Carson daily appeal. [volume] (Carson City, Nev.) 1873-1877, 1873-12-13
OF THE CENTRAL PACIFIC
RAILWAY

the California Legislature to look into
and report upon, 1.-THE transportation
question" Laying aside all suspieion
of the motives of SO facile time-serve
and special-pleade as Hen,y Elgerton
/ and assuming that he is actuatcd by
| conscientious desire to serve The public
| {rather than pettiiog Mr.. Booths case
for him, we will accept his profession:
at par and quote them at their nomina
! value. If there is any one question IL
which the people of Nevada and Cali
fornia are interested, it is in the ques-
ton OF facts concerning railway trans
portation, frankly and fairly stated and
given TO the public without coiolinG
from either side. Everybody knows
that the Central Pacific Company main
tain q rate OF way charges for the
carrying OF freights and passengers
largely at variance with the rates charged
for through travel: and it is this system
81 discriminating charges about which
there Is 50 much of faait-tind!ns. Now
leaving ont OF the question the many
abstruse theories and tine-spuu disSert,:-
tons upon The science If railway man
acement, (anl thase involve too pro-
found problem - be solved ty any
ether process than careful. dispass;oEate
study let Us deal with some OF the
possibilities and whispered probabilities
OF the Central Pacific Conipany's status
and current business. and then Judge Il
there be not need Of i careful aud calm.
and unna.t:z.n inspection Of its affairs.
The most important thing 10 be deter
mined is, l. the Congress of the United
States justified by existing G. cumstances
in fixing a reduced rate of passenger and
freight charges over this line; and if not,
why not? 1t IS generally known, or
held to be true. that the half dozen of
persons who are at the head of the Cen
.ral Pacific Company S affairs have been
made Aillionaires by their railway opeT-
itions. $50 many and obvious are the
evidences Of their possession os Srea;
wealth that it would lie preposterous to
Doubt their opGience.) But, the cues
ion Is, Is the current business Of
his railway rcmunerative TO It's
1vnSrs? Does it ''ray," even ~ tie
present high rates Of freight ard travel,
o rCn that road? ltot is the question.
E hen We Look 1t tie long stretches Of
rack that inverse I ta-san and Gcs9Iate
s..s:e-as, at long intervals frc:a HSl'o
O cE.eH-Fe are a.In~. .c.,..-- ...!.-!.-sa
ne low-spoken ass lion. That the SIS
eutat;on of tie compaD!'s credit is The
:hief reason why they are unwilling to
lead IL their scli-detcnse that the sparse
hess Of the population along the line OF
heir road compcls them to make these
ligh charges in order that the current
business may pay the current expenses
and that even at present rates The road
Ices no. pay. We suspect that this is the
ignorant as we are of what
he real truth may be. If, on the other
hand the Central Pacific Company are
making the large profits that they are
popularity credited with, then, most obyi-
ously is it the duty Of Congress to inter
pose It's authority and compel them to fx
their charges for way travel and freight
upon q scale of reduction which should
smaller profits to themselves
lnd less onerous tax upon the travel
ing and business community. In other
-ords. tie .fc:5- Miag. all round, should
= the purpose aud end Of any official in
7sssieation into the conduct CT this great
public highway. It is possible that
.hese Pacific communities ar, 30 charged
bv the critics and e::itmies of the Central
Pacific Company, forced to submit to an
unwarrantable system of plunder.-as 1t
is also possible that even with the
present rate of charges the road is barely
paying the current expenses OF running
and repairs, and that we, the people, are
merely paying the itigimate and natural
price of our comparative isolation. But
II, q y,anv.l.. ora in want of fair facts and