The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1884-08-27
FACTS AND FIGURES.
The Result of the Railroad
Commission i'm Tennessee.
Injury Inflicted on the Industrial
Interests-New Charters
Dead Letters.

That industry which more nearly
contains within itself all the elements
OF scientific development, embracing
the whole scope OF the intellectual
business requirements, is the railroad
industry Of this eountry-a national
pride, the power and strength
of the land, which permeates the
whole internal economy of the coun-
try, and magioally spreads prosperity
and activity from its approach as the
sun does light and heat to the dawn
ing day.
From feeble. struggling line, looked
upon with indifference and subjected
TO disastrous prophesy, the railroads of
the Union have gathered the peoples
Of the earth together, built cities, es-
tablished prosperity and made desert
places bloom. A. a single bound the
vast continent is spanned and spider
webbed with invigoratingiines, which,
like arteries. grow tense and full with
glorious life. Prosperity, energy, &C
tiyity, intelligence and wealth are all
handmaidens OF this queen OF modern
industry. What land, what PEOPLE,
what nation, what state, what county,
village, hamlet, neighbOrhoOd or man
dares an the face Of It's grand accom-
piishment cOOlly 10 reject such an en-
terprise?
In the light OF present political sur
rOundings in Tennessee and in the
gloom Of Its present railroad future, the
answer is that, like Georgia and South
Carolina, Tennessee covers and cringes,
faiters and mumbies out, that she has
added herself TO the list Of the In
glorious, and frowns upon them with
in her borders. She puts il into the
history of her people that, in 1852,
misled, blinded and stultified by the
voices Of a score of weak-minded zeal
OTIS, she put an extinguisher upon the
glowing flame OF railroad advancement
and planted her foot upon its prosper
ity and growth, by inserting in her
Democratic platform the plank for the
commission advent. she heralded il
10 Capitalize most sensitive financial
plant, which anything less than a
breath ciOses-thdt not only does she
she now has, but, by her conduct and
code of doctrines, that she will prevent
any further lines from being estab-
hshed in her borders. She says to en-
teTprise, energy and commercial pros
Perity: 81 inClss you Nth my lsft hard
Gssd cut your throat With my right"
She proposed, in that year Of all
mlsadventure, 10 say 10 all railroad
projectors that they might come and
toll and build, but when completed
they should have foisted, as overseers,
over their skilled and experienced |
the arbitrary, unlearned and
prejudiced judgment of three men,
not one OF whom had had the least |
training for their special forum, and |
Eho should WELD unlimited and des- |
potic powers What has resulted |
Statistics illustrate the disasters |
which have followed, and which will |
continue, unless sober and cool judg- |
ment is sprinkled upon the passions |
Of such leaders as have put this folly |
in existence. In 1852 the war upon |
fhe railroads was inaugurated. Its /
Aaleful effects are 10 be seen when il |
G nsidered that, of nearly one hun /
dred railroad charters now on file in |
the office of the Secretary of State, |
less than one hundred miles of rail-
road have been built in Tennessee |
since that period.
In 1888 there were built in the |
United States $50 miles of railroad, |
Of which the Southern States received |
LIS miles. The effect of commits |
siOns upon railway construction can |
be fairly illustrated by a comparison |
of three Southern States which have a
commission with three |
others which have none, to-wit:
With Commission. without Commission. |
Miles. Miles.
Georgia-....--..-----. S Florida........... 2is
South Carolina 40is Mississippi $50
Tennessee--.-----. ~ Louisiana---.....-.. Is
By reference to POor's Manual OF
the railroads OF the United States for
1854 we are informed by the Statisti-
clan that there were at the close of
the fiscal year 1855 in the United
States l20,5j2 miles OF railroad, and
according TO the report of the Railroad