The New York herald., 1874-12-04
The Tr.nsport.tien Question.

The Cheap Transportation Convention
which has been in session at Richmond does
not seem TO have had much practical value,
although the debates are interesting. The
value Of conventions of this kind is not 80
much in what they do as what they say. II
is impossible for company of able men, who
have special knowledge on any subject to
assemble without throwing light upon it
This question of transportation largely con-
prodigious growth of New York is due to the
genius which inspired the Erie Canal and
there is no element in reconstruction so valu-
able as the proposal to open up lines Of com.
munication in the Southern States. Whoever
connects Virginia, for instance, with the West
by . shorter route than any now existing will
| confer upon the people Of that State the
greatest benefit
One of the gentlemen-a Mr.. Southall, OF
Virginia-presented report in which he
argued against the idea that railroads would
answer for heavy transportation, and insisted
! on four great water routes-the first, the con-
nection of the city with the great lakes the
second, central route between the Ohio
River and the Chesapeake Bay, via the James
River ard the Kanawha Canal third, the
opening of the Tennessee and Georgia Canal !;
fourth, the improvement of the Mississippi
River. Much has been said in favor of these
two plans Of transportation, bgt the balance
of argument would seem to rest in favor Of
the railway.
The mistake of part of the members of this
Convention is to insist upon Congress sub
sidizing certain railroads; nor do we think it
wise for them to discuss the question of
national interference in railway traffic. 1t
would be great misfortune for Congress to
enter into any scheme for snbsidizing the
proposed railways to the Pacific. We can
understand that such measure could be
passed under pressure, and that the dominant
elements in Congress in the last days Of the
term, with no hope of returning to power,
might rush through the required bills
Nothing would be more certain to destroy the
republican party than the passage Of these
measures, not SO much that we do not
desire the building of the Pacific railways, and
as many railways as the country needs, but
the time has not yet come. A railway run
ming through the wilderness, from nowhere to
nowhere, without population to support it,
without agriculture to give it traffic, seems
an idle waste of money. Our experience with
the present Pacific Railway has not been cal
culated TO increase our confidence in corpo-
rations. The developments of the Credit
Mobilier affair showed that it was possible
for the highest intellects in Congress to be vir-
tually bribed into silently acquiescing in q
scheme Of robbery. What assurance can we
have that the men controlling these Northern
and Southern Pacific railways would deal
with the government in franker spirit than
the men who control the present enterprises
However, the whole question is one of trans
cendent importance. There can be no harm in
giving it the widest discussion. It is one Of
those things to which we had better grow in
the natural process of events than seek to
anticipate bya premature, artificial and forced
legislation.