The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1881-03-08
THE RAILROAD BILL.

THE RAILROAD BILL,
BY our Austin dispatches rs published
this morning II viii be sean TINT u memoria
from the railroad officials has been sent in to
both houses by the governor. We assume
from this that the new,or amended bill, which
was brought in by the committee, Ia not sat
isfactory to them We trust that some
amicable adjustment will be arrived ut, 30
that tho people may receive at tho hands o
the railroad companies somo rights which
they insist they are entitled to, and per coll
ira, that tho companies may have no inius
tice done them by hasty legislation. The
questions involved ia the matter of regulat-
ing railroads are exceedingly complicated,
and will require tho utmost care to legisatt
srigh on. Tho question of tho price of fare
the rates of frei hit, those for long distances
and short, that of pro-rating and
pooling, are OF themselves delicate
and complicated in their nature
as we'll as in their operation and effects. A
mistaken piece Of legislation in MI or either
one of Thorn might be fruitful of tho most
disastrous results, not only to tho roads, but
to the people, whose interests those roads
subacrve Trade restrictions and regulations
are always Objectionable, and whore they can
BIO avoided il is tho part Of prudence to say
nothing Of democratic doctrine to let the
or II law of supply snd demand do tn.
work Of begetting their own des,inies.
When Lewis Onss was our minister 10 Paris,
some years ago, he graphically detailed in
ono of his letters tho serious and vcIatious
Inconvenience and evils that attended this
thing of Capitalization in tho matter OF tho
commercial departments. The people Of
France at that time had tho same suspicion
Of mandatory monopolies and their grow
ing power that some Of our own people have
now about railroads, and esoh ono had to
run the gauntlet Of exacting governHenta
scrutiny and severity. The law wori ed 30
badly, until finally the people themselves de-
manded It's repeal and visited upon the
heads Of their legislators tho severes! OF
criticisms for the OWLS they contendod III,
lsttsr ought to have been wise enough &c
have foreseen. The British parliament dis.
cussed this same railroad question with tn,
most consummato ability and after the most
exhaustive of examinations through the mos
nblo of commissions constituted for the pur
pose, and what do We dad as Thu
result? Mr.. Charles Francis Adams
tells us that ''there wa
demonstrated and recognized tho folly o
restrictive legislation And hc further says
"a policy was thon established tho base TO
which was the principle Of privste owner
ship and management which was to be lcf. (,
work out its own destiny through that pro
cess Of combination in which competing
monopolies always result" Tho commits
soners accordingly fixed the policy that tn,
railroad system was "to be left to deycloy
itself in its own way, rs n recognized mon
opoly, held to strict accountability a
SUCH" The board Of commissioners was \
once judicial and executive in lis character q
to all complaints, not only Of private psrtio
against the roads, bu. As TO those between tn
roads themselves. And in five ycsn time
strange TO some ears to hear, the call, upol
thom have been scarcely any whatever
States In our union have tried these res,ric
tive laws Wisconsin and Minnesota ire,
them aud on the next succeeding sessions o
= their legislatures both these states repcalc,
them, as they at once felt how many inter
ests were unexpectedly and adversely al
footed. The Missouri law, though compare
lively moderate, is experiencing simila
fate. In Alabama II was made clear that |,
many features, unan,cipated and unin,ende,
wrong was committed, and now a now on
Is being tested. Indeed in nil the states
has boon seen that ahor much interference
tho only success attained has been tho crush
Ing out Of tho smaller roads and tho driyin
Of railroad capital out Of tho state s.
far az new enterprises wore concerned
The Railway World, referring to hi
subject, remarks that "tho theory that III
Nero grant Of frap,hises to a railway con
pany gives 70 hesitate the right 10 reguls,,
! In AN Oppressive manner, all railway opcr,
B tions Is evidently not we'll founded; but cvc
Il II were, serious attempts to exercise sue