Morning journal and courier., 1882-03-10
Price Four Cents.
The 'fParaIIeI" Railroad Scheme.
Some Strong and Sharp Points Against


1t.
| ID Csdy Eaton in the Hartford CourartI
One point, at least, in connection with the
contemplated Parallel road, has not been
made clear:
It has been established, to the satisfaction
of the disinterested and unprejudiced read
els of the evidence taken before the Iegisla-
tive committee, that the majority of Con-
necticut men, who are substantial in sense
and in property, and whose interests are d.
rectly involved, oppose the scheme. They
are very decidedly of the opinion that disad-
vantages, and not advantages, would resuI
to themselves and to the community from the
existence of two, or more, parallel and COM
peting roads. Such. opinions from such
men, are conclusive to the ordinary citizen
who has no special interests one way or the
other
1t also clearly appears that many of the
opponents of the "Consolidatedn have given
their testimony for the purpose, apparently
of satisfying personal pique; for the gratif-
cation of some personal grudge From spe-
cimens of the evidence, one might infer that
the ''Consolidated'' WAS, in fact, an individ-
ual from whom witnesses had received per
sonaI injury and insult. Perhaps they grieve
because their free passes do not include
continuity of free lunches and of private
parlor cars. Deadheads are always exacting
1t may also be that in the course of Mr..
Watrous' long and successful career at the
bar he has come into legal contact with some
of these individuals and has been obliged TO
expose their characters and doings. Revenge
is sweet; will sacrifice greater things than
railroad to reach its object and is quite stu
pid enough to confound a corporation with
its presiding officer. At all events, whatever
may be the causes, 1t Is evident that the op-
position to the CONSOLIDATED" Is strongly
favored with personal malice, and that the
points, pro and con, which are of weight
and worth discussing, may be sunk out of
sight in sea of personal abuse and vituper-
alton Perhaps some clever and interested
outsider has had the luck to disco yer personal
grievances, and has had the wit to fan them
into personal warfare.
The point l wish to make and which, per-
haps, for the above reason has not appeared.
| is of the nature of q dilemma, furnished
| with its two horns and resting on its necessa-
| ry premises.
The Connecticut supporters of the parallel
| scheme so far as they have appeared and are
to be recognized in the argument, do not, of
! themselves, contemplate building; for no
| successful termination to such an undertak-
| ing, however remote, be predicated of
their names, their possessions or their inau-
ence. If, then, the Connecticut gentlemen
| be acting for themselves, their object is to
obtain charter, sell it and pocket the profits
The supposition being, of course, that the
Consolidated" would be obliged to buy and
! thereby divert moneys that otherwise would
| be used to the benefit of the State in i'm
proving the condition of the present road in
creasing its facilities for communication, etc.,
| etc. If this be the ''horn," the duty of the
| Legislature is clear. Let this particular ras-
| cality be exposed and punished, and let sub
| sequent similar rascalities berendered impos-
sible
| If on the other hand the movement be not
of Connecticut origin, but have a source out
side of the State; be backed by extraneous
capital and pushed for extraneous purposes
what then is the outlook?
| One of the reasons given for this particular
Parallel scheme is the refusal of the Con-
solidated to yield to the dictations of MIR. Van
derbilt. 1t has stated its discrimination to main
tain itself in its unity as a Connecticut and
| New England railroad. 1t refuses to allow
| its interests and the interests of the States
in which it lies to be sacrificed to the greed
of great and dangerously great monopoly.
The Pennsylvania railroad systems have al
ready SO completely absorbed New Jersey that
| for all purposes of independent commercial
activity she might better be in the centre of
Africa She has no more financial indepen-
dence or dignity than Coney island. Is Com
necticut anxious to be made over into New
Jersey? -----
How much advantage viii accrue to Con-
necticut from a road having New York and
| Boston as its two objective points, owned by
foreign corporation and managed in its
| interests, whether these interests accord with
the interests of this State or not And If
| one Parallel road why not two or three?
| ~ n 1alI
as well as Vanderbilt one, till living in New
| Haven becomes as uncomfortable and as dan
gereus as living in Jersey City? If one rail
road octopus be admitted within our limits
what is to keep the others out, till the whole
city be covered by their antagonistically inter
| twining tentacles?
| How much consideration and regard are
| the inhabitants of Connecticut to expect
from corporations of which the chief object
will be to hurry through the State without
an unnecessary stop, regarding it merely as
| highway that, too, when the Legislature,
once theirs. may no longer interfere to pro-
tect private right, or to preserve regard for
secular and religious usages? Surrender the
States domain and the State, and all the peo-
| pie thereof, must take place in the procession
| which marches the railroad magnates
der. Nor would its place in the procession
be very distinguished one, for New Jersey
has more folks in it than Connecticut, and
If this be the other 'horn'' the duty of the
| Legislature is equally plain
Let it be understood, once for all that Con-
necticut railroads are to be governed by gen.
eral Connecticut laws, and that they are to
be built and managed, primarily, for the use
and benefit of Connecticut people. II the
existing general laws are defective, let them
be so changed as to be easily operative; but
no special charters whatever especially If
they are to be used by foreign corporations.
Railroads are the most powerful of modern
inventions those from which the republic
has the most to fear. Let one commonwealth
recognize the danger and oppose itself vigor-
ously to the concentrating, consolidating and
| cooperating policy which is rapidly depriying
individual States of separate dignity and i'm
/ portance; dishonoring their names and oblit-
Grating their boundaries.
Under the constitution, no State may pre-
vent Mr. Vanderbilt, or Mr. Gould, or any
other United States citizen, from purchasing
stock of any one or of all its railroads. or
from purchasing controlling quantity of
such stock. But to every State still belongs
the management and control of all roads
within its boundaries Distinct organization,
separate and independent offices on its own
soil, and bona fide residents for officers, are
certainly States primary requirements. In
the spirit of an old time democracy, one
might 60 still further and insist upon each
States time tables, locomotives and eendue-
( tors. Deadheads should certainly change
cars at every frontier Better a little delay
than sacrifice of Independence. The whole
question, therefore is very simple one If
the movement be from within, 1t Is one more
of those raids which are so often made on
the Consolidated, +" and to which the Legs
lature should put an effectual stop. II from
without. it is an invitation to the State 10
take hold of the coat-tails of various and SUM-
dry railroad magnates, and to no longer
flourish and be happy except as they shall
permit and decree.