Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1873-05-15


explains under what circumstances many
OF the Railroads were built, the great cost
6f construction, extravagant managers,
etc and said the Railrcad Companies must
necessarily pay their running expenses and
meet the Interest on their bonds or 60 into
bankruptcy. They also struggle to pay div
idends to stock holders. To do this their
managers insist they cannot afford to
lessen the prices OF trans
go tatiop. he said o gress would soon
have to meet these questions aad treat
them imp2rtially. He deprecated the fixing
of arbitrary schedules In disregard of busl-
ness experience, and abolish all competition
in rates under the plan of abolishing dis
tinetions between competing and nom
competing points, etc. There is no coubt,
he said, that the roads in many instances
violated their charters and usurped priVi-
leges not granted by law. Wherever this is
10 the case, legislative and judicial .authori-
ty must correct, tie evil, 1t is well that the
controversy has begun. Il will attract pub
lie attention and furnish q subject for the
contemplation Of statesmen far more prac
tical and ennobling THAI the threadbare is
sues of the late war. II looks 10 the ma
yterial interests Of the people, and will inev-
itably bring in other important questions
OF political eeonomys The want of the
West, then, is transportation. The rail-
roads now constructed do not and cannot
furnish sufficient facilities, but if by fool
ish war upon railroads gnd the owners of
railroads We drive capital into other chan
nels in preference, we shall have aggravated
instead of mitigated the evil.
He then speaks of the Mississippi river as
an avenue Of communication. The Govern
ment by expanding one=tHentieth Of the
money it has invested in Western railroads,
could furnish depth of water sufficient to
carry to the seaboard the increasing pro-
ducts at one-fourth of the present cost.
When l speak of the country, L mean the
East and West, the North and South. He
also advocated the tributaries of the
Mississippi river, and said the streams east
and west of the Alleghanies should be con-
meet d by canals, and mentioned the James
river and Ksnawha canal, the projected ca
mails in Alabama and Georgis, and the en-
largement o the canal between Lake Mich
igan andthe Illinois river, the Niagara ca
nal, and other enterprises of similar charac-
ter. In all these projects the East and
South are no | IS interested than the West.
Judge KeDnard.
Judge Kennard of New Orleans then
spoke of the distractions at the mouth of
the Mississippi rive, showing in conclu-
sive manner what great injury they are to
the commerce Of the country and how the
evil can be remedied by the construction of
the st. Philip canal, the feasibility of which
is unquessioned.
To-morrow's session will be given up to
general discussion. The excursion to
Texas will leave Friday morning early.
A Railroad Response.
NEW YORK, May l4.-The semi-annual
convention of Railroad Superintendent OF
Southern and Western roads, known as the
Railroad Association of America, met at
the st. Nicholas to-day. President Allen
said heir object was to secure rapid and
cheap transportation with fair remunera-
ton for those employed by the railroed
companies. Low rates must prevail, but
at the same time transportation must in
crease and Improvements be made in ma
chinery, with an approximation to double
track Of steel rails.