The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1873-03-27
A National Railway Exclusively for Freight.

sorhing question of the day. Farmers mer-
chants and political economists are all puzzling
their brains how. to solve the problem, and'w
propose to regularly devote considerables
to its discussion. At present. corn in many
parts of the West is selling for l5 cents per
bushel, while Ion the seaboard lit is worth from
20 to rs cents; that it should cost the price OF
four or five bushels of corn 10 get one .bnshel
to market is certainly discouraging to the pro-
ducer, and when a farmer is obliged to give
twenty bushels of corn for hat or pair oi
boots, il looks as if the advantage was all ion
the side of heimanufacturer. Our transporta.
tion system, however, is the principal cause OF
the trouble the different companies are. opera
ted solely for the benefit of few stock jobbing
managers who are responsible to nobody, and
combine to squeeze the largest possible amount
from theppblic In the shortest space OF time
They infiuehce Legislation to suit themselves
by.bribing, with money wrnug from the people,
venal legisators to betray the true interests OF
their constituents, land honest Senators and
Representatives are conciliated and kept quiet
with, the compliment" God save the mark j
of, free passes. We predict the time, and it is
NOT far off: when our law makers will not look
upon, the offer of q; free pass as Compliments
ry,np but rather as cheap way of being bought
BY railway companies to allow them ito throttle
the,commercial public and makeeit stand and
deliver. The necessity of intelligent and firm
legislation upon this question, in the interest
of the whole people is apparent to every think
ing mind, and until q better! plan is proposed
we, advocate a national double or quadruple
track railway from the great West to the sea-
sbo,rd, to be constructed and owned blythe ma
.tion,, and free to any: company who might
choose toiput rolling. stock upon the road and
operate itupon certain system, under certain
restrictions in regard fp rates of freight. That
freight can be moved upon O. road built and OPP
Grated exclusively; for freight at one-half the
rates now charged no one doubts, and practical
railreaa men are not wanting who assert that
freight can be transported on q road where
passenger traffic does not interfere for one-gudr
ter the present cost. One great item of cost is
the delay freight trains suffer, from having to
keep out of the way of passenger trains. AS
now operated it, takes on an average ten days
for the principal railways TO carry freight from
Chicago or CINCINNATI New York., and gem
orally q longer time going West; whereas, if
freight trains had the right of .wsy and were
rom at "a rate. of speed not exceeding fifteen
miles PEI; hour; three days would be- about the
average hmeg41ia y?a 1qsina !.,.:ss-. ~ ;..sZ
The saving in interest alone on. the immense
fdAaS Va SUOlS pCIWCOu viz IAlseoE
and, the West wonld more than pay the interest
ON the cost of constructing such q road, and
every merchant knows how our internal COM
merce would increase if the uncertainties and
delays now, consequent upon transportation
were reduced to such an extent; and, if the
charges for such transportation were only one
half or one-third what. they now are, the wild
est flights of fancy can hardly imagine how the
material prosperity of the whole country would
increase. Another great item in the cost of
transportation for freight at the present time is
the rapid rate at which freight trains are moved
when they have few hours right of way, and
the wear and tear and accidents resulting there
from; indeed, we might give numbers of addi-
tional reasons why such road would pay, but
the above are sufficient Tor this time. What
we have. TO do now is to set people thinking
and talking, to awaken public opinion upon
this. subject, to induce merchants to get to-
gether aud form associations to discuss the
matter and cooperate with Others for q like
purpose. Wesball not accomplish the object
without struggle orswithout organisation !, the
whole power OF the present monopolies will be
brought to bear,to crush such.a, movement, and
tbeywield a money power of millions upon mil
lions, most of which, has been wrung from, the
public. But right, when backed BY public opin1
ion, must even triumph over might, and no one
who has marked our progress as a. nation will
ever believe that our career can be checked
and our destiny changed by any power which
the people, themselves created. ed.---An'erscan
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