Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1875-01-07

tallsts were ready to invest their
money before the indiscriminate war
fare against middlsmen and corpora
tons, would within a year or two re-
duce freights end fares by the unal-
terable law of competition The fact
is, when railroad earnings are reduced
in this way they will be kept down
70, ever. The Baltimore & Ohio rail-
road has done for freighters east of
Chicago what no forced legislation
could have done. 1t is not generally
understood, in reference to railroads,
that they are not independent, iso-
lated machines. They are, each and
all of them that claim to be classed
with the main lines, out the arms of
the great cities with whose growth
and prosperity their own is identified
1.-The arms by which these cities en-
deavOr TO gather in, handle and mo
nopolize the products of the West
The competition between railroads
identified in interest with Baltimore,
philadt lphia, New York and Boston
Is just as perpetual and relentless as
is the rivalry between these cities
themselves. The intelligent observ-
er must have noticed the like effects
made by st. Louis. Chicago and Mil
waukee, to extend their railroad
systems throughout the West, and
so near to each other that every
town of 1900 or 1000 inhabitants
could at slight expense connect it
self with competing roads leading to
each of these great emporiums Of
Western commerce.
When the railroad along the west
bank of the Mississippi reached
Specht's Ferry, it will be remember
ed, the Milwaukee & st. Paul road
lowered its tariffs on Lancaster
freights landed at Boscobel, so as TO
retain the carrying trade for this
portion of the county, and to wrest
it from the grasp of ST. Louis and
Chicago. This conduct of the cor
porations IL denounced as ubiquitous,
unjust discrimination. But in our
view this is natural, laudable and ad
vantageous competitor. What the
citizens of Lancaster and the SUR
rounding towns shonli do, and will
do in time, if they comprehend their
own interests, is to connect their
locality with lines of land or water
Communications leading to each of
these competing cities, and then we
shall have the cheapest transporta-
ton possible.
But the reneal of the Potter law
cannot benefit those sections of the
State whose Importance and progress
depends so large ly, in fact almost
wholly, on railroad facilities to move
their lumber, ores and other heavy
products. II the Potter law as they
claim has frightened capital out of
railroad investments in this State,
it's repeal woull not coax it back.
1t might be re enacted by the next
Legislature. Freights and fares
may be lowered the present winter
or raised as the legislative body may
think proper. The Changers say it
is treason to distrust the wtole peo-
pie. and the Legislature is the whole
people. Some persons are perplexed
with early taught distinctions.
The legislature is the aohole peo-
pie only for the purpose of MAX
ing the laws; and the courts
and iuries represent the whole
peopla in deciding differences about
the value of services rendered. How
much an individual or corporation
ought to have for carrying load of
hogs or cattle from Boscobel to Mil
waukee always seemed to US to be a
question to be properly determ ned
by the courts-by men who could
swear they had not expressed an
opinion, or pledged themselves for or
against the Potter law.
The HERALD has heretofore ex-
pressed the opinion that the rail-
roads could not recover, before any
impartial jury, more than two cents
per mile passenger fare from
Prairie du Chen to Milwaukee.
It. coull be proven that when
the roads publish to the peo-
pie to carry ttem at half fare,
the cars are crowded to overlooking,
and we think the roads would rea-
lie the largest profit from passenger
fares if they wouli carry at half fare
all the time If the Legislature
makes any alterations in the Potter
law this winter, we wish it wouli
adopt this suggestion. The blind
ness of the railroad corporations pre-
vent them from seeing their own
interests
EEOnr dispatches announce The
organization of the Louisiana Legis- |
lature, l.. A. WIZ being elected
Sneaker. There is q turbulent spiril !