The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1873-05-15
THURSDAY. NAY IS. 1914.



The great problem which now
most engages the mird Of tho age,
and which will b. tho most prom.
incnt ono before the convention to
mcet hero mort Tuesday, il the
problem Of cheap transport. 81
lsntly but rapidly tho necessities
If our inter continental trado and
commemorative riscn above all thv
present possibilities ofsupply, leav
ing the bursting grapariss Of the
West to rot. and the food and
breadstufys 81 ,hs East TO approach
the starvation point Of scarcity.
Tho attempt 10 solve this para
mount problem by the agrarian
violence which you'd seize the
great trunk railways and force
them TO- transport merchandise at
figures arbitrarily fixed by inter
sstsd Judges aud assessors, is, 10
cay tho least, u desperate cxpedi-
ont, which cuts the gordian knot,
rAlhor than patiently unite ii. How
far. the people, actias legally
through legislative and judicial
channels, can sbsto tho present
ronoPolisttsr,fs Of these monstcr
CORPORATIONS Is another question.
and one which will amply repay
calm and statesmanliko reflection
and discussion, trAt30,~
II may BE- we'll, howovcr, TO 10
into tho convention with definite
Information as TO the various on
ginceiing schemes for providing
cheap transportation, and wc no
atise amongythesc tho much,ialked.
d project Of cheap railways, trunk
freight railways, etc. II ha. been
foroibly remarked BY Hol berl Spen
ster, the grent sociolosist, that, in
reforming bad syatens, mon al'no.l
always grscur to others oflno rn''r
mature, Involving similar defects
to thoss which they aim TO correct.
Tho remark will apply 70 the new
plan Of correcting tho defects Of
railway transportation, By new
railways, which, in tho very nature
Of tho case, can neyor moet q
conditions Of tho great cheap trans
perta,ion problem. We hear in
seme quartora rhapsodical advocacy
of doublotrack freight....railways,
with trains moving each way at in
tervals Of hiccn or thirty minutes,
and at.isthc low spced Of ten milcs
nv hour. Suppose wo had one or
two such alincs in running order
" Is very doubtful whether they
would suffice fer tho wants Of the
country, and very certain that the
tariffs would stin be necessarily
high
With halfhourly trains, moving
at speed Of ten miles an honr, al
intervals Of Ave miles, distin-
guishcd engineer calculates it would
DO necessary to keep on hand in
perfect repair, and use, for spery
ore kuu7rsd miles Of the route (say
from st. Louis TO New York; ! $50
freight cars and caboosce, $40 fro.
men and bralcmen, so locomotives,
50 enginemen and so conductors.
This estimate, remember, covers
only 100 milcs oil such double
track freight line and il We had
an air line from ST. Louis to New
York nearly q thousand miles
ne sllouId-bavot 10 maltiply each Of
these items by ton. This takes no
account Of the original expense Of
ponstrnction, or Of maehine-shops,
stations, engine-houscs, car-houses,.
stc.@ But ~ This optlsSef material
provides foribe transportation of
only 7,Oi2,soo tons Of freight on
each limo. which taking tho pres.
: cot surplos5 prddudercfatho West
demanding, Transportation at 2S,ooO,-r
oo9top,) ia too. small a. capacity
sSrahs immediate necessities Of the
country. md for the prospective
necossities 10 Wholly unworthy Of
consideration, Iars s,,, 4o,,.s,,.
q Moreover tho results. OF long;
continued experiment and records
show that tho best Bssssner rails
sdoruot outliss the service Of giving
transportation to q gross weight Of
a. - @r. 60 IL ~ -.