Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1874-07-30
The Transportation Question.

We published last week a synopsis
only of the Address to the Country
by the Republican Committee OF
Congress. 1t is an important docu-
ment, and viii appear in full IN the
HERALE in due time. We regar'
that the views of tie commits" ~
the transportation question are prac-
tically sound. The ADJ ,ross has this
upon the subject, % which we cali
the attention Ct ne HERALD readers !:
Various exp odients have been sug-
gested tor lessening the cost of trans-
p0rtaron. In some of the states it
hes been proposed to place railway
fares and freights under the control
of the state. The objections to that
expedient are SO serious that it should
not be embraced If better one can
be found. This country is so new,
80 raw and undeveloped, the demands
for capital are so urgent, that any
policy which would tend to drive
capital from US should be avoided if
possible. The state is but the aggre
cato Of the people in the state. The
people are the purchasers Of trans
portation. The railway companies
have transportation to sell. The law
also holds railroad companies to be
carriers, and SO bound to carry for all
when the price is paid. 1t is now a
mooted question whether that price
shall be named by the companies or
BY the people, the sellers or the pnr-
chasers of the article. Which OF
these two parties is legally author
lied to fix that price is probably de-
terminod by the law under which the
several companies are organized.
Duo it'll e bon, oan in fact. fix il
is different question. 1t is manifest
that if the company be allowed to fix
tho price they may demand too
much. Vendors of all commodities
are very apt to want all they can get.
On the contrary, if the people or
their agents fix the price they may
set it too low. Purchasers are very
apt to want commodities as cheap as
they can be had, 1t is not probable
that either party to the transaction
would always hit upon the exact
equivalent. The consequences of a
mistake would probably be found
most inju ious if made by the people.
If the company makes the mistake
and charges too much no one is
obliged to employ it. The producer
docs his own carrying before the
railway is built. He has the perfect
right to do so after it is built. SO
every company is compelled by the
laws of trade, even if municipal law
is silent, to carry products cheaper
than the producer can carry them, or
he will not have them to carry. The
company must also carry them at q
profit to the producer, else the pro-
duct will cease. The farmers of Iowa
will send no wheat to Chicago unless
the roads will transport it at prices
which will yield a profit to the pro-
ducer. The carrier must earn money
for the producer as we'll as for him.
self, else he will soon have nothing
10 carry. 1t is absurd for the rail
WAYS to demand more for transpor-
tation than the producer can afford
TO paw as it was for the man in the
fable to endeaver to get two golden
oggs each day from bis goose. The
attempt to do so was death to the
roose. Under favorable conditions,
indeed, the carrier may demand and
receive moro than fair share of the
profits of production. When such is
the case. when the state finds the
producer makes but ten per cent,
while the carrier makes fifteen or
twenty per cent, it is very easy and
perfectly legitimate for it to say to
the company, "The work you do can
be done for less money. We will
pay YOU for your road what it will
cost to build such another, or you
may keep your road and we will
build another" So the people are
not helpless against exorbitant
charges On tho contrary, if the peo-
pie set the price and set it too low
the consequences may be graver.
Tho company has no option. 1t
must accept the price named or not
run. If the rates named will afford
slight return on the capital, exist
ing companies may continue to run,
but no moro capital will encounter
like risks. If the rates will yield nc
return the road cannot be run. Com
pany and community in that case are
alike ruined. This expedient seem:
to DO too hazardous to Adopt if a bet
ter one can be found. Another ex
pedient is to build q double-track
railway between the Mississippi anC
the Atlantic, over which any party
may run trains, and all trains TO rur
with the same rate of speed. This i;
worthy of careful consideration.
Raaobar-TiIfon