Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1880-12-20
THE NEW RAILROAD BcGY.

Our esteemed contemporary, the Coiusa
San, has frightened itself very mach by
new railroad bogy of its own invention.
Under the startling title, s. Breakers
Ahead" it warns the farmers to be on
their guard against the deep-laid scheme
Sc of the Central and Southern Pacific Rail
'sroad managers to obtain the control of
&c the wheat crop of the State" Accord
ing to the San, this "deep-laid scheme
exists in the projected completion of the
Southern Pacific Railroad to tidewater on
the Gulf of Mexico, and the carrying of
all the grain of California overland, thence
to be transported by swift steamers of
large capacity, to the European markets.
Our contemporary argues that if this pro-
gramme is carried into effect it will drive
away all the ships from San Francisco.
give monopoly of the grain trans
portation to the Southern Pacific Rail-
road and its connections, and degrade
the farmers into mere vassals and thralls of
the corporation. There is nothing new in
this kind of lurid representation, but
it is SO little in accord with the facts of
history that we should have thought its in
congruity would before now have become
apparent to minds so intelligent as that of
our contemporary. We do not expect any
regard for the truth from stump orators
and demagogues, and we are always pre-
pared for sensational and preposterous
statements and predictions from such
sources. But journals of reputation are
under some Obligations to their readers to
weigh their words carefully, and this the
Sun certainly has failed to do in the pres
emit instance. The Southern Pacific Rail-
road is commercial enterprise. 1t was
undertaken in accordance with that law
which invariably causes the most con-
venient and economical methods of trans
portation to be adopted eventually. There
is no power short of blind despotism
which can prevent the logical working
out of problems of this description in
these days. The great aim and tend
ency of modern commercial enterprise is
to overcome the difficulties which distance
and cost of transportation naturally place
between produce and its markets. 1t is
impossible that slower and more expen-
sive mode of transportation can hold its
own against quicker and cheaper one. 1t
is absurd to say that the interests of the
producer can be imperiled by furnishing
him with better modes of transportation.
If the Southern Pacific Railroad can carry
wheat to the market more rapidly and at
lower cost than ships can carry it from
San Francisco, it must be better for the
wheat-growers that the railroad should be
the carrier. But, says the San, when the
railroad has driven off the ships it will put
up the cost of carriage, and so grind down
the producers, and secure all their profits.
| No man who uses such an argument can
have thought out for himself the
conditions of successful transportation.
The Southern Pacific Railroad is
by the nature of its route put
in direct and inevitable competition with
the ocean. 1t is impossible that while the
sea is free such road can secure monop-
oily Of the wheat carriage save on the con-
dition of transporting it cheaper than the
ships. No matter how willing corpora
tions may be to take all they can get, it is
o,,+ 81 4lair ,,ooer IN c,,ol oircr1 m ~ apcar
to establish the kind of monopoly the San
fears. That journal appears to think that
the railroad could secure the traffic by low
ering it's rates, and yet retain it after it
had raised them. This is an irrational idea.
The open sea must forever regulate the
tariff of the new road, and the open sea
cannot be controlled by all the capital in
the world put together.