The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1881-01-24
RAILROADS.
LETTER BYTHR PRESIDENT or THE
oEAIRAL PACIFIC.
Some POInis ana OpInIOns on the Quu.
tiOn or the RiEht Or Legislatures 10
Control Fares and PFrIEhIs-
InIsFsstIHE RsHdIRE Tor
Oar Law Makers.

San FRASCEco, January 22.-Leland
Stanford, President Of the Central Pacific
Railroad Company, this morning in q
three column article, answers the question
propouuded by the New York B ,ard Of
Trade Committee on Fares and FreiRhts,
and also Judge Blacks opinion. He starts
out with the proposition that the Declare.
ton OF Independence clearly suunciatss
the principle that governments are insti,u.
ted to secure to the people their lie, lib.
erty and pursuit Of happiness. He con.
1inues; TarlGa and supervisious Of com.
merCe aud trade originated in barbarous
..ge,, and sPEaug from robbery and rapine.
II the question OF railroad control we're
threatened purely from legal Rtandnoint
he would have nothing 10 say, becaube the
essence 0t ownership 10 control, ard the
value oi property consists In profits de.
rived, de refers to the decision Of
the Granger cases, and saws there
was y violent assumption oil fact
70 sustain the ground taken that
the right OF the LRgh lalure TO
control the use and benefit OF he prop.
srty Of private individuals In connection
with their own personal services was 10 be-
deteI mined by the nature OF the business.
or the Number OF people With whom il IA
transacted. II does not follow that a
warehouseman does business with A large
number ot people. Que man might tax
MS entire capacity. There is, therefore,
no limit 10 the Courts power over indi.
yidualS, and such decision cOntrayenes tue
fundamental principles OF the Govern.
ment Stanford therefore asserts that the
granger deciSionS are q q grsnt violation
Ot the principles Of free Government. Il
was never intended this should be a
pafernal Government He then treats the
subject In its political and ecOnumical
aspects, and denies that railroads are
Punlic highways, but common carriers,
deriving their franchise and exist.
ence from public corporations, formed
by individuals. Stockholders con.
tribute the properly, and the Stale no
more creates corporations than IL
creates joint partnenbipI He as.
serts that 1t has never been lhe
practice Of the railroad companies with
which he is connected to dipCriminate in
ra'es 10 favor Of or agAinst any lOcaltles or
persons. They only consider their
treasury: They are sometimes obliged 10
carry freight for less money y long distance
than shorter, and do so because Il 10 bet.
ter to make Q small profit than none.
This 10 y universal business principle.
The Central Pacific Company also has
some regard Tor the development Of the
country, and 10 governed somewhat BY
climatic difficulties encountered in trans.
portation. However, railroad rates have
been steadily reduced, until they are now
below what even the New York committee
would have thought possib 0. The higher
the maximum rate, the lower 10 the pos
eible minimum Given certain am m1untt 10
be earned, and reduction OF the m ri.
mum necessarily increases the minimum.
The great efforts made 10 reduce rates. il
succeeRlul, would inure II 10 the benefit.
not the lsboring man, but IN husineeB
men almost solely would Il benefit b,lon.
ducer, not the consumer. He has no oi"isc.
tlun to Commission 10 inqprie into CUES.
tiong oi justice between carrier and phiron.
hut does object to Commissioners 10 exer.
else control Otthe property Of Others He
was not aware that competition Ia mainly
eupplanted by pooling arrappements.s
Pooling reaches only To through Eupiness
on a few roads There is no iusIice In
limiting earniDga tits the concern of the
c mpapies Themselves ard n0b,dy's busi.
ness whether the capital 10 Increased or
not, As to railroad com panies contiibut.
Ing large sums 10 control elections; that Ia
neither better nor worse than Tor private
Individuals to do the Ssme. II railroads
90 It, 1t Ia because aggression and self.
defense fJrCe them tO do It. II the roads
ate left untrammelpd there will be no
causs TO ask the NewYoik Committee what
TO do. The power oil the roads does not en-.
courage oommunism and antsgoniam OF
capital and labor. Communion comes net
from people seeking control Of their own
property, but from those who wish 10 cor.
troll and regulate the property OF others
and the labor Of others. What the com.
mittee seem to propose 10 communion and
Kearneyism itaeli. He discusses levisIaIiye
control OF railroads at length, and out.
lines the difficulties that would be- en-.
counteied In mileage, climate, cost, charac.
ter ot country, people. class OF goods
moved, distance, &c aud Gays such epig.
lative control would be lesR jret than the
rates of the companies themselves He
concludes with the reassertion that the
control Of railroads should rest with the
"wnera, unless an outright purchase ia
made by the State. He then more b,it ty
answers Judge Blacks argument, Hesays
the difficulties Of regulation upnn lie
ground that the Constitution piyes the Uni.
ted States power 10 regulate commerce
among the States a'e practically insur.
nnnntable, As barriers would be eiscleI to
0 nmefce between IL diViduaIs llyit D in III
ieient States that would not tKipt beiwesn
lpdlviduals living 10 The Btme State, IA
TO Government aid 10 the Central PAcjdc.
every dollar loaned by the Government
went into its construction, with a much
larger sum from other resources OF Ma
company. The grading Of the frst one
bundled and iily miles Of The road from
Sacramento City eastward was more than
sufficient 10 grade single track from The
Rocky Mountains 10 Tie Hudson river,
he reaseerts, finally, that any reduc ion
goes 10 the benefit Of the c0mpatitivplv