The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1873-06-20

Railroad Determinations
How 10 prevenE them The
Remedy not by A4egEsEation.
There have been many, and loud com
plants because the railroad companies
make What are considered, unequal and
unjust Determinations, between local
and through freight. Some of these
complaints may be just and we'll found
ed, whilst others may be without good
cause. We are anxious, as our columns
have shown, for cheap transportation up-
on all freights, local as well as through.
But the question is, what is the best
method for obtaining them? 1t can not
be denied that it costs railroad companies
much more to transport and deliver, To-
cal than it does through freights. Atrain
that does not have to stop at way stations
to deliver any portion of its freights can
berun at much less expense than train
of cars which contains local freightS,
many of the cars being not more than
half loaded. 1t is well known to all
who are acquainted with railroads thet
in the transportation of local freights,
if there is not enough freight for any
one station to fill a car it has to be car
ried in car that is only one half or one
fourth loaded-thus making il very ex-
pensive to the company-the delay in
stopping train at each way station for
fifteen or twenty minutes, or in some
instances half an hour, to deliver local
freight, is very costly. And therefore,
no company can transport and deliver
local freight, anything like as cheap, as
team through freight. We do not de-
ny but in many instances the discrimin
atoms may be unjust and unfair, but
our object is to show that it would be
unjust to require local and through
freight to be carried at the same rates
per mile. 1t the cars were smaller, and
the expense of running the road less,
there would not be that difference be-
tween local and through freights, as is
now the case when the cars weigh six
teen thousand pounds each, and often
do not carry more than six or eight
Thousand pounds of local freight. The
true remedy for these freight discrimi-
nations 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 Legisla- |
tive action, is ofno value, Unless the |
railroad companies violate their charters |
by charging more than the law allows, |
the Legislature has no right to regulate |
their charges, or to interfere with the |
contract, made between them and the |
State. 1t is true they are to a certain |
extent public corporations, which the |
Legislature had right to control, but |
the time for regulating and controlling |
these corporations, was in the granting |
of the charters, and neither party, has |
right TO violate the terms then agreed |
upon, as contained in the charter. I'm |
til the railroad companies charge higher |
rates than their charters allow, the |
Legislature has no right to interfere |
with them. If the companies choose |
to charge less upon some freights, than |
they do upon others; if they agree to |
carry freight 500 miles for as little as |
they carry freight 800 miles, they baye |
the legal right to do so. They could, if |
they thought proper, charge nothing |
upon through treights, provided they |
did not charge any more upon local |
freights, than their charters authorized. |
What would be thought if the Legisla-
ture should attempt to pass law, that |
railroad companies should not give free |
passes to any without giving them to all |
persons who applied that it should be |
their duty not to discriminate between |
members of the Legislature and Judges |
of the courts, and other parties These |
are matters within the discretion of |
each company, and they have the legal |
right to charge as little, as they think |
proper, on freight, and to grant passes
to whatever persons they may wish.
That they always act right or exercise /
due discretion either in the one case or
the other, we do not pretend to say,
but we only assert that the remedy is
not by Legislative action except in the
granting of charters. We can only COR
rect this evil by building rival and COM
peting roads, which will cause the pres
ent companies to reduce their local rates
without injury even to themselves.
These new roads will increase the
wealth, business and productions of the
country, and as the business of the road
increases they can afford to reduce their
freight charges. This is the only reme-
dy which we legally possess. And by
secure cheap local, as well as through
transportation.