The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1881-07-21
The Railroad Question

1orI bar. has reviewed the article OF
ilr. Edward Atkinson, published in
the journal OF the American Agri-
cultura, Association in which Mr..
Atkinson claimed that the great pros
petty Of the country at this time i
due to the railroads, that railroad con
solidatIon has promoted tlie public
good. and declared that governmental
supervision and control Of the roads
will be unjust to the Stockholders and
injurious - the business Of the roads.
To Free Labor and Free Railroads Mr..
Atkinson attributes the increase in
public wealth since 1869, and the in
ference is that by Free Railroads he
means roads free from all control ex-
cept such IS they themselves establish
and regulate.
The tables given By Mr.. Atkinson
show that the reduction in railroad
freigh:s since 1869 mount to 81, 10O,-
OC0, 900, but Mr.. Stuart points out
that it does not follow that this reduc-
ton OF charges has added an equIva
lent sum to the National wealth. II,
In 1869. ii cost the farmer 10 cents TO
produce q bushel of wheat. and 50
cents to get il to Europe, and it sold
there at $l.5O, while in 1879 it cost the
farmer the same sum TO produce his
bushel, and only cost him p cents to
get ii to Europe, where he sold it at
3l.25, he made no gain, and the car
rier made no gain. II anybody gained
that difference of 25 cents, it was
somebody in Europe who purchased
for $l.25 what he bought before for 81
so. If it were admitted that this reduction
OF eleven hundred millions of dollars
in railroad charges caused by its direct
effect an Increase to that mount Ia
the manufactures and productions Of
the country, the roads might claim to
be one of the factors, and to have
assisted in causing this increase. But
they could not claim to be the sole
cause. Various causes Ave cooper
ated during the past decade increase
Of population and of the capital invest
ed in production, employment of con
stantiy improving labor saving ma
chinery, a growing Interstate com
merce, short crops in Esrope. Our
country has been prosperous and the
roads hav contributed to this pros
perity. But there have been other
causes of much greater efficiency. 1t
is as absurd to give the whole credit
to the transportation companies as 1t
would be to deny them any credit
whatever.
But if we admit, for the sake of
argument, that the National wealth
has been increased by the amount Of
the reduction in Railroad charges, this
Iva. 40 rny chat tho roads rho
private property Of the corporators,
and that they have the same property
rights in the track and appurtenance
which the farmer has in his farm, and
the manufacturer in bis factory aud
goods. Highways are a public neceS
sity. The dirt, the turnpike, the
plank road, the tram road and the
steam railroad show the progress and
development of our system of high
ways. The purpose was the same and
the means were changed to accomplish
this purpose in some better manner.
The railroad has superseded the
former kinds of highways, and is the
principal highway of III country. 1t
is indispensable. We have nearly
100, 900 miles of these highways, and
are adding some ten thousand miles to
these lines at the present time. As
the population expands and business
increases these highways will become
more and more indispensable.
The railroad is the modern highway.
Shall it be a public highway Who
shall own it Who shall manage 1t
These are the questions which Mr..
Atkinson discusses, and he claims that
the public have no more rights Or gov
ernmental power over the railroad prop
erty than over the private property o
any farmer or other business man IL
the country that the railroad com
panies WI their property as absolutely
as the farmer owns his farm or the mer
chant his goods
The fundamental difference between
the farmer and the railroad corpora
ton is, that tie farmer did not take
his farm by force of a franchise which
gave him power to compel Its former
owner TO sell it at an appraisement. He
did not take his farm uuder proclama-
ton and promise that he took it fol-
public use, and could therefore invoke
the power of the public to compel the
owner to yield possession. He took
his farm from a voluntary seller, and
paid the price required, and he tool i
exclusively fol his w use. He had
no franchise giving him a monopoly il
raisiug his wheat, and he entered into
NO covenant in regard to how he should
raise his wheat, or what he should dc
with it. He owns his farm and cal
cultivate i: or let it remain unused
So of the manufacturer, merchant o.
banker. They do not hold their prop
erty under a restriction that it is hello
for pubic use, and they are not com
PEELED to let the public use it. Thu
only title of a railroad corporation t,
it's property is the act of incorporation
which is merely a license to do certain
/. things IN certain conditions. A rail
road franchise is often Of great value
and its cost the corporation nothing
To be continued.