
kind We trust our lives and property i'm
plictly, and for the most part justi6ably. to the
honesty ofjudges and juries IF nation does
not contain honest men enough for work of his
kind, Of course it must go to the wall The
great reason why the corporations have their
way SO readily with legislators is, that the re-
sponsibility for any evil that may be accom-
plished in them is so divided that nobody feels
it very much. The advantage of such tribu-
mails as MIR Adams proposes would be that re-
sponslbility would be sc concentrated that when
corrupt act was committed every member
would feel the shame OF IT,
We doubt whether the public MUD is yet
sufficiently awake to the magnitude of the evil
MIR. Adams discusses to give serious con~idera-
ton to the remedy he suggests But event
ually no question Of olitics stands better
chance of occu pying the public mind as moth
ing has ever occupied it except slavery. Wheth-
er democratic government can be successfully
carried on III the presence of these gigantic
corporalious, with their armies of employees,
their millions of treasury, and with the ablest
men in the country as heir head, acting in in
dependence of, and often in defiance of the
Government, is an experiment which the A
mercan people are hardly likely to try after
they have been made filiy acquainted with its
natnre -Neac York Times