The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1882-04-18
TIE REGENT RAILKOAD nlLL.

higher temperature,
THE RECENT RAILROAD BILL
BY reference to other columns Of this pa
per this.morning an interesting commune
cation from our Austin correspondent will
be found relative to the railroad legislation
lately had at our state capital. AS friend
OF Texas and its people the HERALD has
long and persistently advocated the extern
sive building of railroads in the state and
the enactment of such laws as would en-
courage the investment and distribution of
such capital in our midst. AT all times we
have deprecated any attempt at ad-
verse legislation to such interests-in the
first place, as a matter of policy, and sec
ondly, AS matter of right. Texas is compar-
ativey new state ana certainly not one
twentieth of the development has been
witnessed of which it is susceptible. No
agency is now or for the past five or SIX
years has been so powerful in opening up
aud building up our state as the railroads
To them we owe the comforts of life, such
MS we have; the rapid increase in individ.
ual and aggregate wealth. the growth OF
population almost unprecedented any
where, and yet the real and fullest benefits
thereirom are only beginning to
be experienced A world of effort
Is yet necessary to prop
erly bring out the capabilities OF Texas.
Every intelligent man must recognize this
TACT at once and oil the time. However,
certain parties in this great empire of the
southwest have got an idea in their heads
that the corporations which have done, and
are still doing, so much for us, are making
90 much money, and with gratitude and
magnanimity as great as they are patent,
are proceeding to cut down the income of
the railroads, Passenger fare has been cut
down to 3 cents per mile, aud, as stated by
our correspondent from Austin,
no less than twelve or fifteen
bills are now pending in the lcgis.
lature looking to reduction of rates gen
eral supervision of railroad business, and
IN short, virtual conilscation of this proper
ty by the state, The one great fact which
our legislators seem to forget constantly is
that while railroads are indeed highways
and public carriers they are ut the same
time corporations under the ownership
and control of private individuals and are
not in the nature OF county roads. A
principle OF action which will admit ofpub.
lie Interference In the private concerns oronc
corporation II at all just and constitutional
will authorize interference with all. In
Justice and reason 1t Is Just as proper to say
that the HERALD shall not receive more
than cents per copy for It's issues, or the
c)iton mill more than cents per yard for
Its cloths as to declare that the Houston
Central or the Texas & Pacific shall not
receive more than ; celiS per mile for
travel thereon. Railroads, as every other
branch Of business will, IN sclfprotcction
accommodate themselves to the demands
and necessities and conditions of
trade and competition aud publc scn,i.
mcnt will prevent any iniQuities or cxor.
bitant rates. Legislators are woiully dark
intellectually who fail to catch the spirit of
equity, and assume to control private bust.
ness because the public are interested
therein. In all cases IN this and other
states, where such laws have been enacted
the real interests and purposes OF our free
constitutions have been violated. Some
question may be made Us to the present
law under discussion from tho fact that
the senate substitute was adopted by the
house without The requisite readings,
but whether n law or nullity as
an exhibition of Texan spirit toward rail.
roads aud foreign investments Of capltal In
the state, Il cannot but hurt us greatly. Il
Is, therefore, matter OF exceedingly bad
policy. We had iondly hoped 10 SEQ net.
work of railroads In Tcxasanj the resultant
progress and blessings thcretrom, but II
capitalists are given to understand, thus IN
the incipicncy. OF their undertakings,
that they are to be placed at the caprice
aud whlms OF legislators aud the people, Il
Is extremely doubtful II we witness any
continuation hereafter of the sudden aud
extensive influx Of money and workmcn
nom abroad, whose objects are TO build up
md develop the state. From such con.
sidera,ions we reIrct exceedingly to see the
manifest intention ofthc prcsen, legislature
70 hang weights upon the railroad corpora.
lions and fear that the consequences will DO
doubly costly to us. When the railroad