Salt Lake evening Democrat. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1885-1887, 1885-11-06
RAILROAD DISCRIMINATION.

The platform of the Nebraska Democ-
racy contains this plank:
We believe the Railroad Commission Gre
ated by the last Legislature of this State is
an institution simply to provide more places
for Republican office-holders, and IS mad
euuate to correct the evils complained OF;
we therefore demand such legislation as will
prevent discrimination against individuals,
and shall so regulate the tariff on the rail
roads in this State as will be just to the roads
and also to the people.
What the Railroad Commission in Ne
braska is we are unable to say, but as
this plank says it sis inadequate to cor
rect the evils complained OFF, The
portion of this plank which most interests
us is the matter of discrimination against
individuals. What that is in this
Territory we all know. Not only have
individuals been Disseminated against,
but the Territory itself has been discrim-
mated against. The smelling interests of
Salt Lake City have been sacrificed to
build up Omaha, and Denver, and Chicago,
and other places. So long as Idaho and
Montana have not proper facilities for
smelling the products of their mines, Salt
Lake City becomes naturally the smelt-
ing centre to which the ores of these Ter
ritories would be shipped if it were not
for discrimination. The facilities are
all here, and the city itself is the centre
Of CT nd
shorter distance between our city
and the shipping points of Idaho
and Montana, as compared with the dis
tance between those shipping points and
Omaha or Denver, makes Salt Lake City
the proper receptive point for the mining
products of our northern neighbors. But
Salt Lake City is forbidden to enjoy the
advantages which nature has SO abund-
antlv bestowed upon her. All this refers
to commerce with towns outside of Utah's
boundaries and to railroads which are
foreign corporations. Still, railroads which
have received their franchises from Con-
gress should not be permitted to kill an
industry or stamp out town
through discrimination and such
discrimination should be forbidden by
the local Legislatures of the Territories SO
far as internal commerce is concerned, al
though it is probable that if the evil of dis
elimination continues to grow, Congress
will be importuned TO exercise its consit-
tutional power to regulate Interstate
commerce, and forbid discrimination.
Our local railroads have not been entirely
free from the curse of dissemination, but
the discrimination has chiefly been
against individuals, and not against
localities.
These things are wrong, and should be
righted. Railroads are given great powers
not that men may make money alone,
but because they are public necessity
and quasi-public in their nature. We do
not believe that the fixing of the freight
and passenger tariff of railroads by Legis-
atures or Railroad Commissioners is a
wise thing, but the cutting of rates one
lay and the sending of them up another
lay should be forbidden, unless such cuts
ind raises shall be announced for so
many weeks in advance, and such
uts and raises shall be maintained for
certain length of time
What, at times, seems discrimination
5 not, as where the rates on a very long
laul, which requires no shifting of freight
r switching of cars, are somewhat lower !
han the rates for short hauls, which re- |
uire frequent stops and much handling G
freight. Neither is it discrimination to : :
i've better rates on car load lots than on !
mall shipments of two or three hundred \
ounds. .
The railroad legislation of Utah needs T
overhauling, and the people o
ill look to the Legislature this winter to o
lact such needed legislation. :