The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1878-05-04

an be made available Tor IKE pur-
poses. Now with these resources
md the apparent facilities for trans
portation, why is it that we are not
more prosperous? Is our pow
erty chargeable to the idleness and
improvident character of our citi-
zens? Clearly not, for nowhere Is
there a more industrious people than
in Garrett. They are steady work
ers, and proyident, doing the very
best they can with the tools they
have at hand, and yet the question
remains, for nowhere are these requi-
site conditions of successful effort
more abundant than here, and yet
nowhere is etfortso poorly rewarded.
We look in vain for any industry
that is thrifty or any enterprise that
returns fair dividend for the capital
invested-or that employs any large
number of operatives. People come
and try awhile and go away poorer
than they came, and our own pOpu-
latien are seeking new fields of enter
prise and labor. The reason for this
"dry rot" is found in the discrimina-
ton made against US by the b. Il O.
r. R. Company. 1t has persistently
repressed any enterprise from the
first day a rail was laid within the
borders Of the county till now. No
representations have been effective
to move them from their unfriendly
disposition and we now hopeless Of
any relenting policy Unless the West
Virginia Legislature shall compel
change.
Our fertile lands, our deposits Of
coal and iron, our lumber, our dairy
facilities, our summer attractions, all
fail to bring us any adequate return,
because the railroad policy neutral
ICES all these advantages.
If we wish to send car load Of
produce away we are compelled to
pay as much as from St. Louis to
reach Baltimore. If we wish to buy
a car load of bone dust to restore or
improve our lands we have to pay
double the price that is paid to
through points.
Except for this unrighteOus dis
elimination our county could avail
of some one of it's varied resources
and 90 to work with some hope of "a
return. Not satisfied with eXorbi-
tant rates for passengers and freight
the people are mulcted for the sup
port Of the cOmpauy's own agents by
charges called commission, Al d
our people are annoyed by these eX-
actions because they are manifestly
unjust and OnerOuS. With lower
passenger fares our county would fill
up in the interior with people of
modest means who cannot pay the
prices that the present rates compel
our people to exact in the towns adj
iacent to the railroad land with lower
rates of freight our produce can be
sent to market and leave us a paying
balance. Our coal, iron and timber
would all find workers, and labor
would be wanted at paying rates. In
old stage coach days our people had
a better market for their produce
than they do now and our old far
mers look back with longing eyes"
to the prosperity of those times.
Since the railroad came our young
men have been waiting for a prom
ised change of policy, so that with
lower freight they could from all our
varied resources turn something to
account. AS one by one they "come
to grief" they shake the dust from
their sandals and seek some "better
country" Our population is lessen
ing instead of increasing, and with
all these resources we are compelled
to confess that we are almost hourly
losing in prestige, industry, popula-
ton and wealth. What can be done
to change this result we cannot at
this writing say. But we hold that
a people who will sit down supinely
and put up with an abuse of this
magnitude deserve no better treat
ment. In our judgment there has
been enough of it.