The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1874-11-17
ne Ra,,,..ore and Ohio Railroad

From the Balemore SUM- - ~
The New x ork papers of yssterdsk IN
have ccnsidsrabls 70 sayin regafd tothe
visit Of the great railroad M4gnass
Vanderbilt, Of the New YoSf Csp$ral,
Jewett ofth Erie, Scott of the Pennsylsi
vsnia, and others-to Baltimore on
Thursday, for the purpose of inducing
the Baltimore and Ohio Company to join
the Saratoga compact for regulating
through freight rates and fares but. which,
the Baltimore and Ohio consistently de-
clned to do, though consenting to the
adjustment Of commissions on tickets
and rebates on freights, abuses which II
has always discountenanced. The Post
says that Mr.. CARROTS advice to the gen.
tlemen who waited on him to abolish the
fast freight lines on the New York Cen
trail Ere and Pennsylvania railroads, il
sound and commendable. But the Post
NAV be reminded that there is nothing
new in this advice, rs it is the same that
has always been given from the same
quarter, and the roads generally begin to
realize that they ought to take it. The
New York Express also commends the
Baltimore advice, to abolish the fast
freight lines. and says:
"This is a reform in railway manage
ment which the Express has advocated
for many yeas, and we are glad to see
that there is at least one railroad COM
pany in the whose United States that has
| the boldness to come out in favor o. true
reform. These freight and traosporta-
| tian lines are nothing mere nor less than
leeches upon railroad corporations; they
swallow up profits which legitimately
belong to the stockholders. But the
great difficulty in the way of their abol-
| ishment is that they are generally organ
| lied and owned by railroad directors and
their friends. The representatives Of the
Eastern trunk lines agreed with MIR.
! Garrett. of the Baltimore and Ohio, in
regard to abolishing fast freight lines,
but said that it could not be done at pre-
sent. 1t ought to de done, however, and
if it was done by the Eastern trunk lines,
then MANY less important companies
would follow suit, and patient stockhold-
ers of some Western roads might be re-
wardcd with dividends. 1t appears that
! the Baltimore and Ohio is now complete
master Of the situation, and as 1t refused
to enter into the Saratoga compact, no
fear need be felt by merchants and pro-
ducers as to any high ana unjust tariff of
rates between the East and West"
The New York stock market lost its
firmness' yesterday for railroad shares,
and the Commercial AdrertiSer thinks it
finds cause for this, in the fact that the
Baltimore and Ohio would not be shorn
of its Independent powers ny combining
with other trunk roads in the matter of
freight. 1t says;
"The occasion of this may be, and be-
vond doubt is, traccablc to the refusal OF
the Baltimore and Ohio railroad to en-
terrain any proposition suggested by the
managers of the trunk lines, at meeting
ip Baltimore, regarding through freights.
This is regarded as somewhat untavOra
bic to the future ofour railways, as regards
earnings and traffic and IS strongly sue-
ccStivc of an eventual resort to cutting
rates. and is therefore likely to be attend
ed with serious results to stockholders,
however, much il may benefit the gener-
al public
The Baltimore and Ohio is, however,
known to be conservative, and while it
does not design to work for nothing or
ask Others to do SO, knows full well that
it is able to stand fair rates and make
money. There were intimations that the
other roads would do all they could to
embarrass the operations of the recalci-
trant corporation, but this will hardly be
attempted, as they all know the ability of
the Baltimore and Ohio to sustain itself,
with its great advantages of a cheaply
constructed line and low operating ex-
penses.
We all know that lis the mountain
would not come to Mohamet, the proph-
ct went to the mountain; so the New
York Tribune remarks, in connection
with the visits of the railroad magnates
to this city, that "heretofore people who
have had railroad business to transact
with the chief of the New York Central
railroad have been aware Of the fact that
he could be found at his Office in Fourth
street, New York, the meaning of which
is, obviously, that great change has
come to pass.