Arizona weekly citizen., 1882-12-03
rr EFFECT OF HOSTILE RAILROAD LEG
 ISLATION.

.g,.at the CITIZEN has said in rela- .... fl. imposed legislation hostile to
 .--.,...d capital invested in railroad .-f miria, enterprises, it has been act .....i i,y what it believes to be the best ....-s.t ai the Territory. The CITIZEN ... ,, ,pecial pleas to make. That our
 .5.,.1 Is correct, We are satisfied all -.s.,irrut. far minded persons will ad- .... va.g ve say that anti-railroad leg ,..f.a giil uot operate so much 10 the s..--m-rt of the roads already built .-f fbe;yg operated ln this Territory, as ., nsv projects and short lines which .,... be built 10 tap the various mining ..-,a.. ns,ore Arizona can realize its ,-n possibilities.
 ~,i.r the organic act and the -,r,,rs ol the courts 1t IS impos- .aFs for the Legislature of Arizona to ,..s special acts conferring speclal priv ;4-es or imposing special hardships. r. cannot discriminate between persons .-sorparatI0ns of the same class. Any r.r. passed effectlng railroad, mining or ,,5s- corporations, must be general in .b.ir character and apply to all. If the T.,i.rs.ure wishes to reduce the maxi -rn passenger and freight tariff in ,rf. Territory, the law will have to ap- .r, tg the railroads hereafter to be built, n. well as to those now constructed and being operated.
 IT will thus be seen that anti-railroad r---,Istion is aimed at the further ex- tension u' railroads in this Territory and ,... instead of being antl-monopoly, its tendency is to create d perpetual mo -a,.Iy for the roadsnoT being operated le-e. by cutting off the inducement which the larger tariff offers to the in- v4s.mant of capital in other and con- r=u1G lines.
 We do mt apprehend that a reduc- .ea iu tLe tariff would materially effect te through lines, but would put prac- te.. eu5a-ro on the construction of short branch roads. The public can see -as effect of this iu California. The railroad commission just before election fixed the maximum passenger tariff at '.r-c cents per mile. The only railroad company which has not protested-some u';h-m going to the extent of declaring -astit uill force them to discontinue ra--eucer tarifT-is the C. P. railroad I. zoulI seem as though sTch course vas practically in the interest of that gigantic corporation, forcing its smaller and weaker competitors to the wall sC that iu the end they will be absorbed by that company and then indeed will the Transportation business of California be completely at the mercy cf one cOrpo ration. Many of the great railroad com b.u4ti lus of the East are the direct re sl.ts of hostile railroad legislation.
 Now fl the reduction of the maximum passenger tariff in a State like Califor lia. with a million of population, threat ens 70 force short lines to discontinue passenger traffic, IS 1t unreasonable to conclude that the fixing of the maxi mum rate in Arizona, Territory witt less than one hundred thousand popu lation. at five cents per mile will mater G.,y rstard the further construction O railroads here:
 The CITIZEN desires to see railroad connecting every important mining camp ID the Territory with the outsid world The competition and the busi ue-s that this will make will in the en' cause reduction in rates correspondlni to tLose enjoyed by other more popu l0us sections of the country.
 Instead of arraying ourselves agains capital already invested here and put ting up barrier against its further II vestmeut. We believe it to be to the bes interest of this Territory to 80 leglslat as to give 90 capital every assurance c rrJtection and kindly treatment. B tae investment of capital in railroad and mines, under the existing order things, our condition IS constantly b' coming better; without capital Arizon would again become the bowling VI ierness from which We are fast resculn i- We can not afford to wait the slo processes of development from with ourselves. Life is too short for us york ont the problem Of separate an ilIspenlent existence, and the soon' vs can make ourselves by intima and numerous railroad connections part f the great world of commer' rl'satius with life and activity the be Ter t will be for Arizona.