The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1877-10-04

more Than two years EC Travelled twice Z
every day over portion Of the Mem
phis and Little Rock railroad, and OBJ
served this matter closely In not one
instance did he notice carelessncss or
Indifference on the part Of those in ]
charge OF the train, but, in every IN ,
stance, the moment the alarm was !
sounded the conductor was On the
alert, the brakemen sPrang to the ]
brakes, and, as quickly as possible, the
train was reduced to a speed that
would allow the animal to escape
oftentimcs coming to 4 dead halt, and
driving the endangered animal from
the track. But cases will occur i'll
which all the precautions in the world
could not save the animal, especially
ia the night Then who, in all fair
ness and justice, ought to bear the loss?
The old custom was Tor the road to
pay half the assessed value OF the ami
mai killed. Recently, however, "com-
panics OF protection" have been organ
ized along the different lines. They
employ Il lawyer, who, for Il given per
centage, prosccutes the company in the
courts for the full value Of the stock .
killed, thereby giving the officers a /
vast amount Of trouble and inconve- /
nience, besides a heavy expense, as
conductors, brakemcn, engineers and /
tiremen must leave their posts for days
to attend court as witnesses. The qUes 7
ton may be asked, ''Why do not the
/ officers pay the value assessed at once, |
without mourning the expense of q |
lawsuit? Simply because they honest
" feel that it would be gross injustice
to do 50, and a proper view Of the
question must convince any reasonable
person that they are right. y great
many entertain the crude notion that
in some way the railroad Is theavOwed
enemy Of the people, and cares for no
ones interests but It's own; hence they
III turn feel an enmity to the road.
This IS all wrong. The road and the
people through whose section it passes
are mutually benefited. The people are
benefited by the increase it gives to the
value Of their property, the convenience
Of having their produce shipped to
} market, their supplies returned, and of
> being able to travel with speed and
comfort. On the other hand, the road
Is benefited by the fare Of travellers and
revenue derived from freights. The
country merchant wants Il bill Of
| goods. Instead Of travelling twenty or
| Il hundred miles by private convey
, ancc, he takes his seat in Il comfortable
car; in a few hours he is in the city a;
at night he Is home again, and next
2 day his goods are landed at his door.
| The farmer wishes to rush his cotton
to market before the price falls, and
instead Of a two OF three days journey
with Il slow team, he rolls it on the
platform Of his depot, and next day
his merchant has it on the market.
r Fifty miles out your physician tells
, you your sick friend must have ice or
die In from three to eight hours that
=, luxury is laid at your door. Suppose
/ in such Il case you had no road. Now,
/ while dispatching your business III such
y haste and for remuneration so lOw-so
o reasonable that you cannot complain
suppose they Kill your COW or horse,
Z maymdably, ought they in all reason
L to bear the whole loss? You are mu-
c tually interested in and mutually ben
: Gifted by the trip; it would be asking
~ too much for you to keep up your
stock; it would be asking too much of
Il the road to keep your stock off the
e track. Who, then, ought to bear the
d loss 3? Manifestiya and justly, both par
~ ties. The benefits are mutual, and the
: risks ought to be mutual How easily
- this matter could be tested. Suppos,
q the road should say: $50 much stock
:, is killed unavoidabIy that paying hall
n value, even, eats up all the profits; il
i. viii be necessary to step running ant
tear up the track" What would be
u the result? Mass-meetings would be
II called, and the cry Of every speaker
4 would be, eve can't afford to give NJ
n the road; our property would dcprc
n ciate in value, good citizens would
10 move away, our country would be
ruined let the stock go-wc will bea1
> all losses iii stock killed, rather than
> give up our road" How many, d,
i you suppose, whose stock are endan
No gcred would cast their vote to let thu
road go? Not one in a thousand
Then, tellOw-citizens, as the benctit
'r are mutual and the risks ought to be
mutual, Is it right and just to harras:
/ ana Inconvenience the officers for full
go value III the courts, when they voluu
:. teer to pay one-half without trouble o
u delay? The danger, too, is mutual
to While your OK running ut laT-C Is II
1t danger Of being killed, the train Is ais
+ in danger. By getting on the tract
- he may throw the train of bridge, o
over an cmbankment, destroying thou
q sands Of dollars worth Of property, Il
5, well as precious lives. Farmers ar
r. not naturally unreasonable or unjust
be and if they viii properly reflect upol
= the ''mutual-bcnctit, mUtual-risk" prin
!" ciple, they viii surely see the injustice
Isl of demanding more than half the ap
ed praised value Of stock accidental
ry killed. 1t Is Il matter Of notice, toe
=. that in a majority of cases it some wa
- happens to be Il blooded or extra fin
," animal of great value that met it
et doom. The writer, living ut a poin
is where stock cross the track to 90 I
os their grazing ground, has had a. mac
., stock killed, in proportion 10 his pc:
sessions, as any Of his ncighbnTs, an
II, is willing to be governed by the Pr;I
~ ciple advocated above Further, tn
Ias policy OF demanding full price Is by Il
81 means sound. The people are clamo
,v Gus for low rates of freight and far,
OF course the more a road makes III
lower Its charges Will he; the heavi,
its expenses the more ii must chara
: for freight and passage. Some yea
since 4 gentleman, who took Il gre;
en- deal Of pains to collect information