Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1880-03-20

it pursues is exactly the policy of
all the railroads throughout the
country, and in many respects it's
policy is more liberal than many in
the south. For instance, at late
meeting of the Pennsylvania rails
road company, Col. Scott stated that
the income of the road from through
freight was only 81 per cent. of the
whole amount, the remainder beng
from local business. Travel on that
road or stop at any little town on it,
and the same complaints will be
heard that have been the talk on
our streets for a few weeks past,
and frequently heard along the line
of the East Tennessee road. But
we may come nearer home. From
Bristol to New York the passage
rate is so cents more than from
Knoxville. Is this no advantage to
us? From Bristol, or even Wythe-
vile, to New York, the rate on
ton of pig iron, or any car load of
freights, is as great as from Knox
vile to New York. And if any of
the discontinued be among the ex>
cursionists to Cincinnati, and they
will stop at any of the towns along
the Southern, whence the cure of
all ills is to come, they will find that
the same growing and cause of
complaint exist there. Even Lex
ington, with three railroads, talks
loudly of the extortion practiced
against her shippers, and late
articles in Lexington paper are
not unlike some that have appeared
in East Tennessee.
Suppose we step back twenty
years. Could a Knoxville live
stock dealer then ship his carload
of stock to Atlanta in one day, and
in three have returns from, them?
No, for they were twenty-six hours
getting to Dalton alone. If they
were shipped by rail at all, they
had to be unloaded at Dalton, and
reloaded ON a car on the W. & A.
road. A carlsbad of goods from
New York, via Norfolk, had to be
unloaded at Petersburg, at Lynch
burg, at Bristol, and if to 60 further
south, at Knoxville. Was Knoxs
vile any more wealthy or popoulous
then than she is now? A passenger
from Atlanta to New York, at that
time, however feeble, or i'll he
might be, had to change cars
at Dalton, at Knoxville, at Bristol,
at Lynchburg, at Alexandria,
at Washington, at Baltimore and at
Philadelphia. Now an invalid can
60 in the greatest comfort, and
without change, from Memphis, or
Montgomery, or Atlanta, to the
Virginia springs without change !;
or, if any is necessary, it is made in
comfortable depots instead of in
the broad, open air, under the glar-
ing sun of summer or the snow and
rain of winter. Call you this
nothing? Brains and capital have
done all these things, which can not
be appreciated by those who neve,
travel, and will not by the dyspep'
tic or prejudiced grumbler.
There is not single sensible
man who will honestly say that he
prefers the old rattle-trap railroad
known as the East Tennessee and
Virginia, and its connection, the
East Tennessee and Georgia, which
heretofore existed, to the rapid
transitand smooth-gliding coaches Of
the consolidated road of the present
day.
Then, and even as late as 1868
run-offs and accidents were of COM
mon occurrence. Now, with twice
the speed of trains and three times
the business, they are very rare.
But, to some facts and figures
Late publications place the sums
paid for freights by merchants Of
this city at $184,875 per year
The true figures paid by our mer'
chants are as follows: |."
Tn 1877 e-o one ~