Los Angeles daily herald., 1876-03-08
Areher's Gill on Fares and Freigh's.
From the San Francisco Alta, March 5th

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From the San Francisco Alta, March 5th
The bill before the Legislature,
known as the Archer Freight and Fare
bill, is a measure fraught with more
calamity to the posterity of this State
than perhaps any or all other schemes
of law that have been projected in that
or any other Legislative body. 1t is
no less in its immediate effects than
to suspend the operation of the rail-
roads, cause the rolling stock to be
withdrawn, machine shop to be closed
and some 5000 men to be deprived of
their daily business. 1t is to secIude
the whole interior of the State from
the direct connection with the met
ropolis, arrest produce OH the way to
market, isolate every farm in the
| State, send up the cost of supplies TO
old wagon rates, thereby reducing the
consumption of merchandise at least
one half, curtailing to that extent the
business of the city; reducing the
value of merchandise and the profits Of
business, thus fatally affecting the
value of real estate, the rental Of which
depends upon those profits. In short,
the welfare of every man in the State
is menaced by the possible enactment
ola bill beyotten in malice and lunch
ed ut the welfare of the community in
order to effect an individual result.
The whole world is yet thrilling with
horror at the atrocity which devoted
an ocean steamer and its living freight
to destruction in order that the schem-
er might realize insurance upon sup.
posed loss. This railroad law is of the
same character, but In its effect of
a more wide-reaching devastation,
since it strikes at the wellbeing Of
whole State, one of the largest in the
Union, and i'm which the rapid and
easy transportation is more vitalIy
necessary than any other The pres
ence of settlers to take up the fertile
lands and send their products to mar
ket is the great want. A system of
railroads has been developed which is
fast meeting every public want and
settlement is in progress which, by
swelling the business of transporta-
tion, is beginning to react upon it cost
in reducing the rates. AT such juno
ture the Democratic Legislature is
t. assume the responsibility ofsuspend-
ing the roads, discharging thousands
of hands, cutting off farms and dis
tricts from communication with mar
ket, and rudely shaking the value of
real estate through out the State. 1t
is proposed, by passing crudely de-
vised bill that will make the opera
tions of the roads impossible, to fol-
low the rejected legislation Of England
and most of the States Of the Union.
England, since the first railroad in
1925, has at times pursued that reguI-
ating policy, and has finally abandon
ed, ii for the reason as stated hy the
Select Committee of Parliament that
{" it is function which no Govern
ment ought to underlake,n This
conclusion was arrived at after the
British Company had expended $40,
900 900, or 600, 900, 900 in resisting such
futile legislation. The result Of this
was that this enormous sum WAS Gd-
ded to the freights and fares for the
people to pay-since there is only one
source of revenue for railroads,
auI if expenses are forced upon
them, tho public must pay. The
Ohio Com missionari state that the
nine distinct attempts at regulation
4" have been the most fruitful source
of complaint Illinois made the at
tempt and failed. Minnesota twice
enacted statutory regulations, and
finally repealed Them in favor Of the
common law. Wisconsin has done
herself more injury than perhaps any
other State by this sort of legislationi
and the Union has partaker of the |
damage, since no more loans can be
made on the securities of that State
or Oh any whePe the law strikes at the
security Of property. Wisconsin has
now repented her folly, and sulienig re-
pealed her obnoxious law, restoring |
the tariff adopted by the railroads in
1870 A long time will elapse before she |
will recover the discredit into which |
she has failsa. Ia this State, the com |
mon interests of the railroads and the |
people are obvious. The company car
ries freight through sparceIy settled |
regions at the lowest possible rates,
even sometimes at loss, in order to |
promote settlement and develop bpsi- |