The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1873-10-17
From Old and New.
Warmers and Railroads.
By EDWARD SrANwoop.

they can. STOCKHOLDERS N fhllIOaur. tspoclail'
II thew are diyidend-paying roads, are largeI,
nersons who are on the watch for better invest
ments than those they happen TO be in, ant
they are AZ all times ready and able 20 sell out
Capitsl i sensitive; and if any danger threat
ems az enterprise in which it is engaged, it es
capes a. soon as possible. 1t is, therefore, safe
TO predict that whenever it becomes settled
with regard TO certain railroad that the state
will interfere to reduce its charges, the stool
OF that road will decline rapidly, that all solid
capitalists will sell it as quickly as possible, al
any price, and that the road Will pass into the
hands OF SPECTATORS. As al ordinary rule, i,
is safe TO say, the best paying enterprises are
those that are managed with the most prudence
To interfere With the management of railroad
is to drive the prudent men out Of Its directory,
and that, Of itself, Is calamity to the public.
Again. If charges are compulsorly reduced
below fair paying rate, that is, according TO
the estimate of railroad men,-the more un'
profitable kinds OF business will be abandoned.
OF course. il schedule Of rates we're TO be
made by some man, or commission, IN the
western states, IL the interest OF farmers, she
great point of attack would be the rates on
grain Then the railroads would naturally dis
courage the shipment OF grain. As common
carriers, they are required to transport all that
10 brought them but in practice, as Is well
known, railroads often lose business by neg
lectiug to provide for it; how much more could
they discourage it by legal methods II they
were aiming TO do so?
once more even that part Of the business
Which the roads might be Wiling TO do, under
the circumstances we have supposed, they would
do ~ tbe cheapest possible way 1t is well
known that the cost OF running 4 train quickly
5etween two points is greater than drawing the
same train slowly the same distance. nder
the new system. freight would be moved III the
most economical way, and thai would be ez-
cessively slow as compared with the present
speed At the stations where a small business
is done, shippers would be compelled to wait
until certain amount OF freight had accumu-
lated In every way the present discomfort
would be aggravated ten-fold
Now. this nay be q very sad state Of affairs,
or the reverse, according as one looks at it
road point OF view. Our only concern with it
is as n matter o. tact. Reasoning from what
We zee aud know, and only assuming that rail-
road men are like all other men. selfish, and
that they are gifted with the ordinary amount
of ehrewdness. We find that they are both able
and likely to defeat hostile legislation by adopt
ing policy which no legislation can possibly
reach. The farmers may claim a nominal victory
when tie railroads agree to accept the enforced
scbedule of rates; but the real victory will be
with the corporations il they should choose the
course above marked out as the one they would
probably pursue. And at this point occurs the
most dangerous phase OF this whole question
For there is nothing more exasperating than
impotence. 1t IL not pleasant to contemplate
the temper o. tho western people ii they should
discover that as long as railroads are operated
under any charter heretofore given, there Is no
possible chance for any further regulation OF
then business than the corporations VIII submit
to. Yet such IL the fact, and IN spite OF legis-
latures and courts, such 1t will remain, and the
substantial victory will always be with the rail-
ROADS, while tue legal status o. the railroad
charters and proprietary remains as now
1t is this fact, clearly perceived by a few, tina
has led to the advocacy OF a sys5ern OF govern
ment railroads 10y some OF the ablest thinkers
or thr railroad problem. And il would be a
complete remedy, if, first cheap iroights were
IL Al, 10 No nd
thu government could operate railroad moro
CO, apply than and as honestly as private com
pany can do it;-but both these points remain
TO proved. We prefer TO point ont what we
conc i've to be the fallacy Of the present moment,
N Thu hope that the people OF the western
81 ter may not come, III consequence Of having
greatly mistaken the needs Of the hour, to. a
p tut Of evaporation at which they will insist
II IN policy OF general epollatlon.
1t only remains to answer our fourth ques-
to Whether any OIL er policy than that pro-
p ed will remedy, not the evils complained of,
b u. tie real difficulty. Our view of the matter
TO nc remeded suggests the answer. The
tr ole being too little dversfcstiop of in-
d .ry, tie cure is to Diversity It,
the western states particularly, everybody
n surplus Of food TO dispose OF. Every
,munity as large III the northwestern states
ga a., for mere convenience sake, TO be self
ndent 1t is peculiarly necessary for the
to introduce greater variety Of INDUSTRY
occupation, not only for convenience but
stdbllsh home market. AZ present there
otcaily no market at all in the west, that
consuming market, for the articles winch
ges' produces almost exclus vely, because
eat majority OF the people have enough OF
articles for their own wants and good
more.
1t Is possible, then, the west should en-
+ 20 attract capital TO establish manufac-
AID labor IN the shape OF operatives -
q reyea states we have classed together,
ha., IN 1870, no manufacturing industry
= product in that year amounted TO i've
IA dollars another had but one swo had
out two such Industries; and Illinois and
,,,nri had seven each In all the seven.
rang mills were the leading manufacturing
onshments, employing. however, only few
d., aud not largely enhancing the value of
raw material and lumber, also necessary
istry, but not one that gives employment to