Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1881-02-03
A Question for Reflection.


southern members generally win oppose
all legislative movements that tend TO
augment the power and jurisdiction of
the Federal Government. The solid
south has 50 signally failed in getting
control Of the Government; failed when
led by Governor Seymour, by Greeley,
by the Sphynx of Cipher Alley, by Gen
eral Hancock, that it must now surren-
der the contest in despair. The absorb
ton of the powers of the great railroad
corporations by the American Congress
would create thousands of offices, in the
fruition of which southern Democrats
believe they would have but meagre
share. At present they win not favor
any such augmentation of federal pow
er. In fact, it is step that even Re
publicans may well hesitate to take in
view of the consequences; nor can the
wisest statesman foretell the end. If.
as cOntended by some, railroad eorpor-
atoms control state legislatures, buy up
our representatives and dictate our laws,
what will become of an average Con-
gress, environed bv swarms of railroad
lobbyists. railroad kings, Jay Goulds,
Cooks and Vanderbilts, with their gilt
tering millions at command, and the
members of this Congress at q distance
from their constituents, and where the
effect Of proposed measures might be
beyond the ken Of ordinary wisdom and
experience?
During what was called the = railroad
war" the prominent objections of all
classes and interests to the present man
agement of our railroads were fully dis
cussed and made public. In examining
this controversy it will be found that
the course and measures advocated by
one class, interest or section of the coun-
try, were the identical measures CEN
sured and condemned as intolerable by
another. Extracts from report of
legislative committee of the state of New
York, not long since published in this
paper, show that one of the principal
grievances of New York was, that the
railroads Disseminated in favor of
western freights as.against local freights
in that state. We well understand what
is meant by this discrimination. People
living near Chicago or Milwaukee are
convinced that freight charges should
be in exact proportion to the distance
from the generalmarket. The railroads
could well reply 10 this objection, If
you think that roads inside your State
line can do your local business cheaper
than we do, why not build them9 Our
trunk lines draw their sustenance and
vigor from thu far west-but for this, If
we were confined to your own State, we
should be compelled to add at least 80
per cent. 10 our charges in order to live. y
Now without this violation of the "rule
on three in making out schedule of
railroad tariff, the produce of the great
west could never reach the eastern sea-
board, and feed the furnishing beyond
the sea. And how could Congress
adjust such schedule as this; what in
fluences might be brought to bear on
this body, assaulted by lobbyists from the
east and west?
There is large class of questions in
which the interests and profits Of the
railroad are closely and wholly identified
with the interests, growth and prosper
ity of the whole country, east and west.
and those questions can be better adj
justed by the companies themselves,
guided by experience and the laws of
trade, than by any other tribunal.
The Brotherhood OF Engineers,
some $4,000 strong, also opened their
batteries on the railroad companies in
that exciting period. They denounced
the trunk lines for allowing what are
called 'rates or drawbacks TO local
feeders, such as our narrow gauge from
Lancaster to Woodman. 1t was sup
posed these feeders reduced the revenues
of the parent line, and to that extent
lessened the wages of its employees.
This would be true, provided no COM
peting line threw out feeders. The nj.
& st. z. Company has suffered an ire
parable loss in not having built or pur-
chased the Lancaster narrow gauge, and
IL il should suffer such losses all along its
LOO miles of road, the enforced econo-
my would reach its humblest employee.
The Brotherhood of Engineers did not
grasp the whole question. One railroad
in the present age dare not sleep and
allow a rival to steal near 100 miles
of the best territory tributary to it.
Shippers of hogs, cattle, &c, at the end
of feeder are sometimes so favored by
the main line that they only pay the
same freight as if they had driven these
animals TO depot ON that track. Under
such an arrangement the whole cost of
operating the feeder is borne by the
main line. In allowing this drawback
the latter line can have no motive but to
increase its business, or save its terrific
nv from the intrusion of rival Wheth-
er such discrimination is wrong or
right, the people who live along the line
of the feeder will not complain.
Says wagon-maker of this place; Il
paid 80 cents per hundred freight on my
iron goods shipped to Boscobel before
the railroad reached here, and paid to-
teamsters 40 cents per hundred for haul
ing from Boscobel here. Now | only
pay 30 cents per hundred freight on iron
delivered here in Lancaster.
Our law rightly prohibits railroads
from giving advantage to one shipper
over another from the same place, and
it ought not to allow railroad to give
advantage TO one place over another