Milford chronicle., 1883-12-21
What the Railroads do.

We often hear people who in most
other things are intelligent and car
lay some claim to common sense, de
cry and denounce the railroad com
panies as monopolists and extortior,
ers, who care nothing for the inter.
ests of the people who travel upon,
and send freight over their line. Par
ticularly is this the case in Delaware
and the Peninsula. Men who have
not, and would not invest dollar in
railroads, talk the loudest in this
strain. There may be have been, and
perhaps now are, in some cases, in
stances in which railroad companies
have been arbitrary, and selfish in
their dealings with the public; but
competition and legislation soon cor
rect such evils.
Let us in reply to this common out
cry ask what would be the fate of all
the section Of country traversed for
instance by the d. M. & V. r. r.,
from Harrington to Franklin City.i if
the railroad was taken up, or not RUM
ing? Would it not be thrown back
on the dial Of improvement twelve or
fifteen years? Would not the peo-
pie have to send their produce to
market by means Of schoOners. and
sloops at the hap-hazard Of wind tide
and weather, to a chance market?
How could they send peaches, pears,
apples, berries, poultry, eggs, and
other perishable articles to the great
markets of New York, and Philadel- /.
phia, if it were not for the railroads?
What would become ofthe great fruit
raising industry without railroads?
why it would be entirely done away .
with, were. 1T not for them. Every
dollar of money realized from fruit
is due to the railroads and
steamers. 1t is they who have built
up seven-eighths of this business. In
so doing they have enhanced the
value Of every farm whose owner
could avail himself of their facilities.
Yes, in many cases they have quad
rupled the value. They have equal
lied the values Of all farms on their
lines, that is to say, that at Berlin,
Georgetown, or Milford, land is as
valuable as at Lewes, because by the
railroads it is made equally as acces-
'ible as is that at the seaport. If ;
5he railroads were blotted out farms .
you'd bring no more, than they did +
wenty years ago.
Now in building q railroad, the =
ompany cannot take any land ex- +
ept those required for the immediate :,
purposes of the road, and so secure y
0 themselves a portion of the bene- h
is they confer on the general public. a, a.
hey must pay out their money to q,
uild the road, and take all the risk h
realizing any return from it. and n
addition, as has often happened, ,l
IN the risk of losing the whole of 81
leir investment. And yet She pub
c whom they benefit would not un-
srwrite them dime to insure them ev
yainst loss. The selfshness is not Of
on one side. m.
Again, the public demand frequent na
aims; some, from the way they talk,
e would think wanted the in
lin to stop at every mans door tb,
I'd on signal. They will scarcely bo
rhaps believe us when we tell them its
It to stop a train for five minutes, Ex
4 again start it, involves at least tbe
e dollar Of expense, in one way or a
other, so that if ouly one passen- chs
: at fifty cents fare takes the train, def
railroad company looses fifty we
ITS. This explains why large ex- ibad
sion parties can be carried with If :
roft at greatly reduced rates of ner
iuch Of the delay of time, especi- f
in the southern States on mixed meI
ms, is due to the want of prompt and
Of those sending freight to have ~ 4ot 4
r freight ready for the train to -
up when it arrives at the station. at Z