The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1873-07-11

OF the national Indebtedness. The incep-
ton of the railroad enterprise, in this coun-
try, Is within the memory of the most of
us, and yet all this money has been raised
and expended, during that period, mainly
by Individual effort, without exciting hard
ly comment. The burden of national
taxation is, necessarily, great, because, in
addition to ordinary expenditures, the in
terest upon the public debt and portion
of the principal, has to be constantly pro-
vided for. Yet the people-the producers,
consumers and travellers annually pay to
these railroad corporations ten million dol
lars more than the whole receipts of the
United States, and forty-eight million dol
lars more than the interest upon the public
debt This, be it remembered, is the state
ment for the past year, and its magnitude
is being constantly increased, year by year,
as witness the fact of nearly thirty-threc
thousand miles of road completed in the
last ten years, and the enterprises just COM
pleted, and others in the process of COM
| pletion.
1t is this very vastness that has forced
railroad affairs upon the public attention.
One must be sorry reader of the signs of
| the times, if he does not sec that the whole
matter must be considered, whether we will
or no. 1t is true, too, that there is danger
in the air, at time when there should be
none. Conceal or disguise it AS we may,
there is more or less of monopoly in the
present railroad system of the United
State. All such corporations, however,
are not monopolies and in our future
dealing with this question, this must con-
stantly be borne in mind. Monopolies must
cease. If they cease, rings" as they
have come to be known, go down with
them. How this railroad question is to
come, andhow it is to be met, it is impossible
now to predict. The interest of the rail
road and the interest of the people are one
and the same and If this fact could be ap-
preciated and understood, upon all sides,
the danger would pass 1t is but uttcring
a truism to say that a railroad can not exist
without the support of the people, any more
than speedy transit can be obtained with
out the use of locomotives and cars. The
exact relation of these corporations to the
state, as a sovereign, and to the people, has
never, as yet, been determined We doubt
whether, practically, they could be operated
as "publc highways and used as we Use
highways, or as canals are operated If
they could be so treated. and a reasonable
profit assured to those who had invested
their means in the construction thereof; a
reasonable speed of transit secured delays
in loading, unloading and moving avoided !;
and the safety of passengers assured, the
whole difficulty would be solved the
interests of all be placed on the same
footing and monopolies, eXtortions, and
rings cease. The question of vested rights,
in any such attempted solution, would lead
to extended and almost interminable litiga-
ton, and it would be years upon years be-
fore the practicabiity of the plan could he
tested.
A healthy, continued competition might,
if it could be inaugurated, also, remedy all
existing evils. In taking this view of the
matter, however, the vastness of tie inter-
ests already invested looms up into r-a",;-
hence. If these interests should combine
to prevent competition, we tremble for the
future of our country. We have no fears
but that the action of the courts will be
right; we wish that we were as certain
that their decisions would be respected,
acquiesced in, and submitted to- Courts
must decide according to the law and con-
stitution. In the judicial determination of
questions, arising out of these compiled
tions, the fact stares us in the face, that the
people and legislatures 'oilHngy conferred
rights, powers, and, in some instances, ex-
elusive privileges upon NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
ing them into corporations-in order to OBJ
tain railroad facilities. In those early days
what was asked, it would have been grant
ed with avidty, if so be it could be shown
that it was necessary for obtaining rail
, road. An instance of this may be fount
} in the original charter of the Vermont Cen
trail railroad company, cxempting then
from taxation forever. Happily for Yer
mont, however, that clause is now abro
gated by the passing of the control of tn,
road from that corporation to the Contra
Vermont railroad company. So it may b.
found, in some of the earlier charters, tina
exclusive rights to carry passengers AM
freight, between certain points, were grant
ed to certain corporations. When the at
tempt has been made to provide for the con
) struction of competing lines, even in thi
i State, the application has been met by tn
: claim of ''vested rights" and an outer
raised against ''parallel railroads" /
would, in our judgment, puzzle wiser me
; than those comprising our courts, to dis
% cover how a parallel railroad could intel
- fere with vested right more than para
= lei bank, but the claim and cry has pre-
y vented competition even in Vermont
' This question, however, must, sooner @
= later, be met and settled. 1t were bette
', for the parties interested, and for the homo
" of the country, that it should be considere
: and met calmly, nationally and dispassior
ately. There is, indeed, no reason why
:, should not be so met and settled III
issue-as a distinct issuc-cannot be force
; home for some time to come, and, in tn,
time, let us prepare for the inevitable.
a contest where the tights of the people al
!, ranged upon one side, the result canno
:, even for moment, be doubtful. The SAT
= ty of the people has been declared to
y higher than all law, and SO it is, for COVER
= ments are organized to assure that safet
!" There ought to be, as we have said, no co
," test or question about it. There will
=. and can be none, if reason and comma