The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1885-01-13

peusation 10 cover operating expenses, the
cost of maintenance, Improvement and re
newsl of the property, and, In addition, a
fair sverage re urn for the value of the In
vesiment and the risk incurred. The Office
of the commission is to determine, in case
of dispute between shippers and railway
managers, what is just and reasonable
conn elsaiion."
Ii csssary, invest the comm ission with
with more power. Twenty one ST ties now
have commissions. By such menus, a vsst
food of light has been shed upon the sub
jet, TO the advAnt &c Of all parties con.
cerped. / think our railroad laws are
sufficiently explicit in most Of the essential
points, and only minor amendments are
required.
While giving the commissioners power
to adjust the difficulties between the peo-
pie and the roads, the legislature should be
careful 10 not make them managers of the
roads. There can be with safety, but one
federal he d in the management OF such
essentially dangerous and complex bodies.
z. straiuts on roads are important; so are
restraints on commissions. The safe
board of to-day may become the ambitious
and grasping one of TO morrow: "Cre Iie
an Office, it % alters not how important its
functions ct the beginning, they Will grad
ually be increa ed" Every step opens the
way to iurtfer their aggrandizement. The
growth of Missouri In railroad interests
and the prospects of SO continued growth
within tie next year, under our liberal
laws. is gratifying indeed. as every mil. of
road adds increased wealth and increased
population.
In my last message | sal |: eff the same
wisdom characterizes the legisl ton of this
state in future, as in the past, we may
reasonably exnect larger investments liz
railroad construction, aid the erection OF
thousands of homes upon our idle acres"
Since the first day of May. 1888, there
have been constructed 236 miles of rail-
road in this state, 113 miles 10 1883 and
123 miles in 1884, built in or through the
counties of CHARLTON, Carroll, Cape Girsr-
deau, Greene, Henry, Howell, Polk, Slod
dard and Wayne, making Abs miles of
railroad now 10 operation IN Missouri.
The gross earnings Of the roads for
1851 Is I53, 3S3 20
Gross earni gs of roads of 1884 IesIi-
matPCD Zy,UOUOVO w
Gross earnings per mile for lsSS........ 6,34S 90
Gross earnings er mil. for 1854 (Esti-
| Total stock chargeable o number OF
miles up TO January 1, lSS5....-.. 1862 s 90
1
Total bonded debt January l. 1SSj lO6, SIS, 557 %
Equal TO, per 24lO6 20
1t will be observed that there has been a
small decrea e OF the earnings per mile in
1884 over that of 1883, attributable 10 two
facts: An Increased mileage and slight
decrease in Tonnage, owing TO decreased
values. The earnings per Lille of the roa IS
in thu last ten years have materially 10
creased, owing 10 the rapid growth of The
state, and the greater skill in operating
the roads. doubt If any state has supe
rior cl.ss Of Railroad managers TO those of
Missouri. They are ever ready TO treat
citizen snd patron with that courtesy due
them, and to right every wrong as FIR as
reasonab bic. The following fifteen counties
are without railroad accommodations !:
Garter, Cedar, Dallas, Dong as, Hickory
Mcdonald, Maries, Or ,rk, Perry, Pemiscot,
Reynolds, st. Genevieve, Shannon, Stone
and fancy. That number, am informed,
will be reduced to ten within the reyt year,
and il is now reasonably supposed that 400
miles of new road will be constructed dur
ing that year. This will add millions of
dollsrs TO the wealth of the state, and
should forbid oppressive and illiberal legs
lation. Just laws will he of much more
benefit to the state than ill-considered ones,
which but add confusion TO the many vexed
questions already disturbing the people
and the roads.
I'm still of the opinion, as expressed in
my last message, that the depots and sur
rounding grounds, as far as practicable,
should be improved and beautiied, esps c.
tally slorg The main lines of the trunk
roads. They are not now in keeping with
the wealth, tracks ant machinery of The
roads. A few thousand dollars so expended
would add much to the popularity Of the
| TO Ids and the honor of the state All
things being equal, the travelir public
will patron re those roads exhibiting thst
degree of pr.de and desire to gratiIy the
public taste such small expenditures con-
tribute much to relieve the tedium of trav-
cling. The depots in this state, as a gener
al thirg, are wanting, not only in arct itect-
ual beauty, but also, 10 a large extent in
the ordinary comforts that should he found
IN such places. many being In fact repul-
sive 10 the lie st ccl,ured and the lesst re-
fined OF society, and often the .ris, dur
iTg the arrival ard departure of trains. Of
vulgar and in. oient 10 :fers The managers
of the 70 DIS and the town officials should
r.ak up such nuissnces. The commits
si1ners shOCld condemn the obnoxious and
lnhospitsble depots, calling upon the mar.
agers of the roads to supply more sccepta-
bic ones without delsy. 1t is clearly with
in the line of duty of the commissioners as
specified in section Ii, of the act creating
sid board, approved March 29th, 1875.
With these views as above expressed, what
ever legislation, in your assembled wisdom,
you my deem wise TO enact, / trust the
great rule of tquitg shall pvern, so that
while the individual interest of the citizen
is guarded, those of the corporations them
selves shall not be unjustly dealt with.
STATE CLAIMS.
Under an &C, of The Legislature, approved
March 18th, 1881, Hon. John L. Heard |
was appointed by the fund commissioners |
as agent in behalf of the state, to prosecute |
to final settlement before congress and the |