The Arizona sentinel., 1877-01-27
TsE &AILR0AD BILL.

0 -- OupIC1i- Ullit 1hu VI more vits4 interest to the people, comes the Railroad bill. It has not get a=u explained to the tax payers of Yuma county, nor have their legieIators ss yet consulted them as 10 the most desirable course to be pursued in regard to t. Ws hear tbat the northern deleg9ti0Gs have combined to de- feat lr ees the Railroad Co. agrees Co adopt the 35th parallel route. n other words, that they propose t4 shut the 32d parallel door .n order to force the Railroad Co. tC enter Arizona through the 85tb parallel chimney-top. We c8Ca.of attribute such selfishness to tG3 northern members, and Wjil not credit the rumor till forces, tC " their positive action. b. entire bill is too long for the ! columns of this paper. In the main it is general railroad law, based npon that adopted in other Ptates, and to this extent should De passed by our legislature with. Jut quest on.
 Clause l4 of Sec. provides that the corporation shall have "all such powers as are usually requir- ed and eEercised by railroad cor poratiOus :" this is too broad and
 .aa restriction. Sec. 4 gives co4taln tights to appropriate na- tural Waters, and should be so re- srricted ss not to interfere with the requirements of mining and agriculture. The provisions for the condemnation of private lands should beamended, so as to afford more ample guarantee of fair treatment to the present Occu- ----s-r t5. fHTiithf-tth " ith these exceptions, we approve the bill and hope it will be passed 1; in this view we find most of the property-Owners of the county concurring. The points, on which the bill meets most opposition elsewhere, ,are, the claim of the Railroad Go. to regu. hate their own fares and freights below the limit of ten cents per mile for passengers and fifteen ] cents per mile per ton for freight, and request for assistance from this people in the shape of exemp- ton from taxation, until they can connect their lines with other roads from the east-such eXem- ton to be limited to period of two years at longest. We have no more right to dictate upon what terms a railroad shall carry freight, than we have to prescribe freight rates for our mule-teams, or to declare prices at which our merchants shall sell their goods.
 A Railroad Go. is business con. cern, and will be governed by business rules and experience for their own welfare, they will nev- CT raise their rates to such 8 point as to make them prohibitory. Their desire to increase their busi- ness and to make money is good 5h guarantee, that they
 carry our persons and our ,ds at rates we can afford to
 ay. The Central Pacific Rail- road, controlled by the same par ties as the Southern Pacific, is now carrying ores from Salt Lake to San Francisco for $14.60 per ton currency, over @ road whereon they have 10 opposition whatever. We cite this to show the folly of the alarmists, who warn us against
 be danger of not meddling by Btatute with the ordinary business fairs of other people, and of not setting q price on other mems la bur, Now for the other point of objection, Il has always been customary to foster 'n1 assist all new enterpri es Of thu ind with loans from u public purse; and |, experience Esz shown, that for every d0Iler 50 adval ced, the