New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1879-12-01

SPEECHES TO TIE ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE
ARGUMENTS BY CHAUNCEY ". DHPEw kSD AS
JUDGE sErPgAN-frGIsIATfv INTERFERENCE

SPEECHES TO TIE ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE.
ARGUMENTS BY CHAUNcEY ". DHPEw ASD Ax-
JUDGE sErPyAN-I LEGISLATIVE INTERFERENCE
nEcaAEED To BT UNNECESSARY.
ChignccY ". Depew. in behalf OF the New
York teasrzl Railroad. and ex-Iadxr shipmau or The
Ere. made Arguments az the Chamber Of Commerce
before The Assembly Committee saturday Nj. De
pew continuing lis speccI 0f "a before SAID that
nicn fanis had been fcund with agreement medo ~
The four great trunk fines IN 1877 allow cents n
hundred POUNDS freight from The West Baltimore
aDd cents 20 Philadelphia. TIE criticism wss griust.
on an equal charge per ton per mile m 1870 Baltimore
Lnd IL cents tGnercd advantage OF Sew-York from
the West Tais continued for a tine md then the New
YORK. roads demardcd a mere equitable srraugeMcns.
and this bcrg refused fhe great railroad war begar II
lasted froa 1870 20 Aprl . 1877 when The agreement
described wds made IN the Struggle the New-fnTa
roads ~ eve assistance from The State Of lorh
or is merchants. Tie NcwIork railroads Old not feel
Ike making . struggle arau for the abolition or me
percentage The testimony showed that the rer OF New
fora was prosperous that 20 per cent 81 ile Ell re
afno nt % imports landed NJ its warvcs. LEAVING
only Il 10 De- divided the seaboarl cities
scattered along 5000 miles when the sTatst
cln Of the Produce Exchange had been Introduced 10
give testimony show the diversion OF trade, he
able 20 0uly one IT icle that had fallen IN IN cxp
taton, and HAT maze. This diversion Of maize
due 10 temporary cJusea
The panacca or rcforfncrs Mr. Depew said was D COM
mission 20 control the Tairoads There had been rail
road commission FOR year. the result Of IT.
work was not successful That should desire
its repetition a commission would be great expense
10 the raiircaf companies and would do good. IL
would be failure commission. in Otner states had
been. Tie railroad had the thought OF the
annual meeting OF the legislature constantly before
their eyes and consequently did oil they could 20 sub
due evils ana satisfy public opinion The press asked
he managers 20 preparc legislation ny which the statute
should BE m To run III
TO this point Mr. Oepew said We have had twenty
Ave years experience in the practical management OF
RAILWAYS but cannot frame that law, and n tho
newspaper critics, The justice o. whose criticisms IN
many respects admit viii provid, the remedy and
how 1t be done, and that II will not nic thousand
Ills for the benefit which 1t gives let them H.
ana me railroad. viii adopt II without the necessity OF
legislative Interference The railroad companies admit
50 10 lcisatc Ia impair the or the enterprises
limits OF what 70 may legally do, it cannot AFFORD to vi0-
Late honorable and reciprocal OOig ATOMS Whc seek
ng TO MAINTAIN oar vested rights neither DEFY TIE
state nor deny u large discretjOn bat We claim that
The testimony prove thar legislative interference IN
va3ay results In great loss and evil 20 the state and
injustice ara ruin 10 the roads Competition. the laws
Of trade the interests Of owners. the pride Of officers
the eyeTpreseni i0ree OF pu6ie opinion practically act
Ing rhc companies AT all times through the Legs
ture. makes tnat commonwealth the most prosperous
where the railroads fecaf srO restrictive legislation
or state Interference ~ their management"
ENJudge -Dlpman said fBat larce part OF the tesE
mOny taken was merely rumOr O. reports II minors
No legislation could be based rum.5r. The question
with whirh the committee bad to deal exceed
ingiy practical on- well an exceedingly difficult
one All railroad property was private property
and the question must be dealt with as affecting
private rights COMPLAINT had heen made about the
freight lines" The charge that they any
manner USED 70 pnt money nf0 toe pockets % the rail-
road companies was false The testimony showed that
these Outside pauics merely used 10 facilitate
the business u The railroads. Tie next charge related
stock proxies Neither MIR. Jeweit For the other
managers o! the Enc approved or practsed the system
of buying ami selling stock proxies Lamentations
al eyed decline OF SewYork IN commercial import
auce were common. II was indeed true that the city
once commanded the entire trade Of the West nearly
ali q IL But there was then no other means OF transit
except the NevYofk waterways The railroad sysiern
abolished ths monopoly. IL brought Bs,lamore, Phla
dolphin ana Boston IN direct competition with New
YORK. The Chamber of Commerce Aad complained that
Ncw-York was osug it, jobDin- trade. Tue cities OF
Chic1go . Loui@ ", CINCINNATI nai long before lai
their plans 70 gan independence OF NcwIOrk m respect
Tins. In Jaiy, 1870. Congress passed law autlOz
iu- the transportation 81 imported goods bond
from scaboard cites To the Western inland cities. 1hc
result that large and increasing lobuc Trade had
g"Wn up ia tle 81, ,ahSIhE Rieat cnahse ia sne
loo5ing trade OF New-iork-1 result VITA which the
population "a hafgei II tur iucreae IN IN population
BrOoklyn and Jersey CITY. iLs suburbs, consic-
OF her shipping Interests. Her foreign cOmnerc. was
carried almost exclusively IN Oreizn bottoms Not
Trade was owned or MANAGED ID New-York Tue Cham
Or OF commerce night Wen De employed IN entehVor
rllhcr fi~n gagged In fOmeniAy " Diiuf war on tne
railroads OF tr state Which are fe sources OF much
that remains Of her sipr. macy add pOwer.'
II had hern charged taat the railroads nl. diverted
portion OF the gram trade from New York The Increa
% The gram trnde OF Baliinurr ana Philadelphia
the special subject Of COMPLIANT disintcrested OBJ
server would wonder, NrV-NOrx had lost
mich. but that had lost ft.e. The opening OF
through Hines OF railroads mad removed the natural bar
riers other points, snd Given thcm account OK
nearer -nutcs 20 the sea- great advantages New
York Great sacrifices had been made by the New York
roads 20 retain the through traffic by lowering through
rates. Complaint also made against tho pooling
rangement OF 1877. The arrangement was not dis
cnmiuaton against NewIcrS. II had placed the trade
OF NeNYOrk N better position than Il had been any
time since rival roads through freight lines
The New-IOrk companies we're much Interested a.
the people IN having the through traffic pass through
fhc city.
morning.
RAILROAD ACCOUNTS.