Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1884-08-30
A LESSON FOR TENNESSEE.
Georgia Farmers Receiving NO Ala fro
it's Commission.

- A1so-5<1GS 4 OAs 4 EN- E4SSEE1s
Georgia Farmers ReceivImg NO Ala from
it's Commission.
The Chattanooga Times, refegying to
the complaints made by farmers and
truckmen IN Southern Georgia that on
account 81 high rate of freight and the
greed of Riddle men they have been
unableto ship their products to
Northern markets without loss, says
And this moves us to inquire: Why
does mot the Georgia Railroad Com
mission protect the truck farmers
AGAINST these exactions? Why does
it allow this great interest to be broken
DOWN. If it be answered that nearly
all the shipments ,of melons, ETC., are
to points beyond che State and there
forelnot under the supervision of the
Commission, we ask further what
good isEhe Commission to the great
Produuing interests of Georgia? Nine
ty percent. of those products on wa1ich
farmers and planters texpect to realEe
profts=are sent beyond the State lines.
If railroads may makeup for losses on
local freights prescribed by the Con-
mission by imposing extortiGnate
rates <Dn products zgDing out Of the
State, where does thesgain of the pre-
'ducerteome in as a result of the Com-
mission's supervIseFylpower?
il we apply these'saets and det9S-
Vsions to our affairs here in Tennessee
we>sh@ll not thereby.encourage 6arnn-
-ers' ofdhis State 10 .e4Bect great advan-
sage from placing acknowledgement -oi
sourrraIroads in the hands of a ,eoEn-
mission. The local schedule proposed
by our commission 6xed rates on farm
prodEnts about . sDer cent. higher
than those enforced fEy the Georgia
commission, thus putting our people
at a decided disadvantage. If any
commission in the cenntry could have
achieved success ia Supervising the
work OF a States railroads, the Georgia
commission should have succeeded
But thelfacts are the ether way. The
greaterPorti of the press of the
State hesrs united testimony that its
iGtermeddling has aboEE brought the
projection of new linesGo a standshll,
while litEhas not encouraged the extern
sion of old ones. There is abundant
proof that while the city of Atlanta
has been considerably profted through
the operation of commission rates, the
Stxae at large has not, On the whole,
beeR served as cheaply by the roads
as before Ithe commission undertook
their direction.
There isin0 basis of seund reason
ing for a State CoRmission to
rest upon. ukey cannot interfere with
rates fixed in their State zen cargoes
destined for points beyond Che States
Jurisdiction. Whatever concessions
they force FROM the roads on local
business is gotten back from local
shippers by increasing rates on goods
going out or coming into the STATE. 1t
only results in taking money out of
one railroad till and putting it back
in another railroad till The people
who pay the piper are not beSeited
unless the privilege of paying several
thousand dollars year as salaries and
expenses of a commission may be rated
a benefit.
In the case of Tennessee, the ship
Pers on her roads had no right to ex-
pect anything of the Commission but
that which has happened. The law of
their creation was hotch-potch of
crudities and compromises, and was
pronounced worthless by our best
lawyers. The gentlemen chosen to
enforce this law and act as umpires in
the delicate and difficult relations be-
tween shippers and railroads was a
unique body. AT the head was placed
s0perannuated politician filed
with most extreme prejudices against
+ hn rnoHS and nnforfoi r-1or
public and corporate finances similar
to those held by French agrarians, by |
Dennis Kearney, of California, and
Justus Schwab, of New York City. |
Next in order was a gentleman who |
had never resided on the line of rail |
road; had not made the operations of |
our railway system any part of his |
study. The gentleman at the tail of |
his remarkable board had, we believe,
1t some period in his career, surveyed |
he line of projected road and been
active Tor short period in the engi-
1eer department of another road.
Not man of the three knew as much
IF the tricks of the trade" of prac-
zeal railroading as an intelligent
brakeman. They all knew less of the
yreat interest over which they were
iet, involving not less than $75,OOO,-
100 of capital, than is known by any
livision superintendent or upper
Jerk in freight Office.
With a Commission so composed,
ickety statute to guide them, and a
,ranky communist sitting at the head
If the table, as legal adviser, is it any
Wonder that the attempt at railroad
equation in Tennessee has fallen into
General contempt? Is it any wonder
he courts sent the board into inde6-
lite retirement?
We are not of those who believe
here are no railroad abuses that
hould be abolished. We know of
many that must be reformed by
he managers themselves, or the
of the country must
intervene to protect the roads
nd the people from the rascally
PRACTICES of spectators. Over these
buses State Legislature can have no
nore control than it can reform the
curt of Siam. The patchwork med
ling of States only complexities the
ituation, and does neither roads nor
atrons any good.