The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1877-04-06


age i' high. but that could hs borne lif Il was
equally di. i.tribotsd. so thss sash poijt on the
road should be made to CARR r. puksr share
Of the burden. Il is net the ~ but
the unjust discriminaiioA nade fh disll i6uiing
then that we complain Of, BY wAioh o
| large part Of heavy burden is taken from one
point and put upon the shoulders Of another.
1t Is not the aggregate amount Of freight the
roads receive that We complain Of but we think
1t too partial and unjust to make Shelton, Ssntuc,
Union and Jonesville pay over double the freight
that Spartauburg does, particularly as the latter
point is from twenty to forty miles further.-
Give us q pro rata saskatchewan if the termini
are given small advantage-and the Railroads
would hear no complaint from us but while the
| discrimination continues SO very unjust that it
| is driving business TO enc point and running the
property, trade and oil other interests of oil
| other points along the line of the road we are
compelled to oppose itwith all our might.
We take tho broad ground that the policy Of
Railroads In South Caroline has been suicidal
to their stockholders and ruinous to the State at
large. Instead Of so arranging their freight
charges and accommodations as TO B&ild up aud
/
spent all their energies in the vain effort to COM
pete in low freights with roads running through
other States, thus driving oil the trade of the
State to other Markets and forcing the freight
to seek points for transportation where compe-
titi0n runs the freight charges to the lowest and
most unremunerative point.
One would think that tho true policy would
be to build up the trade all along the road, by
offering every inducement to secure every pound
Of way freight at each point; to encourage tho
establishing of new business points; to induce
competition amorg the merchants at all points !;
to invite increase OF population along the rond,
by affording equal facilities for travel and bus-
ness, and to keep as much freight as possible
from Railroads that seek to injure other lines
by ruinous low freights. Instead of that the
policy of our roads appears to be TO ruin oil bus
mess along their own lines and drive the freight
into the jaws of competing lines.
Let US contrast the towns, villages and bust
ness along the Airline road with those upon all
the roads of South Carolina:
From Atlanta to Charlotte the Airline road
is studded with new and fourishing towns, and
numerous mechanical enterprises are established
|
tions, do moro business and contribute more
patronage to that road than any Of the older
towns between the termini of any road in South
Carolina give to the roads on which they arc sit
uatcd. !
On the othtr hanl we find the towns along
the Railroads in this State becoming depopula-
ted, property d6prcciating, trade seeking cheaper
railroad facilities end general depression among
oil classes of business people. There are no
new towns springing into existence, no new en-
terprises established and no increase of pcpula
tion encouraged. This it may bs said i.tRs result
OF The unsettled condition OF Our polfSIcarahairs,
scarcity of money, &C.; but, we ask, why do not
these causes equally affect the growth of the
towns along the Airline Poad?
No it is the policy adopted hy the Airline
road, to secure all the legitimate business along
| its line, and increase that business as much Us
possible by reasonably low and equitable freighs,
attracting trade and population to those towns
and building them up while the contrary policy
pursued by the South Carolina roads, of making
enormous and unjust determinations in freight
rates in favor of their tcrmin is driving the
business from their own roads, destroying the
trade of their ewn State and building up Au.
gusta, Atlanta, Charlotte and other Cities to the
utter neglect of the legitimate business that
should be secured along their lines.
What have seen the past few months? The
wagon roads running alongside the S. & U. r.
r., for thirty miles, lined with wagons hauling
cotton to Spartanburg, where i, is either ,hipped
| on the Airline road at moderate rates or by the
s. and U. II. r. at the rate of S43 car load, and
| those same wagons return loaded with supplies
| that had never paid q cent of freight on any
South Carolina road Now, suppose an equia-
| BILE rate of freight charges were adopted to
all points our r( ad. Our merchants
would then be able to compete with those of
Spartanburg. They could give as high price for
cotton and sell supplies cheap. There would
| be no imlucemcnt to haul cotton by wagon or
buy supplies at other points. Every bale would
be shipped on the S. and u r.. II. and every
| pound of merchandise would necessarily pass
over the same road, at fair prices.
Railroad magnates laugh at the idca of the peo
pie asking for Legislation to secure uniform
freight tariff, but the people of this State are not
the only ones moving in the matter. The Lcgisa-
lures Of New York and Ohio have now bills be.
fore them which provide for the appoint
mcnt of boards Of railroad commissioners with
power to fix the tariffs of freights through those
States, and they will pass. Wisconsin, and In
diana already have such commissioners. The
people are willing to pay the railroad AIT prices
for transportation of freight and passengers All
they ask is that all hands shall be treated alike.