Eureka daily sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1871-1887, 1878-03-08
EUREKA DAILY SENTINEL.
FRIDAY, MARCH s, 1878.
FaREs me PREiGHTs.

FARES AND FRElGHTs.
Abiding to a paragraph in a recent
issue of the SENTINEL, the Siluer State
propounds the following:
Now, to encourage or discourage the
idea of making the question OF regulat.
ing railroad charges the leading local
issue i'm the next campaign, will the ed
jtor of the Sentinel give his views of the
question? He generally speaks right
out on every question of interest to the
public, and it Is to be hoped that he
will do so on this. That the discrim-
,nation In charges, which enables San
Francisco merchants to ship goods
through Nevada to tide at less
rates than they are delivered at Elko,
Winnemucca or Reno, ought to be pre-
vented by legislation, will scarcely be
disputed, except by the Railroad
COMPANY, and it is difficult to name
a popular measure that they are not
prepared to dispute aud oppose.
We have no objection to express
sing our views on this or any other
subject of public interest. -Four
years ago, in the Senate of this State.
we devoted much attention to the
question OF fares and freights, and
tried earnestly to get at the bottom
facts of the whole business. The de-
cision of the Supreme Court of the
United States establishing the abso
lutte power of State Legislatures over
the subject had not then been pro-
mulgated. We were nevertheless sat
isfied that the necessary authority re
sided in the State, and we felt anx
ious that it should be exercised, but
when we came to investigate the state
of the case as applicable to Nevada. we
found that, little or no practical good
would flow from local legislation. The
trouble is. that tie amount Of freight
taken up at q point in Nevada and
put down at another point in Nevada
is very limited. Our supplies all come
from beyond our boundaries. Take
the Eastern end for examples: A low
freight rate, fixed by Nevada, could be
enforced only to the State line. With
out similar restrictions in Utah, Wyo
ming, Nebraska, and so on to the great
cities of the East, a Nevada statute
would practically amount to nothing.
If the local or State plan of regulating
charges be relied upon, it is thus shown
that the concurrence Of q half dozen
States and Territories becomes a vital
necessity. ANY one along the line
falling defeats the whole scheme, be-
cause for that portion of the road where
NO restrictions as to rates we're imposed
the companies could, and doubtless
would, manage to so mark up the
tariff as to make the average cost pre-
cisely the sane as now. Uniform
legislation in all of the States and Ter.
ritories through which the road passes
would certainly cure the evil COM
planned of, but il 1t at all likely thai
this could be secured? With some
knowledge of the power OF the great
monopoly, we think not. What istrue
Ol tue CASE " tuo IIdSt Whtu, 81 idi ds
Nevada is concerned, is also true as
relating to the California end. If Cali
fornia failed to cut down, Nevada could
not benefit herself by a reduction, as ii
would not be operative beyond the
Summit, and the company could easily
advance its charges sufficiently for that
part of the road on California soil to
make up the difference. What is here
said of the freighting interests is equally
applicable to passenger rates.
But there is also another phase Of
the question which, in a spirit of per
feet fairness, deserves to be stated. II
Is to De remembered that the Central
Pacific Railroad Company control
scarcely one third of the line between
San Francisco and the Eastern mar
kets. The Central people claim, and
we believe honestly, that the Eastern
roads refuse 10 acknowledge any com
petition save from tide-water; that is
to say, hat they will contract with
shippers to land freight at Sacramento
that being the point recognized as
tide. water, and not San Francisco, as
is enormously supposed-at the same
figures as is charged by water crafts
for bringing the same class Of freight
around the Horn. All intermediate
points east of Sacramento are therefore
treated as way stations, and way rates
accordingly charged. Hence it is that
the Central passes right by u doors
with our goods, landing them at Sac
ramento; from which point they are
returned to Nevada. They assert. and
show it by their schedules, that the
people of Nevada are benefited by this
practice; that the saving made on
through rates than c~ompensates
for the cost of return from Sacramento
70 any point in Nevada. The question
then comes down to this: Do they tell
the truth. If yes, why then they are
doing the best they can under the cir
cumstances for the people Of this State.