Litchfield enquirer., 1873-09-18


 lican party, is of national importance. II will add greatly to the strength of the party in Congress who are determined tc bring the Pacific railroads up to a fail performance of their contract with the government, and to recover if possible some of the plumber shared among the conspirators of the Credit Mobilier. It is of further importance in that it shows how weak railroads are in square fight with the people. The Central Pacific had a stronger hold on California than any rail- road, or combination of railroads, have on any other State, unless it be Pennsylva- mia. It had the further advantage of con- trolling the local organization of the po- liticalsparty in power in both State and na- tion. Yet the very first attempt at stren- uous opposition has overthrown it com pletely. We think it safe to assume, therefore, without waiting for the result of further elections, that the railroads will not be able to offer effectual resistance at the polls to the organizations that are proposing to control future Legislation in the popular interest
 The main difficulty is, having elected anti-railroad legislatures, how are they to deal efectually with the evils that op. press the public? The primary grievan- ces in western states seem to arise from extortionate local tariffs. But the com panies reply with much force: 'If you lower our local rates we must increase our through rates so as to meet the defcien- cy. We can give you cheap local rates to Chicago, or cheap through rates to New York. just as you choose, but we. cannot give you both and live." No doubt there is truth in this claim. Railroads cannot compete with each other for through bus mess at unproftable rates, without mak- ing up the deficiency by over-charging To- cal business. That is the crying evil of the old system of competition. It allows to practice the crosses extortion on the helpless country along their lines, while the large cities, being competing points, get their fares and freights almost at cost. That evil ought to be corrected, and will be corrected, but its result will not be what the farmers seem to anticipate "a general reduction on fares from West to East, but rather an equalization of fares the West. i.i'i
 This seems to us most desirable re- suit, and one fully worth all the political agitation it costs. The present system of very low rates between competing points, and very high rates when there is no com is one that tends directly to the building up of the city at the expense of the country. It is swelling Chicago to proportions at the expense of the rural West, just as it is driving busi- ness from up country to the seaboard in Connecticut. It will be the first and one of the most important duties of reformed to correct this great evil.
 The tendency of the Western reform will be, as we have seen, to equalize local rates; but to raise the cost of through transportation. If that is to be reduced it must be by reforms in the East. Penn sylvania and New York seem to be the States where through business is most grievously swindled. Tie great Erie and Central lines in New York make charges that enable Vanderbilt to realize proba- ply twenty per cent per annum on the actual cost of the Central, while the Erie levies on the public for the in terest on the enormous debts corruptly accumulated by Drew, Fisk, Gould and the other swindlers who have for years mismanaged that road. Anti-railroad leg. islatures in New York and Pennsylvania would be justified in reducing freights on lines in those states to a point that would greatly relieve Western business; but there seems no present prospect. of any anti-railroad movement in tEose States. Perhaps some temporary relief will come through competition by water and by oth. CT railways; but shrewd New York mer chants, who show by their recent meeting how fully they appreciate the fact that they have a common interest with ths Western farmer, look to new lines O. through double track railroad to be uset for freight only, or to great government railroad from East to West, as the event ual mode of cheap railroad connection be tween those sections. While we can, SCI grave objections to the construction o railroads by government, such a roat must and will be built unless those nov existing. or hereafter to be built by pri vate enterprise, accommodate the publi better than they have ever yet done. Ii the meantime ought not the Eastern pub lie look to it that they have reformed leg islatures honest and intelligent enougl to work conscientiously and industriousl, at their branch of the great railroad prob lem? euiS3slaae si1sw Easte q z93fs fQs.
 .SaIi9a*a 5as
 A '"Twin Lake" correspondent of tn Berkshire Courier tells a story abou Salisbury that win perhaps apply t other localities: ses4 se,.4.aa.t. :. | Several years agoa popular preacher who can catch trout as well as the mex man, came prospecting about one of thes pretty Salisbury lakes, to find a spot fo | Q summer home. Of course he had n
 difficulty in finding sjust the place"-
 some 100 acres. overlooking lovely lak
 and all that; and of course he wake
 over it, with the rich owner tan ex-Go1
 or Judge perhaps) and admired it highly
 and felt that he was as good settled in hi
 new home. But to make sure of it he yer
 tured to ask the price? "'Bout ten thou
 sand dollars I guess was the reply s'Ten thousand dOllars?' said Mir Beecf
 CT, in telling me the story--'sHe mightaa
 we'll have asked me for ten millions, or l pay the national debt of England, c hur, Saint pass1su ah,4~eh s1r FftanxnriaIrs F