Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1883-07-12
THB ISSUES JoiNED-NoW PoR TIE
PROOFS.

II would seem that when q railroad msn.
-sgement plainly commits itself to given
propositions and allegations, and these
make up en- unamhiguous issue of fact as
TO whether there is the oppression and
high rating that the an.i.railroad agitatora
charge, there should bs required the usual
proofs On the part of those who make the
complaint. This is the situation in Cali.
fornia. The Central Pacific Railroad Com
pany have been wantonly assaulted, and
charged by small lot of political trick
sters with overoharges, unjust disorimina-
tions, and the leyYing of extortionate rates.
These the company in the most deliberate
manner deny, and challenge the proofs.
The burden therefore rests upoa the affirm.
alive to establish the truth of their allega.
tions, and in default it must be taken that
they have lsid false charges. How stands
the case? The agitators aver that freight
rates are here phenomenally high for all the
products OF the soil that they arc FREE
quently SO high as to be prohibitive of
production that they far exceed charges
on roads at the East carrying like freights;
that the end and aim Of the railroad is to
crush out and enslave the producer ttat
unless greatly reduced, these rates will
prevent the settlement and development of
the State. To these charges the company
responds in an official letter, and cites It's
proofs in maintenance, much as follows:
The tendency of freight rates is in the line
OF reduction, and has been for the past
fifteen years, and the statistics OF the
country prove it; with the IL
crease of the volume of traffic,
and the facilities for moving freight,
rates always have and must decline
until the lowest possible minimum is
reached that the only just and true
means of ascertsining what the downward
tendency has been and is, is to consider
the average rates year by year, and these
show, for instance, that between the year
1878 and the year 1883 the actual deolina-
ton of freight charges has been from an
average OF 3 per ton per mile TO , per
toa per mile; that in azcertaining this
average there have been cSzsFully excluded
elements Of computation whish at the East
are included, TO wit, all the freight hauled
on account Of the read itself, foe the supply
of its own necessities all freight inter
changed with other States asd Territories
on the Pacific coast; all through freight
interchsnged with States east Of the Rocky
mountains. ThSt reason teaches snd exps.
rienoe proves that no railroad company
pursues the suicidal policy OF charging
rates which are pEohibitive of production,
since the life of railroad and all itg profits |
depend upon the highest state of Develop
ment and prosperity possible, of the coelntry |
traversed; that, in fact and in truth, COZ. |
corning the rauch-mooted grain rate, there
is no well-founded complaint against PISS.
ent rates that on the contrary the rates
charged are such as 60 afford the agricuIs-
urist broader opportunities for profitable
production of grain than ere enjoyed in any
of tie great grain fields west Of the Missis-
sippi and east of the Rocky mountains
that the proof of this allegation ia to be
found by simple comparison Of rates in
the respective localities. That these
statements are irrespective Of great disad- !
vantages operating against the California
roads, and not known in the cass of
Tie roads Of the esq section named. ,