The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1873-08-08
The Transportation Problem-Action Of
Our Merchants.


1t becomes requisite, in the opinion of
large numbers of prominent commercial
men here and through the West that
there should be built between New York and
Chicago double-track railroad exclusively for
freight, under one management and owner
ship the whole distance, with branches to
other great Western cities and centres of farm
production. In the opinion of these men,
whose interests and occupation give them
peculiar familiarity with the subject, as stated
in memorial to Congress numerously signed,
this road should be under q national incorpo-
ration and stringently regulated by federal law,
so that it should be and remain great common
highway for the convenience and advantage
Of all citizens. 1t should tap the Western
lake region and reach the great central rivers
by the shortest and easiest lines, and should
be equally at command of all who offer it
freight. Its tracks should be open for all cars
adapted to them, and its transit charges should
be stringently limited to q liberal interest on
the actual capital and the honest expense of
ment. According to the estimate of the
authors and signers of this memorial, which
was printed in yesterdays HERALD, this road,
''worked at about seven miles an hour, would
carry from Chicago to New York every year
tonnage equal to about four hundred and fifty
million bushels of wheat and return an equal
amount Of freight from New York to Chicago
The total receipts Of grain and -four at New
York during last year were little short of
ninety million bushels, and the aggregate at
all our seaboard ports, including New Orleans
and Montreal, was one hundred and sixty mil
lion bushels. Thus it will be seen that such
freight railroad as is contemplated in the me-
mortal we have quoted would, by itself, be
able to bring to market nearly three times
the whole outflow of breadstuffs from the
Western granaries last year. Such capacity
would accommodate not alone the vast
cereal crop, with its rapid increase,
but would be available for bringing
beef on the hoof, sailed meats
and other animal products, with minerals,
lumber and many other articles of country
production upon which now the freight tariffs
are progressively high. 1t need not for mo-
ment be feared that such road would disturb
the business of our present lines, which are
built for and largely depend upon passenger
carriage for their revenues. Their freight
charges would be reduced to compete with the
great national freight road of courses but
there need be no fear that their earnings
under honest management would fall below
fair interest on their actual cost
To the farmers and business men of the
West some provision for freight, equivalent to
this, is an absolute necessity, though national
road in the sense of governmental manage
ment is not contemplated They cannot
thrive while corn is rotting ON the ground be-
cause of the greed or inability of railroad cor
poratons. While the West is thus vitality con-
cerned in this matter New York is equally in
terested in it. Her merchants, if properly ap-
preached, would find their profit in building
the road. II could reach the seaboard else
where, though no other port offers equal ad-
vantages. Other wealthy and enterprising
cities along the Atlantic coast are looking
anxiously and laboring earnestly to offer at
fractions to the vast trade of the far Western
food-raisiBg districts. Shall the largest and
richest of American cities, by inaction,
permit one Of hex greatest sources Of wealth to