The Russellville Democrat., 1877-12-06
MUCH DOABOUT NOTHING.

Rock and Fort Smith railroad in it's greed and selfshness imposes upon the business interests to such an extent in the way of treights and the shipment of cotton that it is burn ing shame to the management of the road. Only . short while ago the rates from this place on cotton to New Orleans were placed at four dollars per bale, shortly after this the river with good rise alarmed the Shylocks and cotton rates were reduced to two dollars per bale to New Orleans. Since the river has fallen, up go the rates again.
 Are the business men so dead that they cannot see that the aim of this corporation is to drive out steamboat navigation and destroy their trade when the river is Tn good boating stage? We ask our business men to patronize the steamboats because they are the means of bringing the railroad down to living rates and our merchants who do not know enough about business to give them liberal share of their patronage stand in the light of thelr own inter ests. If forty business men In Dar- danelle, Lewisburg, and other towns on the river, would consolidate and form a joint stock company light draught steamer could be built and the trade wants supplied, freights be made reasonable and the investment made profitable. Will the Immi grant and Arkansian agitate this question and find out if there is not life in the old land yet. Talk 1t in public; talk it in private; talk it in your business circles and agitate it in your columns. We are certain to meet you half way.-Lewisburg State.
 It appears to us that the State is not only unnecessarily abusive and ungenerous but also unjust and un- business like in it's view of this mat ter. We are no apologist for unfair discrimination or extortionate rates on the part of any transportation company, be it a railroad or line of steamboats. We believe there should be wise state laws regulating the maximum charges for transpor- tation over the lines of common car riers in the State, and prohibiting all unfair discrimination between different points. We think our Leg islature has been negligent in not enacting some laws upon this sub ject. But we repeat that we think the State takes very unbusiness- like view of the matter and does the Little Rock and Fort Smith railroad great injustice in the above article. Competition is always legitimate, and it will always exist where there are rival lines of transportation. Would the State deny the railroad the right of competing with river steamers? If river steamers offer to carry cotton to New Orleans for Two Dollars per pale, does the State not know that it is simply because there is railroad running up the Arkansas River? Why not just as we'll say it is the railroad that has brought river rates down, as to say It is the steamboats which have brought the Railroad down? If there had been no railroad this year we have no doubt cotton shippers would have had to pay fully Four Dollars for every bale shipped by steamboat, and then they would not have had near so safe or speedy transportation as they get by rail. We cannot see wherein the shippers of Lewisburg, Dardanelle, or any other river town lose by the road offering low special rates as often as they sec proper. And for the road to go back to their regular tariff rates when the boats cease plying IS perfectly natural. For line of rail road having no more competition to meet than has had the Little Rock and Fort Smith Road we think it's management has been very fair and generous toward the public, and we think there is nothing Shylockish about it. The road has been great blessing to our country and we are to- day ten years in advance of what we would have been without it. The Superintendent of the Road has been just as fair, impartial and generous in his dealings with the public as the many obstacles always to be met in the running of new road would admit of, The Land Commissioner has done more to bring immigration to this section of the State than would have been done by the whole State and every man in | if withont tho road Rut inUratituQe