The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1881-05-24
Governor stanford ION Mono.
D0HS4, ..--


New Yerk, 23.-Ths Commercial
Bulletin publishes . lengthy interview
with Leland Stanford, relstivs TO the re-
cent comments Of the Chamber of Com
aelcs on his letter. He defended the
Central Pacific freight determinations ~
follows:
San Francisco lies On beautiful bay,
aad is in position 10 command the COM
nerce OF the Pacific. Its merchants
can exast lower rate Of freight, and the
railroads are satisfied with the narrower
margin of profit, than in the case of Salt
Lake. Yet, in its turn, Salt Lake 10
benefited by the railroad. Its freight is
taken to the sec board twenty times
cheaper and much more rapidly than it
the road did hot exist. The merchant st
Rochester il obliged 10 pay higher
freight V the aeAboGrd than . merchant
At Buffalo. It ish Is misfortune thxt he
does not do business At TIE point OF Rd-
vantage through which most OF the grain
for the sssboAFd passes. His only rem
edy ia TO pull up stakes and settle at
Buffalo. But IL the merchant at Reches-
ter complains, what shall be say OF the
vast multitude Of censumersH Railroads
are not benevolent institutions, but they
are benedcient. Cheap transportation
for through freight has rendered stsrV-
Etien almost imposlisls. The few
thousands Of landlords 10 RcRland may
not like it, but the wat multitude OF con-
sumers the world over have been bens-
fitted by the system.
How about the determinations made
to individuals living ia the same locality?
Governor Stanford could conceive
circumstances where this would be
justifable; IS, when . competeting road
was giving cut rates, and il WAS neces-
gary IN seifadefenSe to do the same.
UBdsr these circumstances man ut
Chiea2o, for instance, might get cut
rate which his nsighbor might not eujoy.
but the governor could not see how the
practice OF making DETERMINATIONS
between parties living in the same town
could be justified, except IN special
circumstances. His road has never made
such determinations al any period OF lis
history, nor does the governor bslieve
that any road makes . practice Of dis
eliminating rates because o. fsvCritism
10 any individual. 1t is unbusineislike.
Does . banker loan money 20 friend
cheaper than 10 strAngerf Other things
being euusl Is It the rule Of business 10
show faIoritism in this way?
"How about the anti-monopoly move
ment?n- Gov. Stanford did not think il
would last much logger than the gran
ger movement did. Botn are founded on
false premises 1t is incorrect TO call s
railroad q monopoly. The. dolly real
monopOiies IN this country are those Gre
sted By the patent laws, for instance, the
haN u
Thurber (vho is so active in Aoti-mon'
opoly moTsmenO has psient for making
oieouaYRarine, and il be Eers 20 dishon
est as TO sell it Hs butter, no one coult
enter into eompetition with him. On th'
other hand, under the corporation law
| Of California, 8 fee OF $40 will pay 10
articles Of Incorporation, which viii en-
able a company to build . line Of rail
road ia the state parallel to his ewn
a stock company Is not eorpor
alton, it is . cooperation. 1t
| liable 10 error, of course. in com
mon with all such Institutions, but
Is mors likely uniformly just than
single individual would be- A rAilros
company lays down Tor the conduct c
/ It's employees, laws which the CONNIE
sense OF business demand. The employees
cannot aevists from these laws. The
are given 20 latitude for individual jude
mani or caprice 0u The other hand, ID
merchant is bis sWn master. be ca
change his methods and his rule At an
moment when passion, prejudice G
greed control him. So long as this is
representative government, 20 long Z
majority rules in the country, there ca
be no danger from railroad corporation
They csnnot exit ic sntAsonism 10 Ii
will Of the majority and they cannot VI
dertake as 3 minority, 70 override ID
wishes Of the maj rity. 80 -
Governor Stanford spoke brisfs Of Il
progress Of the Southern Pacific roa
which il proceeding 81 she rate of ia
miles day, and said that next year Ca
ifornis would be in direct communicAtio
! with New Orleans.