Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1882-03-22
iHEMPMIS APPEAL
WEDNESDAY, MARCH %, Iss2
VANDERBILT on RAILROAD LEGIs
LATHAM


Those formidable gent! men, the RAILROAD
magnates," have mad public the fact lhaN
the great railroad war in which they have
long been engaged il over. They have
''pooled their issues" ard are at peace Hav
ing arbitrated, and arranged, and pooled, and
being harmonious among themselves, how
will the public be affected by the reconciia-
ton that has taken place? The roads have
lost much in their mad competitiou-What
steps viii they take to recruit exhausted
treasures? Past experience is not reassur-
ing Tor the public. When hungry wolves run
in pack it is bad for the traveller, and with
all the indignation that has been expressed,
and all the efforts that have been made, Con-
gress has in no way taken measures for rail
road supervision, and only here and there
has State assumed the attitude of self
defense. Georgia and Massachusetts have
set the example and shown what can be done
TO prevent discrimination and circumvent
injustice, but the State legislatures generally
fail to follow the good and successful ex-
amples before them. The first effort made
by the reconciled enemies is to oppose the pas
sage of the Reagan bill, or the adoption of any
other measures of acontrolling nature. Like
the Mormons, the railroads cry, Let US alone"
Mr.. Vanderbilt has given interview to the
New York Tribune, and he was eloquent in
his appeal to leave the railroads uninterfered
with by any regulating hand. He pleads
that Congress should legislate to stop rash
speculation in grain-which speculation is
unfortunate for the railroads-or let alone
legislation about the transportation of grain
But why should justice to the public at large
be delayed because the present course of
speculation fails to bring money to the ex-
hausted treasures of the recently mutual
throat-cutting railroads? That some of his
rivals are in bankrupted condition, is
another reason why, in Vanderbilt's opinion,
Congress should do nothing. The bankrupt |
cies were brought about by nothing Congress
has done; Mr.. Vanderbilt was one of the in !
sane competitors who have produced or az
celebrated the bankruptcies, why then should |
Congress withhold needed legislation because !
the railroads, like "dogs, delight to bark |
and bite" Vanderbilt is also opposed to
legislation because railroading is a business |
carried on to make money ''just as men sell |
groceries or dry goods" Railroads should |
do their business that way, but they do not,
and that is why sort of Registration is |
required in their cases not called for
by the proceedings of grocers and dry
goods dealers. These latter do not ask
one price for their goods if they go to
the east end of the town, and another price
if they go to the west end, as the railroads
do. Vanderbilt also says: "The railroads
do not want to charge exhorbitant rates;
they cannot afford to do So" That depends
when running between main points, where
there is competition, whatever they may want
TO do, the railroads have not the power to
charge more than their rivals; but how is
the matter where there is no competition?
How is 1t at Holly Springs, for instance, at
the time the road is charging twice as much
to carry bale of cotton the few miles that
will bring it to Memphis as they will charge
to carry it all the way to the seaboard?
Another of Mr.. Vanderbilts points is, the
Tribune says, that an official railroad COM
mission would proceed to compel the New
York Central to take its local business on
the basis of its through rates." Such pro-
~'SAS "Vuiu NC tuning the laole uPOh tHe
and serving them as they too often
serve the public; it W. uld be dishipg them
up in their own uca. But railroad com
missioners have nowhere been guilty Of
such unfair conduct. They are in posi-
ton whose responsibility does not permit
them to follow railroad precedent so closely
Here are Mr.. Vanderbilt arguments against
Congress or State legislation regulating rail
roads. Does the whole strength of them
equal that of gossamer's web? The neees-
sity of having recourse to such drivel proves
that he, like other railroad men, has no
sound, cogent, sufficient reason to advance
why legislation should not regulate rail-
roads, while their proceedings supply album
liant reasons why they should.