, 1874-01-20
RAILROADS.
An Argument in Favor Of tho Right to Gov.
crn Them by Legislature.
Alleged Itl-Results Of the Illinois Rail-
road Law.
The Difference between The Railroad Laus
Of 1owa and Illinois.

AAo Ulherence ls0tNeen the Ka1lr0nd LnWS
Of Town and Illinois.
1ho 1siEht to Govern Itailroaue by
1.cHlHlnttOns
| srn1Kov111E, IT,, Jan. II, 1874.
70 the Edftof " 1he Chicago I91tHns:
Amid tito worty warfare. In which afSIrnntionB.
aesefslone, ana fcasacrtona aro rifo, glnnce ut
aomo OF tho fundamental conscientious on
Which Is based tho right to govern railroads bv
Legislation, may not bo altogether without intcr
ost. Tho n1aaaes Of tho people usually anchor
their fath on inoxorable facle,-those that I,aye
boon demonstrated to ba facts graphically. or
WHICH neou no demonstration because common
sense anlrns them to be Buoh. Aftorward roa-
aon shows Why tllings aro so. We hayo now Ind
tho period Of assertion, and the assertions have
been made 10 frequently and strongly as to tndi-
cato that no logical demonstration Is necessary
to convince tho 1nany TINT the State has, Justly,
THE AUTHORITY TO REGULATE
hor syatcm of transportation, though the man-
| ner Of doing It may still DO an open question.
Tho Gnattor has now got to the stage wloroin 1t
will admit of rcaaon.
A brief atatoment Of tho facts and argument
in tile case would run thus: Land. togothor
with nil the othor materials aud material forGea
in Nature, is gratutous gilt Of Providence.
Value ia in tho improvements made thereon.
One kind Of improvements, in tho intorior re-
gions,-tako tho farm as typical of the class,-
| is dependent Oh another kind Of improvements
for its yatuo. oTle question, then Is: Must tho
ton thousand, who make tho improvements first
mentioned, bo totally dependent on, aud subject
| to, the whim and caprice Of the one, or half
| dozen, Individuals who chance to havo possoa-
SION Of the other clasa Of improvements, s,-or. to
| put II moro specifically, given 1alroad limo ?
Wo say,
| = UERTAI AINLY Norl
| Government is established to LOOK after tho iu-
! torosts that arc 10 vital to tho multitude. Cor
| tain portions Of the country must layo means
| OF transportation other than those furnished by
| Nature and, II private enterprise cannot sup-
ply this need with Justice and security 10 tho
many WHO really possess and make up tho
| greater part Of tho wealth Of tho county, thon
it is clenrly within tho province Of government
to supply this want, or give tho needed security,
| Ia aomo way. uouco, those who havo made tho
ono claas Of improvements justly claim voice
In the management which malscs their farms
| va1uable or valuelcBe. Again: those corpor-
| atonH which have made tho other class Of it'll
proycmenta wero grantod special priyiligos,
with the expectation that they would render
| certain benefits. Tho mnnn gomcnt being such
| ~ to defeat the end contemplated,
| THE PUBLIC IS JusT1FlADLE
| In taking measures to secure that end. And
again: special privileges should secure special
| CONCESSIONS.
But lot us 70 back and take more extended
] yiow OF tho line Of argumont. Perhaps it will
he most convenient to procccd to u BorieH Of
| propositions.
VALUE rs IN IMPROVEMENTS ExoLus1vELy.
| Though seemingly a curious fact, 1t lardly
needs moro than moment'a thought to sec that
1t is SO. The land wllero many Of III how aro
not long since was yaluoless. because inaccessi-
| Bile. As improvements wero made, as railroads
| wore couatfuoted houses built land broken,
fenced, drained etc, III homo -marketa grew up,
| u1d distant marhets were brought within our
| reach. and tho convcnicrces and comforts of life
! wore tnaae possible, by tho cxertt0n aud Toll of
| human beingHtiu short
| Az 1HE COUNTRY 'SAH IMPROVED,
! and, other things not interfering, just in pro-
portion as 1t was improved, it became valuable.
| For convenience these improvements 1uay bo
| divided into tWo clasaos: genera! impr0vonlentB
Including railroads. canals, etc., and auoh AZ are
nude for the general good aud safoty; aud speci-
tic improvements, including those Of more
! local nature.
Spec!do improvements pendlargclyon general
| Improvements for their untHe.
Or, to put tic proposition In less general
way. the value Of farm. n.produco, and consequent
ly Of the fam, depends largely OH the moa1,s Of
| transportation. 1lat tins III true, much owl
douoe could bo adduoed to provo. Imagine for
q moment our whole system OF interconmuui-
| cation removed. What would farms aud other
| property ba worth?
| THEIR VALUE WOULD slSK
to figure far beneath what it has already done,
aud the loom aud tho spinuiug-wleel wonid
| aguin return to evoty i'rcside. Each family
would supply it's own wants. Lu1uries would
half-century III trice. Now, as it old. tho cu-
tlyatod and more hjghly-improved PORTIONS Of
tho country would be coltlned to marrow bolts
around navigablo wn!ets, and our greHt, wide
| waste Of plairio would bo used only for pastur-
age Fortunately, we do not have to dopeud on
imagination for evidenSe Oh this point.
| THE FOLLOWING TAnLE,
| from recent Atlantic MonlItty, shows the reln-
improved lands In tho several States, during tho
d"cade ending. in 18a0,-.a ,poriod OF uniform
healthy growth, during Which there wore no dis
turbing Influences. The first column Of figures
every 100000 acraH of land under cultivation.
| Tile neco.ld column shows tho incrcase in va1uo
por acto Of the laud, as givon by tho ccpsuh-re-
port OF l4G0:
.,.iSs 1;ss as,ss ats 1asssa'; 9ssss:
| acres pcrac,f. acres. per acre.
XsT Xsr~sal q Sm s1t
ohio.. ........1..a 19.is| Wisconsin. lila ~
Michigan ....ll.0 ITO. Missouri 49,. III 495
Note tho uniform increase III tho value Of
land, Of about 81 por acre for every milo OF rail
| r0nt Dullt 10 t1o 1uu,uuV hcrc6 OF lahu uhuer
| cultivation. Tlore IL Que noteworthy exception
| iu tho caac OF Wisconsin, and that is
| THE EXCEPTION WHICH PROVES THE RULE.
There wna = lalge amount Of road finished at
tho ciose Of tho decade, which Ind not yet pro.
| duced ita effect when the consua was taken. II
other evidence woro needed to show that
speclle improvements depend on, general i'm
| pioYcmeuts for tloir value, the following would
for tue tnreo years, 1868, 1870, md 1871, iu New
York, was 81 25 cellts por busho' in Chicago 1t
was Ga}6. The difference IN value per hundred
pounds between tbs two oitios was ~ 1-5 conts.
The average summer rate Of freight Oh the
trunk-lines WAS 45 eenta per ceutal-Bhowlng
worry cono.usiyoly that our price Ia tho price in
! New York
/ 1EhB TIE COST OF TRANSPORTATION.
II that cont be diminished, it rebounds to tho
profit Of tho Western mat; IT it be incroabed.
corn, and consequently the land on which 1t il