The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1883-09-09
WRONG POLICY.

1
along their lines, by local discrimlna-
lions, and by refusing to encourage
the development OF resources ada
cent to their roads. The managers
may think they understand their
business better than anybody else,
and may believe they work for the
best interests Of their companies,
but 1t is not improbable that, being
human, they err in judgment and
action now and then. However,
nobody need repeat this declaration
to a railroad man, unless he is pre-
pared either for a fight or to be
sneered at as presumptous ignora-
mus. The history of Utah in con-
nection with the railroads furnishes
an illustration of the truth Of the
assertion that it is possible for rail-
roads to go wrong. The policy Of
the roads has been to make money
from the people, and not to help the
latter to make money; the aim has
not been to build up, but to take
whatever was to be had and let the
future look out for itself. There
has been no effort looking
towards development. Where
ever the track has been
lain, from the Union Pacific down
to the mostI Insignificant branch or
spur in the Territory, the central
idea has been to clutch all that was
in sight, and leave it to others to
bring more to the front. Carrying
rates have been placed at figures
just low enough to drive oxen and
horses off the roads, and send the
stage coach and freight wagon to
the interior. No local industry has
been encouraged or developed by
the railroad, if it were possible for
the company to ''burn it up" On
the contrary, local Industries have
been discouraged if not destroyed
by the railroads. We have in mind
an instance where the railroad
united with an eastern manufac-
turer 10 crush out little enterprise
here that Was struggling for an
1t charged the local
producer more for carrying his
goods forty miles than it did the
eastern competitor for hauling his
more than 1900 miles. Scores of
similar cases might be mentioned.
The result of this policy may be
seen to day in rich but backward
and undeveloped Territory. With
mountains of valuable iron ore,
there are no iron works in Utah.
With broad Lodges of marble, we
import monuments, tombstones,
table tops, and everything in fact
made from marble. With some
OF the very best stone quar-
ries in America, we use stone
in building only as expensive or
namentation. Only the richest of
the silver veins can be worked,
thick lodges of lead and low grade
silver ores lying idle because of the
high freight and oppressive dis
elimination. Whatever the rail.
road people may think to the con-
trary, this is wrong policy. 1t
does not help the railroads, but does
injure and depress the Territory,
retarding its progress and delaying
the development of our vast re-
sources. If a more liberal course
were pursued five mines would be
producing where but one is able to
pay expenses; reasonable generosity
and encouragement on the part of
the roads would result in extensive
iron works, the building of towns,
the employment Of hundreds of
men, and the bringing here of large
capital and thousands of people.
The little competition that has come
within the few months, may help
matters some, but there should be
an entire change of policy on the
part of all the roads. Let them
work for Utah, and not against it,
There is more money in building
up Industries, than in tear
ing them down. 1t will be
better for the railroads as well
as for Utah, if the former
will get their profits from handling
one thousand tons of freight at low
rates than from high rates on one
hundred tons. If the roads are
willing to do SO, they can make
Bringham, the Cottonwoods, Tintic
the Park and other mining camps
fairly swarm with men, whereas
now, a mine or two in each district
must keep up the roads. This mat
fer is worthy the consideration Of