Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1879-05-23

to ride in palace car. The dav coach
wherein lie can ride and save his cherished
two dollars offers comforts and luxuries
for two or three cents per mile as vastly
superior to the stage.coach IN which bis
father used to drag wenrily along nj the
cost Cf 10 cents mile, rs the stage-coach
WAS superior TO the oN.team. The pelace
Cur is luxury offered to those who choose
to pay n muderale price for 1t, but forced
upon nobndy. The law has no more right
| to seize that luxury aud give IL to the poor
man who wants il for nothing, than il has
to seize the rich mars house and present
| 1t TO the impecunious politian
Bu waving Tor the moment the question
uf justice TO the stockholders Of sleeping
car companies-in the Pullman Company
they number some fifteen bundled persons
it would be poor pulley for the law to
cut down the charges to an Improbable
biSis. Men will not furnish the money to
build and run palace cars merely for the
fun Of it. While the public nre not re-
quired to ride in these cars. neither are
the companies required to furnish them.
and they will not do it at q loss. "Poor pay.
poor preach" Cut down the rates at which
these splemlid cars can he run, and cheap
cars with hard hunks, tier upon tier, would
take their place. Then what \ mourning
there would be for the return OF the happy
days OF palace.cars 1t is fnreasier to pull
down than to build up. 1t has taken the
toll and study Of years and the eexpendilure
oI millions to establish the magnificent sys
ten OF sleeping cars, Of which the country
is so justly proud. Short-sightcd aud
foolish beyond compare would thn,e law
makers he who, To pander to popular self
islness aud stupid prejudice against cOrpo.
raions, should at empt to destroy it.
TO show how the question OF what con
stitutes reasonable rates il utterly ignored
by some Of the proposed lcgislal ion respect
ing sleeping. cars, we quote the rates de-
manded in the bill Of George f.. White,
now before the Illinois Legislature, and
compare them with tho present rates upon
which the sleeping car companies barely
earn interest on their money-on many
lines not even that. Ii is 10 Ih noticed
that the rates named in the hill are for
" tcentg toiV hours or less" while the pres
ent sleeping car charge is generally 50 Tor
night, or about twelve hours, aud dol
lar or so for the privileges of the car dur
ing the daytime. The present and pro.
posed rates wOull compare ~ follows:
- Present. Proposed Proposed
For "a hours. rate. ,otc. reduction.
SecIiom....... 600 1.50 10
StHte-rOum
Il berths). 500 200 rs per cent.
Such a reduction woull he simply con.
iiscntion. 1t would compel the sleeping
car owners either to run their paluce Mt
heavy loss or TO stop running them. There
is no fear that such hare Drained legislation
will pass.
The RdihCdy Age has no interest in sleep.
ing Car companies, except that of the pub
lie general iy, but as a representative of the
railway interest it does strongly oppose II
freak Of popular selliShness aud prejudice
looking toward dcprising that interest of
one of its chief attractions To travellers
the through palace ear, night and day,
service.
Innsmuch as the question OF slecping-car
charges is now somewhat prominent in the
public mind, aud similar bills have been
introduced in other States, it'wonld seem
emimently proper for the Legislature of H.
llnois to appoint u committee to make
thorough Investigation Of The whole subject,
and report the facts, 50 hat ne hastv legis-
lation should lie had, but that every mem
Der should first have the information neces-
sary to intelligent action on this subject
involving so many and vast interests Rail
Iruy Agc.