National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1874-03-27
CHEAP TRANSPORTATION.


ture of Mr.. McCrary's transportation bill is
the provision prohibiting extravagant
charges for the transportation Of cars, either
empty or freighted, over or upon continu-
Gus lines of railroads between the States
Its obvious intent is to secure cheap freight
rates for the carrying trade between the
producing regions and the seaboard mar
kets. If no other of the many commenda-
bic provisions of the bill were to be enacted
into law, this alone would serve as sufi-
Gent response to the complaints of the pro-
ducing sections against the rapacious de-
mands of the railroads. Its thorough exc
cution will provide against the possibility of
discriminating tolls, and so reduce the rates
- to enable producers to send their pro-
ducts to market free from the expressions
which now destroy all opportunities of gain
and virtually eat up the margin OF profit
between the cost of production and the
salable price. The farmers of the West,
the planters of the South, and, in short, the
agriculturists as well as the manufacturers,
merchants and patrons of the railroads all
over the country. will receive marked bene-
fit from it.
Take our own experience as an instance.
The merchants of the District compelled
as they have been in times past to submit
10 the extortionate freight tariffs of single
dine of road, were subjected to rates pre-
pared for the avowed object of discriminat-
Ing In favor of the trade and business inter
ests Of Baltimore. Since the completion Of
competing line there has been some change
FOR the better; but the autocratic or arbi-
trary power Of our tributary roads has been
such as to force their patrons to pay as tolls
for freight large percentage Of what would
Otherwise have remained clear profit, or
have enabled them to sell their goods to
their customers at cheaper rates. Under the
jprovisions of the pending bill the commits
sicners to be appointed BY the President
would be compelled to take notice of this
equitable rates, which would protect the in
terests of the people At the same time the
bill does not contemplate an imposition Of
regulations to the disadvantage of the roads
themselves, but rather to establish q reel.
procity of rights and privileges between
them and their customers. In short, it SIM
ply provides that the arbitrary power Of
common carrier corporations to impose ex-
travagant interstate charges shall be abol-
ished.
While the Constitution may indirectly
give to the States the power to regulate
their internal affairs, it does not give them
any power to regulate affairs which are
complicated by commercial relations with
neighboring States. In other words, it is
Competent that State may control the
Iates of tariff on the lines of railroads within
It's own limits, but Is soon as those lines
cross the borders of contiguous territory
the power of control over those rates is ex-
hausted. and it is plain that tie authority Of
the contiguous State has no control over
them. In short. the roads have In the past
been enabled by this lapse of jurisdiction of
their acts, occasioned by an imaginary geo.
graphical limit to defy the people from
whom they derived their corporate powers
Il would be unreasonable to assert that the
foads themselves have any constitutional or
legal right to establish regulations for their
own control at these geographical limits,
because they are mot endowed with1egislA.
live authority, and the right to establish
Uuch regulations can only be delegated by
ehe people to some representative legisla-
live body. It is therefore apparent that If
b. States and the railroads, The parties d.
..r<yw s~xn~>.<sd hsvo M control nvor the