Tolland County press., 1883-02-22
From Hartford Courant.l BETTER LET US LIVE.

BEfIEk LET US hhNEs
 Competition in business grows fercer year by year. Great concerns crowd little ones to the wall, and the tendency is con- stantly towards concentration. In the sharp rivalries of trade the slightest ad- vantages gained by one concern may be the ruin of all rivals. We recently heard g large shipper of freights say that in his business an allowance of no more than three cents on the ton in freight rates from the far west (on haul of over l 1000 miles,) would give the party who received it the command of the whole trade of New England Tn those articles.
 2 Certainly the times never called more loudly for fair play, exact justice, and an even chance for all than they do to-day. And yet what is the situation right here in Connecticut at this time? Briefly put 1t IS this: Our own Connecticut railroads charge our Connecticut merchants and manufacturers more foradali$ering goods to them than for carrying similar goods still farther for delivery to rivals in bus ness and charge our Connecticut man. ufacturers more for carrying their goods to market than for carrying similar goods from rival factories longer distance to the same market. They put us at dis advantage with regard to goods we get and goods we send away. They discrim- mate, first and broadly, against all Con- nectlcut, and, second, ill favor of one Con- nectlcut town or city as against another.
 This has gone on long enough. The demand that it be stopped is universal ex- cept among parties who either are or think they are especially favored. And this year bill is in the legislature to stop it Tn the most moderate and gentle fashion conceivable. It doesn't say hereafter freight rates shall be on the same basis as passenger rates. It merely says no road shall charge more for short haul than for long one which includes the short. You may charge as much for taking coal from tide water to Hartford as from tide water to Springfield, which is twenty eight miles further. But you must not charge more for leaving the coal at Hart ford than for carrying it further on. Again, freight rates to-day are from New York to Boston, through Hartford, 12 cents per 100 lbs. For the same goods from New York to Hartford only (less than half the hauD the charge is 20 cents This Is utterly unjusti6able. The only defense offered for it, the argument of MT. Bishop before the committee, if accepted, becomes an invincible argument for 8 competitive road. .eg. - ........-
 Competitive points, says Mr. Bishop, are the same as tide water. They have an advantage and there's nc profit In their freight. Then tLere must be big profit in manufacturing at such points. The factories of non-competing cities and towns pay the freight of the factories at competitive points. If A and B are rivals in business and A contrives to make B pay the freight of both concerns, then "A' is likely to pocket the profit of both when their competition becomes sufficient ly close to shave the profits down to a slender margin. s.r'T* 3-r$ .-ss..-s=- '='
 The ''short haup' bill doesn't ask for justice. It doesn't say, for instance Hartford is half way between New York and Boston and its charges for freight to each place must be but half the charges for the whole haul. It only says it's charges for the half service shall not ex- ceed the charge for the whole service.
 When ticket to New Haven costs more than ticket to New York when the fare to Willimantic is more than the fare to Boston when it costs more to go to Mid dletown than to Saybrook when ten yards of carpet cost more than twenty yards of the same carpet when to adver tise one day in newspaper costs more money than to advertise two days wher employees are paid more for half days service than for whole day-then ths present way of doing railroad bushes, can be justified, but not till then.
 The prosperity of our manifold inland industries the utilization of our man,
 water-powers ; the support of our farmers
 who to very large extent depend on tn
 neigboring markets afforded by manufac
 turing centers and the value of house
 and lands all through the state, all depen'
 on the establishment of something lik just railroad rates. Common sense an
 fair play, and, as much as the rest, fal
 seeing railroad policy, demand law ik the one proposed. What are the railroad
 going to do when they've driven all bus
 mess to competing points where, as Ml
 Bishop says, freight isn't worth the carry
 ing?