The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1881-11-20

Competing Lines which do not
Cheaper TranspOrtation-.L Land
-SpsculatiOa-A Plea,
sure Reute to the Vel.
l0Wstone Park.
Z W. SODA 6PRINGs, Idaho,
October %, 1881.

Rule the whole world from cline to
cline,
was the prophetic inspiration OF the
poet, or 30 it might have been con-
sidered had he bes1 an American
who terms a railway carriage car.
The cars do not exactly rule She
world, but the railway kings de
govern it, and We. the people. submit
to their dictation, although sometimes
with grumbling. We are not oppres-
sed unless it be by our own choice.
We are not Obliged to buy railroad
bonds at from twice to four times
their value. or to speculate in their
stocks in Wall street. When these
glaring sWindles are exposed, ss they
have been in the columns Of toe
Ersning Post, there should be no SYM
patty for those Who neglect taking
hood advice.
But ia this era what would We, the
people, do without railroads? We
have still our horses and our legs that
will = us ss far as We could ad-
vance by such locomotion fifty years
ago. We are stiIl at liberty to use
item, for the railway kings do not
force us to travel by their conveyan-
ces. We areGstill free but we pc moi:
choose to exercise our freedom.
There is one popularity about rail
road enterprises in which no other
business shares. They are strengthed
by competition. 1t is q very natural
superstition that after line which has
had the monopoly through given
district for long time has at length
by It's successful operation induced a
rival company to build a parallel
road, the public will secure 9 reduc-
ton o! fares and freight B;t the in
nocent public does not understand
the mysteries Of pooling after the
70 ads are running side by side. It
does not see that, sooner or later,
railway kings, who always understand
their own interests, will combine
their forces and will march ever the
ground in greater strength than ever
before. For every dollar there will be
an outlay of another. aud there will
be double interest for somebody TO
pay, and that SOMEBODY is the public
that was lately gulled by the prospect
OF cheap Evaporation. This point
is illustrated by the working of the
three great lines connecting Chicago
with Omaha. It is true that they are
all needed for the local traffic OF the
rich agricultural country through
they pass, bat when built they were
supposed to be competitors for trans
continebtSS businss. Now they are
managed for the benefit
Of their stockholders, and of course
st the Expense of the trvelipg and
CONNER i4l public, which is far
greater than IL would be ii there ex-
listed but me line he profit of which
wonld be 60 great that it would be
able in compliance with the demand
of the community to make reductions
far below the present rates. In short,
as We the people in any case pay all
the bills We would prefer to under
take the expense OF one railroad
instead of three.
We are soon to have one railroad,
perhaps two passing through our little
settlement. Fhe surveyors OF the
Oregon Short Line'' have been
stumbling about in tee lava rocks of
late laying out their track, which will
be graded before the next summer far
along Oh It's destination. When it is
completed the distance from the east
ern seaboard &c Oregon will be short
ened more thal seven hundred miles.
IL the meantime the Central Pacific
Company, realizing that this extern
sion of the Union Pacific will cut Of
much OF its business. ia connecting s.
scheme OF apparent retaliation by
paralleling the Union Pacific on TIE
north and connecting with the Den
yer add Rio GranGe narrow Guage On
the south. Perhaps these plans may
be perfected; perhaps not; but let 40
one imagine that his person or his
property will be CARED from New
York to San Francisco one cent
cheaper en- account of this extensive
opposition,
1t is curious to observe the excite
ment of the dozen families who re-
side in our village in view OF the
advance of the railroad. One year
ago land was dear at the Government
price Of one dollar and quarter per
acre. Nobody cared to file on it"
for homestead. Now every man is
jumping the claim OF some other
one. The talk In our saloon is no
longer of norses, cattle and sheep, or
Of hunting and fishing, bat it is of
lots, street and railway stations,
hotels, stores and other saloons. An
originally beautiful but now greasy
and liquor-stained map is exhibited,
and conned over till IFS blue and
green lots, avenues, streets and
squares have become familiar to
every hummer" around the counter.
The greatest anxiety prevails to dis
cover which spots Mr.. Gould. Mr..
Vanderbilt, President Dillon and
other msgnates Of the Union Pacific
Railroad will be likely to select for
cottage sites, in order that they may
pc made to pay roundly for them.
VI course wherever the depot NAV be
there Will exist for season the curse
OF railway town, but fortupately it
VIII not be in the neighborhcod of ;be