The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1871-12-14
or of the Democratic Statesman.

Views upon the IndianOla Railroad
! -ll r. Question.
To the Editor of the Democratic Statesman.
Will We accept the proposition of
the Indianola, Lavaca aud Austin
Railroad Company to Travis county?
That's the important present. guess
ton to every citizen.
That Railroad Company is no
doubt as soulless a" all other like
bodies, and having the chance, would,
1 dare say, be quite as unconscion-
able in its exactions. My feeling
sense ard costly experience of the
expressions of railroad and other
monopolies lead me to these crude
suggestions. 1 see no escape or
safety for the people from the gil
gantic corporations growing up in
the country, but in their multiplied
ton and consequent rivalry. Hence
it is, that 1 can hail with pleasure
the four or five great railroads about
to drive their lines across our State,
even though some of them may have
been conceived in fraud, and brought
forth in the basest turpitude. Their
rivalry will and must rebound to the
public good, and save the people of
Texes from millions of exaction,
which they would suffer, if we had
only one or two great Varying
routes. Our people have long felt
the power of the "great Gulf monop-
oily T. But since the railroads going
north and eastward. and coming
south and westward, will soon de-
prive that power of ability to OPP
press forever, it wonld be suicidal
for cur people now to cripple its
ability to serve US, or to permit such
a great viaduct of our commerce and
travel to fall into decay. For in the
same proportion that the great trunk
railroads cheaper transportation and
travel by rivalry with it, must it in
like manner serve US by counter bid
ding against them. Great common
carriers will work for us to our liking
only when forced to it by rivalry,
which We should carefully promote
to healthful extent in every way
practicable.
From official reports, it seems that
in 1870, the Central Railroad, on
one hundred and sixty>six miles of
track, made nett profit of $780,
COL, equal to "a per cent. on cap
ital stock of $4,000 per mile, after
paying interest at per cent. on a
debt of $4,000 per mile: a dem
onstration, not only that a Texas
railroad may be q profitable invest
ment, but that it may be, and is,
when without competition, a most
unmitigated extortioner and oppres-
sive monopoly: demonstration, that
from US, the patrons of that road,
each year, a thousand dollars a mile
more of freight and passage money
are drawn, than will pay a fair profit
on the capital stock of such road.
The grasping cupidity of all such
corporations teaches US, the only
hope of relief from this heavy drain
upon the peoples substance, is in
competition. A railway to Indian
ola and Lavaca from Austin, if of
equal length with the present rail
from Austin to Galveston, would at
once by competition reduce our freight
and passage money to scale of
merely fair profit, and save to the
country this thousand dollars per
mile each year. This amount saved
yearly, and put at 10 per cent. com>
pound interest for fourteen years,
would aggregate in that time saving
of 100000 per mile for the whole
length of rail from Austin to Calves
ton, say 90 miles, enough to build
road from Austin to Indianola, 140
miles, and extend it from Austin up
the valley of the Colorado seventy
miles towards Ell Paso. How this
result would be wrought, is clear on
a little reflection. The railways from
Austin to Galveston, at present
rates, charge about so cents freight
hundred per one hundred miles,
and 5 cents per mile passage money.
Northern roads advertise to transport
freight at one-tenth, and passengers
at half the rate here named. Two
routes to the coast for freight and
passage, would realize to US an ap-
proach to those northern rates I;
would perhaps give US freight to In
dianola at 35 cents per hundred, and
passage at SIS so; whereas, confined
to but one route, we will now pay at
least one dollar per one hundred
pounds to Galveston, and ten dollars
for passage. This new road will also
give US two routes to Galveston ; for
we will then be able to take the cars
for Gonzales, and thence over the
Columbus and San Antonio road
reach Galveston, at perhaps not over
half the charge now made over the
Central. Then, in lieu of the arro>
CANT insolence and burdensome
charges, which now occasion a uni
versal cutlery of the people along the
line of the Central, that corporation
will force its creatures to court pub
lie favor by fawning, and what will
be more attractive, by the tender of
half rates of freight and passage
money.
Is it not easy then to understand,
that according to the invariable laws
of trade, of competition and of sup
ply and demand, our people, having
but one road, must very soon pay
enough, in over charges, to the Cen
trail, to build and equip our share of
the Indianola road?
With your permission, Mr.. Editor,
1 will present view Of this matter,