Richland beacon. [volume] (Rayville, La.) 1869-1890, 1873-08-30
Cheap Transportation.

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\, railroads have in many localities
bcronir the exclusive means of trans
= portution, 1t is natural that by the ten
d'ncy Of all human undertakings (,
place srlf-lntcrcst paramount, railroad
corporations have taken advantage oi
their peculiar circumstances, and il
many instances raised the prices oi
transportation TO very high figures. Ne
wonder that those interested in low
transportation rebel against this, and
attempt to check such rxtoltions by all
possible means at disposal for instance,
promoting the construction of compe-
ting roads. In many Instances, howcv-
er, the original roads succeeded in OBJ
tanning such large interest in these COM
peting roads that finally Il consolidation
was the result, which totally defeated
the project of the originators of the
competition. In the meantime the in
creased money power of the large con-
solidated railroad corporations became
able to buy mp editors of certain jour
mails to defend their actions as immacu-
late, and even, III many instances, to
crush all further competition by bri-
| bing legislatures, of which that of New
Jersey has for many Years been the
most glaring illustration.
The opposition To extortiOns by mo-
nopolizng railroad corporations has re-
Gently taken another form, in the cree
ton of an American cheap transpOrta-
ton association, chiefly intended to
fight the abuses III railroad manage
ment for instance, the building Of rail
roads on mortgaged bonds while the
stock is divided among the projectors
without equivalent. i'll consequence of
which the public is taxed with excess
sive freight charges, so that interest on
the bonds and dividends on the stock
may be- paid. Besides this wrong, the
stocks of many railroads have been Wa
tered, doubled and trebled, in order to
prevent public attention being too con-
stantly turned to the enormous amounts
thus wrung from the people.
Another enormous wrong is that in
almost every company we find IA ring
i'll the management, which charges the
road two or three prices for its sup
plies. The officials of all the compa-
lines" to whom they give special pri-
vileges because they are so interested.
These lines take the cream of the busi-
ness, and their officials become million
aires at the expense, nominally of the
railroads, but Ill reality of the public.
What the merchants, the farmers,
the whole community have to complain
of in the present railway system, is the
rank abuses which accompany, 1.-THE
inside "rings," the swindleing manage
ment, the Credit Mobilier" freight
lines, and the watering of stock. which |
make it necessary for railway compa-
nies to charge the price of four bushels |
of corn at the place of production to get |
one bushel TO market. II can make no |
difference whatever to the farmer of the |
west whether he loses three-fourths of |
his labor product by failure of his
crops, or whether it is absorbed by the
tolls which are levied uron it in getting
it to market. All would lament the
failure of our western crops as sad ca
lamity, but the shipping merchants OF
the east are as much deprived of the
profits of handling and exporting cere-
ais, rs though the corn were milldewed
in the fields. The evils of the railway
system. as it has been conducted, and
in which stockholders are often as much
abused as outsiders, the cheating of the
red, white and blue lines, the swindle-
ing and thieving, of the officials, who
appear to leave honesty behind them
when they enter railway service, all
,hese and other aggravations have so
one upon another, that
he people have resolved to bear them
40 longer if remedy can be found for
hem.
This is what the American cheap
association, which was
'rganized last month in New York city,
nd recently published their constitu c
ion and bylaws, intend to correct by q
ii legal means at disposal. Every I
'ody who is not a railroad stakeholder !
r official, is interested in cheap trans
.Ortation of persons and property, and '
therefore, we expect that the great ma
Drity of our people will not only wish
his association all the success it fnlly !
eserves, bnt demand powerful assist .
nee from our government Mdnutdc- |
tcr and Buitdcr.