The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1877-08-30

, i Ill ~ lVODA l. > IA ~ ~ ~ ~ l.
ish and very unaccomodating, and while
they might do great deal toward reme-
dying these evils, they are afraid to speak
lest they lose their position. Nor does
these evils only exist in South Carolina,
it extends all over the United States,
everywhere all over the United States
We hear the voices of the lawyer, doctor,
merchant, mechanic and farmer, saying
oppression, and yet until recently have
any of the States throug b its legislature
passed..any act regulating railway manage
ment. The Legislature of Illinois was
the first to move off in this line. Tom
Scott, 1.-THE Railroad King,) said it should
not be so, and appealed to the highest
tribunal in the land for redress, but the
Supreme Court sustained the decision of
the courts of Illinois, and for the first
time in the history of railroads in this
country has there ever been single road
placed under legal restrictions. Hence
the railroad managers have gone on from
time to time, taking one liberty and then
another, until recently in some instances
they have controlled the politics of differ
ent States, but, by dishonest measures,
they have managed to elect to office men
of either political party, (so they have
railroad men, and in this way get appro-
priations of large sums of money only to
be squandered. Our State has suffered
from some of these large appropriations,
and to-day our Legislature is looking
around to see if some plan can be devised
to evade payment. The railroad man.
ayers are a shrewd set of men, and you
will always find them lurking around the
Legislatures while in session, watching
every movement, ready to improve any
and all opportunities that may offer.
They proceed in this way. First, they
distribute to all the members of the Cen
eral Assembly, that will accept them, free
passes over their roads. Yes, they don't
even stop there, the Governors and all
the judiciary from the'highest to the low:
est. The editors of all newspapers and
their agents are numbered among the
"deadheads," and some instances it even
extends to county officials. While all OF
this is a right they have no one pretends
to deny, yet it is done for purpose, and
has its effect too. We don't pretend to
say for a moment, that any person,
whether State official or otherwise are
particularly influenced by these passes.
Yet, we all know that under such circum.
stances, any of us would feel somewhat
under obligations to parties favoring us
in that line, and therefore, would not hes
itate to take decided action, only in ex-
treme measures. This is one Of the chief
causes among many, why railways have
never been subjected to legal restric-
tions.
LOCAL AND THROUGH FREIGHTs.
In the list of wrongs under this head
may be mentioned the uncertainty Of
the time of delivery. When reshipments
are to be made, small lots of goods are
often switched off at way stations and de-
layed without justification. There is nc
redress unless at an expense greater than
the cost of goods. To illustrate, one Of
my friends ordered small package from
stone mandatory, the money accom-
panied the order, and he held in his pos
session bill of lading which was correct
The goods did not come for some time
After weeks of delay, it was found
switched off at back station. Another
instance a G. o. D. package to myself
cost $1.7O; charges $3.50; and I hold
here in my hand a bill of goods trans.
ported from Louisville to Greenville, zoe
miles, at cost of $22.l5; from Green.
Vile to Anderson, thirty miles, the cost
is $3.50. But to illustrate this point
fully and show the inequality between
local and through rates, l will give you
an instance of oppression and wrong
which happened in the State of New
York year or two since. Several far
mers, living in the Cheney Valley, neal
Elmira, were engaged in feeding steers
for the New York market. They bought
Western steers at the stock yards, in
Buffalo, 14O miles distant. After feed
ing them six months, they were fitted fol
sale in New York, 260 miles further on
This valley being on the direct route
from New York to Buffalo. The freight
rates were raised from time to time or
the local shipments, so that it actually
cost them as much to bring the steers
from Buffalo to Elmira, 140 miles, as il
would to transport them to New York
26O further. To obtain transportation
with less risk of robbery, these farmer:
learned the trick of shipping to New
York, with permission to take the cattle
off at Elmira to recruit, but paying cleal
through to New York. Of course, wher
they took off these cattle, they did moi
put them on again. When the railway
managers found out the fact, (these per
SONS actually paid through raets merely
to get cheaper local rates, they refused
to allow the cattle to be taken off at Ell
mira, although they were paid cleal
through. AS the result, these farmers
we're forced to abandon their special bus
iness and devote their land to grain
dairying or sheep husbandry. This il
not all. These same steers, when trans
ported from Elmira to New York, were
subjected to additional charges, more
than it would cost to carry them from
Chicago to New York, 900 miles. With
Sucu DuTutuS lupOoOu ~ 10 Sc@oJ ~ wv
that these farmers could not compete sue
cessfully with others two or three times
as far from market.
Similar burdens are placed upon man
ufacturing industries. Not far from
Elmira is glass factory, which distrib
utes its goods chiefly in Chicago, dfstan
little over 600 miles, by direct line
It is compelled to ship its brittle wares
to New York, paying local rates, in orde
to get the benefit from New York o
through freights. So the goods actually
take 600 miles more of transportation
returning by the same line by which
they were first shipped and right by tn
factory from which they were first start
ed, having already been carried almos
the full distance that direct shipmen
would make, and the trip from the fac
tory to Chicago yet to make. Therefore
we see plainly that the companies have
been forced to make exorbitant shor
rates to repay loss on through freights
1