The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1873-10-03

ana malpractice on the part o
their managers, is likely to con
denim equally and together boil
the blessing and the curse. Exist
ing roads, anxious to prevent thu
further building of competing
lines, favor this mistaken view o
the case. Capital is discouraged
Railroad enterprise has ceased
Each party blames the other, an6
the country suffers from CONNER
cial stagnation. Sure
ly it is high time for an intelligent
people to exercise in this matter s
wise discrimination; to judge be
tween q great public blessing
and necessity on the one
hand, and its perversior
into a curse on the other. Oh
course all the evils here mention
ed have a tendency to correct
themselves by bringing the manu-
facturer to the door Of the farmer
And, so far as the end sought car
I be practically attained in this
way, the tendencies of malpractice
en- the part of carriers are in the
right direction. But there is q
limit to the practicability of unit,
Ing agriculture and manufactures
in this desirable close proximity.
For example, iron must be made
where fuel and other requisites
can be had cheaply, while the ag-
| riculture which feeds the laborers
and the cotton fields which clothe
them may be far away. So, also,
the consumers of the products OF
the furnaces may be widely scat,
tered throughout the world. Nor
is it possible to entirely change
this state of things. Hence arises
commerce as legitimate necessi-
ty. And the public carriers of a
country are as necessary to its
prosperity as any other class.
1t devolves upon US then as a
people to systeDadtize and perfect
the business of building and oper-
ating railroads! Thus far our
efforts have been .frGgmentary and
without system. Such a course
SHOULD be abandoned and A GREAT
NATIONAL SYSTEM should be adopt
ed to take its place. All railroads
and all railroad operations should
be subject to GENERAL NATIONAL
LAWS, operating equally and justly
in all the States. Nothing short
of national law can reach the case.
State law has made and is making
the effort in several of the States,
but with little success. Under
the present local management and
local annoyances the States are
becoming foreign to each other,
and their interests antagonistic.
States situated apart cannot per-
NIT intermediate States to dictate
the terms of their commerce with
each other. Special grievances
are continually arising and mat
tiers are fast growing worse.
There is and there can be but
one proper and sufficient remedy
for these growing evils. 1t is this:
The wise and timely regulation of
the whole management of rail
roads by the general government.
Under that clause of the Federal
constitution authorizing Congress
to regulate commerce among the
States, wise and just laws should
be enacted, regulating the opera
ton of all existing and future
roads. This would give firm and
equal ground for all parties to
stand upon. Local annoyances
and uncertainties would cease,
capital would more freely embark
in railroad building, roads would
be operated on smaller margins of
profit, and a great reduction of
tariffs on trade and travel would
be found to pay.
But further: besides the general
control of all the roads of the
country, the general gov eminent
should cause to be built a few
great trunk lines, connecting the
oceans and lakes which surround
and enter our territories. These
roads should be built, primarily, for
military and postal purposes, but SO
far as not needed for these purposes,
be operated at low rate of char.
ges for the benefit of commerce
This idea of a great national sys.
tenn of military and commercial
highways, is not a new one. The
ancient Greeks acted upon it as
necessary to their prosperity, and
made the best roads they were Ca
pable of. The Carthagenians sur
passed them, and were the inven
tors of paved roads. But the Ro
mans far surpassed both these
great nations in the planning anC
construction of a stupendous sys
tenn of national thoroughfares
The public highways of Rome
made of hewn stone, extended
from the forum of the capital, in
all directions, to every extremity
of the empire. Some of then
four thousand miles in extent, il
line straight as the crow flies,
regardless of rivers, mountains o
marshes. The sea itself was blu
partial barrier. Reaching to TIN
farthest shores Of the continent
they were continued at correspon
ding points on the islands, through
Sicily, Sardinia, Corsica, England
and Africa. The extent of thu
Roman dominion was equal tx
that of the known world. He
existence was marked by decade
, of centuries. No empire know
} in history has surpassed her in ex
} tent, wealth, power or duration
Perhaps none have equaled he
, in the wisdom and renown of he
} civil and military administration
HER PERFECT SYSTEM OF NATIoNA
ROADS WERE THE VEINS AND ARTET
les OF HER EXISTENCE AND PRosPEI
TT! Gibbon says, "for their con
> struction mountains were TUNE
: ed, bold arches were thrown owe
= the broadcast and swiftest stream
r and marshes were drained. Thei
! firmness was such that fifteen Gel
: tnries have not been able to oblit
: crate the line of their progress
: They united the subjects of tn
: most distant province, by an cas-
3 and familiar intercourse; but the
f primary object had been to facil
s tate the marches of the legion
: nor was any country considers
Q as completely subdued, till it aha
e been rendered in all its parts, pc
8 vious to the arms and authors
C of the central government. tt
: advantage Of receiving the Garlic
/ intelligence, and of conveying o
It ders with CELEBRITY, induced Il
d government to establish regul
y posts, and by means of relays
Is men and horses it was easy
IF travel one hundred miles in q 81
l. gle day." Pretty good, certainl
1t for old Pagan Rome, before t