The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1881-03-27
AMERICAN RAILROADS
Their Rapid Growth and the Prospects
of this Important interest-S"iue
of Railroads 20 the Country
Why They should be
EOstered.
Indlanapolis journal.


about ninety-two thousand miles Ia the
United States. VINO can state the enormous
capital invested in these 1900 miles ? VINO
can estimate the vast Losses Uf capital in
railroad projects, together with the misery
and poverty produced by tho losses! And
the losses Of capital continue up to the pres
emit day, when the fact is developed that not
one road in ten pays dividend upon It's
stock. In the past tive years, period when
most men supposed that railroads had ''got
out of the wJods" and were prosperous, We
find that no less than 22S roads with mile
age of 20 600 miles have goneinto bankruptcy,
and these lines represent capital Of over
ST, 236 000, 000--nesrly billion and quar-.
Ter. Nearly % per cent. Of the total mileage
of roads are involved in this ruin, and 1t
represents about 20 per cent of the total
railroad capital. But all this ruin to the
roads aud their owners has brought wealth
and prosperity to the country, It's farmers,
mechanics, laborers and business men. Ham
lets have grown to be nice towns, villages to
be tiue ciyes, and almost every iiv- miles, if
not town, there Is at least a station for the
accommodation of passengers AID ireighs
The most literally paid men Of any Glass, as
a whole, IN the country ar5 those employed
by railroads. No other business or enterprise
is 60 Liberal, or gives away 50 much, ~ do the
railroads in various ways. No other business
is so systematically blackmailed. No other
business is expected 10 b1be men to do
right, and no other business is 50 constantly
compelled to bleed at all points TO satisfy
city governments, state governments, county
officials, poiic9men sud prosecuting attorneys,
and yet no other invested capital in this
country has done so much for the general
public good and paid the projectors So small
return. A large portion of Ohio and In
diana would to-day be II wilderness were it
not for railroad investment. Towns and
cities that are now prosperous and count
their population by the thousands and tens
of thousands would be unheard of, or be
mere villages The fact is, that had it not
been for the building Of railroads in the west
by eastern or foreign capital, tho Legislators
of the west to-day would be engaged in
passing laws to
ENCOURAGE RAILROAD CONSTRUCTION,
devisng means for the encouragement of cap.
itallsts to come into the state and construct
roads. The state would tax itself to accom-
plsh this end, and if no better could be done,
the states won agree to exempt railroad
property from taxation FOR twenty years.
But railroad enterprise mas made this un-
necessary, although the investors have prin-
cipally reapet u loss instead If gain, There
IS not city ofnoto in either state which does
not largely depend upon the amount paid out
monthly blythe roads to their employees aud
the business men of sll these cities snow and
feel tnis, No legislation which will affect
railroads but will ia time sffect their en-
ployes, n. the wages OF the men depend en-.
tirely upon tho prosperity OF the roads, and il
would not take long for the employees to learn
who WAS the cause Of their misfortunes
The business men Of this state woul soon
feel the reduction, aud what may today
seem tho popular side nigh! in sixty days
become quite unpopular. Railroad compa-
MES should be treated Just as oth0r corpora
ted interests are; they should have the rec
essary power 10 perform their duties aud the
right 10 regulate their own business Just as
banks and manufacturing companies do. No
one con for moment imagine that railroads
are inferior 10 manufacturing companies rs
PUBLIC BkNEFAoToRS,
and yet how strange TO sec people taxed,
without complaint, an average of 40 per
cent by the Tariff, to enable the manufactur~
ers TO charge hlgO prices for their produc-
tons, but tho same people, through It's rep.
resentativcs and press, continually asking
that railroads be controlled by tho state in SO
far ms IN king of rates. Why docs not the
government set the price of pig iron, cast.
lngs, plows, cotton goods wooden cloths and
threshlng machnesg Why should an ice
company, organized under the laws Of q
state, be nllowedto charge poor humanity in
hot weather two prices for ice? Why shoald
coal companies, wood dealers aud manufac-
turers in z neral be allowed 10 pile up vast
fortunes IN few year,, by charging high
prices for their waresl Way does not tho
state or congress step In and by the statute
regulate the pricesY Some reply that il has
been done Blu! that is no just reason, and
does not prove tho principle CORE I. Then
why should railroads be An exception under
laws of other legitimate branches Of business
trading with the community II is said the
great franchise which tho stale grants TO
railroad companies gives the former con-
trolling right over the properly of the latter,
in fact, tie right Of conilscation,
when carried out TO ils legitimate
results A more unfair declaration never
cane from people. II the people of this
country had plainly sci up this theory \ ears
ago they would have but few railroads to-
day. a little reflection on tho part Of any
Just man will lead 10 tho conclusion that,
while the railroad g)t its franchise, II gave
more than an equivalent 20 the public by IT.
great improvement. Says tho lawyer:
"Look at tho fact that the state gives COM
pany the right to run through mans farm
cutting il in two" Iroply that
HIS FARM Is WORTH MORE
after the road Is built than before. He no.
plies "that tho farmer does not caro- for the
increase of value; that no does not want the
road TO go through his farm. but tho state
gives the company the right 10 thus tramplC
upon private rights, aud herein Il the IN sgni
ti1e of the franchise" Tho facts sro thai
The company does not hampo or abuse pri-
vale rig6t; itpays for land taken. and often
pays two prices for tho mesnest old ,umbed
Gown building ana other property, used OF
destroyed. but tho abstract right Of The
owner, that which ho Is compelled TO sell
against his will. IL no, taken by tho railroad
company. bu, by the state. II IL the stat,
which violates the private rights of tho own
crs, a d charters the road, not because 1t |,
needed by the roads, but because III,
public good demands II, and the
owners Of property do moi
yield their abstract rights, or private rights
TO tho company, but 10 the state, and the