The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1873-08-15

by Legislation.
There have been many, and loud com
plants because the railroad companies
make what Is considered, unequal and
unjust DETERMINATIONS, between local and
through freight Some of these COM
plants may be just and well founded
whilst others mag be without good cause.
We are anxious, as our columns have
shown, for cheap transportation upon all
freight, local as well as through. But
the question is, what is the best method
of obtaining them7 It can not be denied
that it costs railroad companies much
more to transport and deliver local than
it does through freights. a train Of cars
loaded with through freights, that does
not have to stop at w2y stations to deliV.
er any portions of its freights can run at
much less expense than train of cars
which contains local freights. Many Of
the cars not being more than half loaded.
1t is well known to all who are ac-
quainted with railroads that in the trans
portation Of local freights, that If there
is not enough freight for any one station
to fill car it has to be carried in a car
THAI is only one fourth or one half full
thus making 1t very expensive to the
| company-the delay in stopping a train
at each way station for fifteen or twenty
minutes, or in some instances half an
hour is very costly. And, therefore, no
company can transport and deliver
local freight anything like as cheap as it
can through freight We dc not deny
but that in many instances the discrimi-
nations are made in favor of through
freight; but our object is to show that iC
would be unjust to require that local
and through freight be carried at the
same rates per mile. If the cars were
smaller and the expenses less, there
would not be that difference ia local and
through freight, as is now the case when
! the cars weigh sixteen thousand pounds
each, and often do not carry more than
six or eight thousand pounds of freight
The true remedy for these discrimina-
tons In freights is for other and cheaper
roads to be built, which can deliver local
freights, at less expense. The remedy
upon which many rely, that is Legislative
action, is of no value. Unless the rail,
read companies violate their charte rs by
charging more than the law allows, the
Legislature has no right to interfere
with them. If the company choose tC
charge less on some freights, than they
do upon others; if they agree to carry
freight 500 miles for as little as they car
ry freight 300 miles, they have the lega
right to do 80. They could if they saw
proper charge nothing on their through
freights, provided they did lot charge
more on local freigLts, than their char
tiers authorized. What would be though
Of the Legislature that would attempt t
pass a law, that railroad companie
should not give free passes to any with
out giving them to all VINO applied 70
passes; that it should be their duty no
to discriminate between members OF tn
Legislature and Judges of the court
and other parties. These are matter
within the discretion of each company
and they have the legal right to:charg
as little as they think proper on freigh
and to grant passes to whatever person
they may wish. That they always aC
right OF exercise due discretion in tn
one case or the other we do not preten
to say, but we only assert that the rene
dY is not By Legislative action except
, the granting Of charters. We can onl
= correct this evil by building rival an
= competing roads, which will cause tt
: present roads to reduce their rates with
out injury even to themselves. Thes
>. new roads viii increase the wealth, bu
mess and productions of the countr
and as the business Of the road increase
they can afford to reduce their freig
charges. This is the only remedy we l.
gally possess. Aud by the proper use
this remedy we can secure cheap loo
- as well as through transpor tauon.