National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1874-03-20
TWO GREAT QUESTIONS.
ZEE AND THE GRANGER
MOVEMENT.

1NU UhEAl OUEOllUINO
TEE RAILRoADs AND THE GRANGE1
MOVEMENT.
THE EAST AND THE WEST SHOULD
>MAKE THEM FRIENDSHIP QCES.
TONS OF TRANSPORTATION AM
MORE MoNEY-A NEW ROAD s'u'
QESTED.
70 TIE Edior orthe National Republican,
SIN: The subject of transportation Is 1u" NOV
an important one, and there can De h'..e NoN.'
that It VIII increase in interest Is u oIsoasss1
Itfs question not to be decided hastily, ior On
IA solution rests. in . great measure, the pros.
nep,ty of the country. Its Importance cannss
EesiIv bs oyerestimatsd, for It must detesnAs
'nu..t,ons NJ the his hest moment between She
:NroTucer and the consumer. II II the link which
hinds them together, and the wise course WI b
that which arbitrates % justly between thsntAat
thu producer shall not charge 20 much foe his
products that the consumer cannot Afford 10 bay
fhem but must 90 elsewhere for his supplies, 1or,
on the other hand, should the consumer refuse TO
nay . price which would afford Q comfortable
living and profit to the producer. The motto Of
the four great sections Of the country should b
Live and Let Live"
The principal cause Of anxiety on the part OF
the producer arises from the imperfecttons In our
system Of transportation, but 1t is subject wnicn
affects the consumer in an equal ratio Win INC
producer for If the cost of transportation Is In
creased tho consumer must pay the increase OF
the producer must sacrifice his profits
This il particularly the case with the necesss-
res of life such as grain, fruit, WOOL lumber, &c.
In the Injuries of life the transportation and also
the tax either State or national, should De judi
oiously regulated. The tax should be 30 mgr On
the one hand as to produce Is much revenue Is
possible but not % high q to materially diminish
the consumption; and, on the other hand, not
high enough to invite fraud, or rather 30 low as
to render fraud Improbable. the Injuries ol
life are by no means Indispensable; they arc very
convenient, but they may be dispensed with, and
the tax on them might be 50 increased a. to
render their production almost prohibitory.
But the subject of transportation should be Of
equal interest to the people Of the East and those
of the West, and some plan must be suggested
whereby a settlement may be made OF the dim-
culties between the railroads and the Changers
As between the small ring of money-getters, who
try to control the whole railroad system Of the
country, and the railroads themselves, am most
heartily with the latter.
A comparison between the two interests makes
the money controllers appear small, indeed. Inc
railroads perform the commerce and Internal IN
tercourse OF all kinds for the whole country, and
have consequently become the most powerful anu
indispensable adjuncts of our national existence.
When the two interests are compared, how small
is the one and how stupendous the other when
We reflect on this how impossible it is to account
for the apathy which seems to have blighted the
railroad interest This interest larger than All
others of a similar character, cannot anofd 10 DC
subordinate to o capital that is but hundredtn
part of its strength and value.
The railroads are a power greater than any Of
a material character in this country. why
should they be controlled BY ring OF capitalists
whose only strength is in their assurance ana
audacity3 1t is beyond custom and outside OF all
reason and precedent. Even nature repels the
idea that the smaller shall rule the greater, that
the weaker shall control the stronger. It's wrong
in principle and dangerous in practice. II the
railroads continue to submit demurely to the
wrong they have endured, the injury to the coun-
try will be so great that quarter of q century
will not overcome it. Railroads are not aggres-
slve but are, on the contrary, extremely passive
when great events are occurring.
The small bankers, who represent few thou
sands of dollars, come to Washington and give
their styiews- before q committee Of Congress.
They talk with much pompous confidence Of
sfnance" and give their advice as to what Is
necessary to place our Government upon strong
standard of commercial wealth and prosperity.
They know as little Of the practical walks OF
business as they do about the life to come. They
pass their time In discounting notes, signing
drafts and receiving deposits, and yet they would
tell the country what is needed to develop our
resources strengthen our standing and add to our
material prosperity.
COMPARED to the hundreds Of millions OF capital
represented in every State in the Union invested
in railroads how Insignificant is the showing!
DO the railroad interests come to Washington and
demand to have . share in the government Of the
country or is the interest ever consulted a to
measures for the improvement, civilization and
development OF the country Never. And yet
All must admit how Competent 1t is to discuss
such questions.
What does the perfumed banker, In his car
peted office, making discounts and selling bonds
at percentage. know about the question OF the
Transportation Of pork, hides, or grain, or lum-
Der; the movement Of the crops and the import
ance OF intelligent Legislation on commercial
questions? In view of the fact, which q moments
reflection will establish in the minds Of all is it
not matter at once of surprise and regret that
the railroads have not laid their case before
Congress?
1t is their clear right and duty to do 30, for they
are of the people, and they represent larger
capital belonging to the people than any interest
in the country. Why should they not have
voice in questions of finance and commerce!
The duty of the railroads is plain. They should
combine their power, anu Win eNlucuCc VI tueiE
strength come to Washington and demand such
recognition as their unbounded wealth and re
sources eutitle them to. They mus: know that
Congress is already confused and demoralized on
the subject of our national finances. There ap-
pears so many cliques, entertaining separate
views that every question seems to stir up boil
ing sea of trouble.
The invention of the application Of steam as .
motor and of the electric telegraph and other
. modern improvements have totally changed the
modes the habits and the ideas Of life Of nearly
all mankind. Steam has done more than all the
others combined. Yet have no doubt that cleo
tricty when understood in all Its capacities, will
supercede all inventions that have preceded it.
Still we must look to steam rs the great civlizer,
the practical worker. The steam engine ID the
universal pack-horse to do our carrying. We
chain his iron feet to the track; We load and pack
his train with the weight Of mountains, then bid
him go, annihila.e distance and deliver our treas
ures.
By its own internal railroads has the vast West
progressed magniHcently; and as to some
proper communication between the West and the
East-St. Louis, Chicago and the seaboard-there
Is no doubt that the future and fair legislation
will determine whas is necessary. The farmers
in the Vest, however, should remember that If
time Is money, SO, also, distance is time; and II
they expect to carry their products as far as one
Thousand miles lOr q market, tney must expect,
also. to pay reasonable price for transportation
believe, however, that II Congress or the sew.
eral State authorities would give the right Of
way for a main road, with double track from
each place, reaching from Chicago and St. Louis
the two to converge at proper point, thence con-
tinue to Jersey City, any number Of railroad men
could be found to build such road, put II in
ming condition, and carry all the cereal grains
from those two points to Jersey City at ten cents
a bushel and one cent per bushel for unloading,
and the grain-owner to do the loading at his own
expense when the cars are supplied; -four to DO
carried the distance at thirty cents per bar
rel, and three cents for unloading.
This could be probably accomplished only IN
one way; make it exclusively o freight road,
make the cars to hold one thousand bushels each,
the same as q measure, let them be suspended by
wire cables resting on trucks, with wheels Of six
feet diameter, the trucks to run between the ends
of the cars, and not under them. By this means
each truck supports the end Of two cars and the
cars carried within one foot Of the track. 4 tim
Der or projection OF iron from the end Of each car
to the centre bolt Of each truck makes the whole
train like one jointed car, and prevents too much
lateral motion by reason Of the suspension on