, 1873-01-18


Tho lion. W. G. Tlagg, OF Bloomington, spoke
! THE DIFFERENT HA11.wAy 5ysTEHB AND THEIR |
| woltK1:;t.s.
In Wow Of tho fact tint otlerH lrc to he heard
| on tho abusoa md tho methods OF reforming |
| railway management, I ahn!l dovoto the fow
words T lavo 10 soy 10 q brief stntemont Of tho.
case.
Tho railway eyatoms Of tho world aro tho
| growth of tho present century, aud mainly tho
product OF the last fifty yearu Of our modern
civilization. They now extend from far-off
Japan aud Australin through Asia, Africa,
Europe, aud North mud South America; md
their tracks, ranged in limo, would put six-fold
iron girdlo round tho globe
ThoBo ByatomB ha1o grown up Under various
Governmental provisions, and may DO classed as
follows:
J. 1soads built owned, and managed by Cow
ernment rs in tho case OF Russia aud other
| despotio countries.
a. noads partly built and controlled by Gov
ornmont, SO TINT private mid Government on
l terpriao compete Oh parallel limos; na III the
caGo of Belgium,
8. Roads built on guarantees and subsidies
ofrorcd by Government to private companies rs
in Franco, Austria, India and our own Paciho
and Illinois Central Roada
| Il 4tOHu6 IAh1 soAc bA*'4toa ~
Government to private compnnics; underwlich
claaB como the British and American railroads,
with this important difference that tho British
charter iu granted by net Of Parliament, tho su-
promo aud irroyocable law Of the Stato whilst
tho American railway charters are tho grants OF
Stato Legislatures, and subject totho limitations
Of Etato and federal Constitutions and of Con-
grcEHioaa1 enactment.
It will 10 perceived that rnccH AnYo followed
thor instincts. Autocratio andcentralized Gov
ernmenH can conceive no better mothod Of
doing anything than to mako 1t Governmental
function; democratic mud localized Governments
. nro Jealous Of Goyerumont'a engaging III such
entor1,rses, and Aavo great faitl In competi-
ton between private enterprises as regulating
power; andao English and American law-mnkors,
ignoring the famous dictum of Robert atcphen-
t son, that "Villcra combination is practicable,
. competition IN impossible" have, with some few
J exceptions, given private Railway Companies
ohnrtors without limitation, except TINT imposed
= by tho common law upon common carriers.
j Lot ua examine now, briefly, tho rosults OF
. tl1oao diffcront syatcma, 30 fur Us we havo the
u fuetB; .
= writor in tlla British Quarterly for October,
J. 1874, gives tho rates Of fnrcn on PruBsinn rail-
t roads rs about cents per mile for l.at-clRss,
about q cents for Beeond-class, ~ cents for
a tiird-class, and about 1nllB for fourta-c]asa
il trans. Ii, AuBtrin and Franco, tho ratea arc
y somewhat highcr,-tho maximum boing conta
i md mills, ai,d tho minimum cent and 9 milla
). per milo. Belgium faroa arc cent? ~ conts,
d aud cent por milo for first, second, and third
clasa. This is OIL railroads whose cost of con.
struction, according to Poor. ranges from
y. 574 GOO 10 $l5S, 900 per milo; whilst tho aver.
I age e'' cost Of those in tho United States if
t cd, 900, or not moro than o,.o-third tile
% cost. haye not the exact figures, but wo know
same u COZ co1ntres, ID al Of wGiel. tic National Id
pit ministration directly or Indirectly contfola thf
rates.
IN England, on tho other hand, whore Govern
ID 1,ent control iB waived, tho average passenger
id rates, Us tho nanle writer informs us, aro q!
m centa, conts, a.,l cents por mile for tho thro
al classoB OF passenger trains; aud tho 3relgh
go ratoa, although the average charge cannot b'
ne given, arc evidently far in oxcess OF, perIap
al double, thoae upon tho Continent. In addition
Nv to inis tl,oro is terminal charge" Of not les
than IS cent? and as high 20 y por ton Tor car
Lo rio without loss, at cost to tho Railroad Com
2w pany Of loss than 3 mills por ton per mile, an
gs passengcrs were carried in certain cascs ut fron
nd Il to u OF cent por mile, without any, or Q
Oh denda Of tho Companion; showing that th
tl high rates for freight md passengers ordinnril
o charged by tho British railways are NOT require
mater Of RGipy tho part Of t the hwa
OF and most general uoryico Of tho public.
ho Coming now to tho United States, and ou
'as own State Of Illinois, In which the English syt
1o- tom, with more Ibelality md opportunity fc
ID, competition, has boon adopted, we find, inloet
OH what 10 MI advantage in tllis eyatom: very or
in orgetic prosecution Of railway ontorpraoe. III
,n- nois, tlut in 1860 Ind Ill mles Of railway i'm
los 2,7g6 in 1860, 4450 in 1870, and now accordin
ito to Governor Palmor's late message, more tim
lily 5000 miles in the beginning Of 1878, or me
raluey to every goo inl.eei1nuta' mud miios d
sas W certainly cannot &c s9mpa!n that -,
naS galway ''' facilities: ' rew evi stetoa Of Il
rch Union can mako q better showing m
;is- tonnage by wagon roada has bcon calculated
on ii has loon roluccd to 2$ cents per nila on raj
y @ Eg g copou d0aO
[ur- but look at factn lilo these, anil toll mo VII
thoy mean: III 1853 tho threc railways in opee
ng, ation IN 1llinos-the sepgamon 4 Morgen cl
I'd, cd UnSion--oharged ok cents per mo'for paHss
to gers. In 1869, six ycara lator, thu nan,o was t
Sig average Charge tcn different roa1s. 1n 1a(
md and ont roads whose rates was given are AZ cor
her per mile and in 1871, six years lasor, Oh eig
to different railways coayerging at st. Louis, It
zero 41.5 conts por milo: Thus, IN tho period 90
''O treeblod md o'9r products and travel iaoroaa
.liot supposed cctlyo competition md wouderi
ineroaso IN n bas!noss our rat0 passenger fa'
Dut tho passenger traffic OF Our railwa
n,akoa only q small part Of ita gross carninl
cm- Talking tho GROSS earnings Of eight OF our pr
al clral railways Tor 1odo, IND that the passoht
tho carninga woro ~ low Us " per cent ol tio ft
cktr earnings on tic 1llinon Contrnl and as high
DO por ceut on tho Ohio Il Mississippi. L
Mr.. average was 27 per cent, Tho !tal!road
[Inr- Warehouse Commission also Mado IL ~
auy cont by tLoir annual report; 6pcr cont con
from other eo,lrceg, and VI por cont, or "
ant thirds oil tho whole amount carnea, III y r.
cup freight earnings. 1hoiy aeo report GIye5 W
the cent for pashonger, ~ Tor freight, anu tof III
Mrs. collaneous earnings: ,.u.
i'm incrcaso IN chEFEen Tor lrolsht similar TO y
w furnished by our old railway guides III rolat