, 1873-05-09
TRANSPORTATION AND TIE TARIFF.


tation question. These articles have taken up
the separate materials which enter into the con-
struction and stock Of railroads and are "pro-
tected" by an average duty Of 50 per cent,
and the purpose has been to bring to
! practical view the manifold eubsidios which
! the farmers arc thus forced to pay
undor the item Of transportation In an article
published in the last number of tho Nation,
which calls upon the farmers to concentrate
their efforts in some solid, consistent, and tangi-
bic shape, tho broad ground is taken that the
tariff lies at the bottom OF the whole question,
and that all side issues are either evasions Of the
question or calculated to remove the disease by
strained and: unnatural remedies, leaving the
seeds to bring it forth again in some new form.
The Nation condcnscs its statement Of the trans-
portation problem as follows:
In other words, the question Of transportation Is
part and parcel OF tho tariff question, and cannot be
dealt with apart from It, Transportation Is made dear
by the dearneas Of supplies TINT IL to saY tho rail-
roads are taxed enormously, and, through the rail-
roads, the farmers for the benefit OF special INDUS
tries There DO cheap transportation without
cheap iron cheap cats chesp stations and, what ia
morc there csn be no markets for American produce
ubro.d 30 long the sale OF all foreign commodities,
except gold. ia mado difficult high duties md
ye1atious custom-housc regulations can mako It. AZ
riculturnl produce at the West 1s now glut lit
must become and more Of glut, II either moro
railroads ere opened tho coat Of transportation on
the present roads is diminished, long Is new mar
kets are provided OF, in other Words as long as
ACCESS to tho crowded regions Of the Old World s ar
hcislly impcded. OF course thero may como ti1no
when there will bo population enough in tho Wsst to
eat up MI tts corn md pork; but, at the
| present rnte Of agricultural and railroad deTel-
opment, this Will not be witnessed by either
the present generation Or the next, and the
cry Of the Graugca" ought to bo for clearing Of the
outlets to tho Old World in NIL why's. TO ecure thie,
it Is not enough to cheapcn transportation We hsve to
offer market to the foreigner for his commodities in
order to get him to take ours.
There is no doubt that the question must ul-
timataly resolve itself into this condition. The
longer it is dcforrcd the moro serious will be the
evils and the more difficult will be the remedy.
Yet thoro is disposition to evado the consider
alton of the tariff as tho primitive cause and to
secure & cure-all through Legislative enactments
and judicial representatives.
In the effort to bring this important phase Of
the transportation question to the direct atten-
ton Of the farmers, the Nation incidentally
points out the consequences OF that gen.
eral policy which proposes to " reg
ulate" railroads by State authority. The
people do not stop to consider the enormity Of
the contract which they desire the State to M
dertake. # We concede the right and power OF
the people to do just what they please, VIC must
look to such reduction Of rates as will satisfy
the majority Of the community. II such re-
duct1on under tho maintenance OF the tariff
renders it impossible to mako profit on run
ming railroads, we must also look to the with
drawal Of private capital from railroad enter
prises. Capital will naturally and inevitably be
diverted into the channels where it can earn
tho current rate OF interest. This diversion
OF capital will at the eamo time divert
the brains and experience which it COM
mands, aud which, of late years, hare been
engaged more generally in railroad management
than in aoy other business Of the country. A
change OF this kind will bring about two un-
favorable circumstances against which tho people
will have to combat ]. An abandonment Of
railroad extension throughout the country, and 8
necessary limit Of facilities for transportation,
while the demand will constantly increase. 2
It will deyolye upon tho State not merely to
regulate railroad charges, but to manage and run
the roads. 1t is not probable that thinking men
will look forward to either OF these results with
confidence or satisfaction. It ie only necessary
to institute the comparison which the
Nation suggests, between the capability Of
tho men who are now engaged in managing rail-
roads and that Of the men who arc engaged in
tho public service, to understand how much
more recklessly, oxpensively, and dangerously
the railroads would be managed when they
should become part Of the public service.
It is cafe to assume thnt, the power once con-
ceded, State Legislatures OF State Commission
ers would fix railroad rates according to the nc.
cessities ii the people, without any regard to
the tariff or the enforced and unnecessary cut
lays by railroad corporations which it involves.
Such course would lead t6' the results that
have boen DESCRIBED. Under tho Common
Law, requiring Common Carriers to re-
strict their charges to rates that are reasonable,
their enforced payment OF s1.6o for what they
could buy for 81 if there we're no protective tar
III would bo credited to their aide Of the case. It
would be hold that tho railroads may not be
made to bear tho burden Of system prescribed
BY the Government. Theidea Of Legislative con-
troll OF ratcs insists that they should bear this
burden exclusively. It has been minated at
many Of the farmers meetings that the railroads
are largely interested with the manufacturers
who arc benefited by the tariff, and that their,
cause is common. Very likely. But this only
shows that the people will strike At two monopo-
lies which make common cause against tho pub