Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1885-05-15
FRIDAY MORNING. MAY. Is. 1s'
RAILROAD WRONGS AND
REMEDIES.

FhlUA1 MUM lNd. NJ Az. 10, 1850
RAILROAD WRONGS AND
REMEDIES.
Recalling certain passages in the proceedings of
the late Farmers Convention in this CITY, we are
led to ask If people want more railroads is it
wise to war on those we have? Are capitalists apt
to plant their money where it is threatened with
hostile legislation? Would the farmers OF this
State be any better off if all the tonnage from the
West wers to reach us, much of it now does via
Baltimore Philadelphia and New York by water,
instead of over the Virginia railways? As with
both through and local freights the roads bare
ly able to maintain themselves is it sensible to
prevent their carrying either ? Can they get
through freights if they charge than Compel
ing lines? If they refuse through freghts they
lower the charges on local freights Is it not true
that though they have not been making profits for
their owners, they have within the last ten fiji
teen years lessened their charges materially, and
greatly improved the punctuality. safety and COM
fort of the service they have rendered the public.
Last year thirty-seven roads in this country were
sent to recelverships amounting to $715,OO0OOO in
capital stock This year the first three months
show that twenty roads have failed. aggregatlng
in value $275 1850, 0OO.-Industrial South.
The above is from an admirable journal,
non-politicalin its character, and devoted
conscientiously and effectively to building
up the State of Virginia. In the short
extract given, may be said to be condensed
about all the arguments against legisla-
tion to force railroads to abandon discrim-
nation against localities. Let US try to
take purely practical and impartial view
of these arguments:
''If our people want railroads is It wise
to war on those we have?" No war is be-
ing made on the railroads, but on the sys-
tenn of discrimination they adopt, and by
which they war upon the interests, nay
the very existence of interests on which
! the people at large depend for prosperity.
] The people are warning in self defence. AS
to their wanting more railroads, the people
| frankly answer that they do not want
more on the same terms. For instance,
! the people of this town are very anxious
to get road to Highland and border West
Virginia, in order to retain the trade of
that section, and are surely but slowly
growing into mind of subscribing to build
one. But if the road when completed is
to put freight from Richmond to Pendle-
ton, West Virginia, at cents, while that
to Staunton is 9,and the freight from Pen
dleton to Richmo nd at cents while the
1 freight from Pendleton to Staunton is
/ cents, we dOn't want any such road built;
because it would destroy an existing wag-
on road trade which is very good. We
have great many valuable woods in Au-
gusta which are being manufac tured into
slaves, boards, spokes, &c, and shipped
to Richmond, but if this imaginary road
was built to, we will say Pendleton, where
the same woods exist, and put freight to
Richmond at $40 car from Pendeton and
500 from StauntOn, these manufacturers
i would soon transfer their plant to Pen
dletOn. So, again, If border West Vir-
ginia were heavy wheat raising country,
the difference in freight would drive the
Augusta farmer out of the Richmond
market or force him down to ruinous COM
. petition in prices. A railroad per Sc is not
the chief of blessings; it is Only blessing
when it is used for the advantage of the
section through auhich 1t passes. If the i'm
agln ~, yet possible, situation we have
/
gusta and Staunton could well afford to
! subscribe large amount and pay conf
pany that might have obtained charter.
not to build road instead of helping to
build it.
elf they refuse through freights can
they lower the charges ON local freights?'
4 That question is always put in on behalf
/ of the railroads, though it has no place in
this discussion. They are not asked to
lower their charges on local freigh: they
where, whether high or low, uniform and
according to the work they do. That is
! all. 1t makes little difference to the far
mer of Augusta il he is only charged one
eighth of cent bushel to land his wheat
in Richmond or Baltimore, if the wheat
from the Dakota fields is landed there at
one sixteenth of cent. The difference in
the freight must come out of the Augusta
/ farmers pocket in the end, to his loss.
The thirty-seven roads that went with
| $715, 600 into the hands of receivers
last year prove nothing. More capital than
/ that passed to receivers last year from
= great manufacturing firms and CONNER
cial houses for whom no tenderness is
asked in consequence. Nor did the roads 60
i into the hands of receivers on account of
any new law affecting them or any old law
operating disastrously to them. They
went on account of the general depression
of business and because their present sys-
tenn OF operation is no safeguard. They
have had every thing their own way, in
fact, they have leqislated for themselves
and yet in one year thirty-seven of them
60 under. Twenty more have gone since
1885 opened but not one of them was opera
ting under the long and short haul law,
because there was no such law; nor under
any hostile legislation to railroad inter
ests in this csuntry because, as matter
of experience, the preponderance of legis
lation and judicial decisions is over
whelming in favor of railroads. That fifty
seven railroads should pass into the hands
of receivers in the United States in fifteen
months shows that they were operated on
unhealthy, Legitimate, inherently bad
business systems. They have done so little
to build up the country along their lines
that when depression comes along and the
long hauls of produce from the West to the
coast and between the great cities fail
them, they have no varied local traffic
worth the name to derive nourishment
from, Will they change the system !? Will