Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1880-01-12
THE INCREASE IN RAILROAD FREIGHT
RATES.

Those whose only purpose Is W cIea'S
prejudice against the railroads of this State
have fastened to utilize the advance in
freight rates which took effect on the lst
instant, and have represented the measure
as being simply manifestation of greed on
the part of the corporations, The truth,
however, is that this advance has been
necessitated by the hostile legislation di-
rected against the railroads, and that the
public may thank the demagogues and
anti-railroad bigots for it. 1t is necessary
that the actual facts in the case should be
made known, for it is only thus that the
people can be brought to realize the mis-
chievous and suicidal character of the leg
islation established by the new Censtitu-
ton. Section 20, Article XII, of that IN
str7urnent prorides that /" whenever a rail
" road corporation shall, for the
"parpose of competing with any
common carrier, lower its rates
- for transportation ofpassengers or freights
g from ore point to another, such reduced
81 rates shall not be again raised or IN
creased from such standard without the
"consent of the governmental authority
" in which shall be vested the power to
regulate fares and freights." Under this
provision it would have been necessary Tor
the railroads to accept for all time what
ever rates the sharpest temporary compe-
tition might have compelled them to take
on the LIST of january. 1t frequently
happens when transportation is free from
legislative letters that the natural course
of business warrants the fixing of competl-
tive rates at standard which it would
be ruinous to establish as permanence.
As, however, the Constitution decreed
that whatever competitive rates were IN
force on the LIST of January should con-
tinue to be the standard indefinitely
and as in many cases this would
have obliged the roads to do business at q
loss, or would have prevented them from
reaping in the future the legitimate profits
arising from increase of traffic, they had
no alternative but to protect themselves
against injury by putting all their rates al
figure which afforded reasonable re-
turn. Be it observed that the Constitu
ton takes the power of fixing their owl
rates entirely out of their hands, aftel
January the first. From that time for
ward they are debarred from raising tn,
rates anywhere between competitive points
and it is perfectly apparent that though
the Consultation gives the Railroad
Commissioners the power to author
ize the raising of rates, the corpo
rations cannot rely in any way
upon this, since the Commissioners are
practically estopped by the very nature o
their functions and by their relations t.
the people, from consenting to such meas
ures. The trainers of the new Constitu
ton undertook to supersede the owners
and managers of the railroads in the con
troll of those properties. They interfereC
in the most arbitrary and autocratic man
/ ner with the natural course of bushes
operations, and the recent increase il
freights is one of the first consequences o
their policy. There can be no question
that freight rates would have continued t.
be governed by those natural laws whicl
tend constantly toward the reduction 0
such charges, had not this and other i'll
advised assaults been made upon the trans
t portation business.