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

the people. / believe the created ia
always subject to the Creator; that at no
/ time can it infringe upon popular rights.
disregard the inherent power of the peo-
/ pie of the State-that of self-defense-
which can never be legi.lated away nor
surrendered: which principle has been
| clearly enunciated by the Supreme Court
of the United States in what is known
as the Granger eases. 1t is one thing to
have such rights reserved and sustained
by judicial decisions and another of
equal Importance to exercise those
rights. Ii there is an evil i'm the growth
and assumed power of great CORPORA
tons, their is IN equal evil i'm oppressive
and empirical legislation. Recurring to
the first question: how to manage these
great enterprises. common sense sug
gests bat one leading answer to-wit: in
such a way as for them to accommodate
the greatest number at the lowest rea-
sOnable rates; and, sypOn the other hand
for that number to give the same eOusid-
Grafton to the capitol Invested IN them a.
If it were Invested i'm houses. lands and
merchandise. and not seek to destrey il
by unjust legislation and the decisions of
partisan courts. Railroads are entitled
TO the same rights and protection as
other prOperty-nO more or less, and; 70
one should complain at such a law and
such decisions" If the law is wrong
then. as Gov, Sherman saws. amend it
for there should be no distinctions among
the people. If not wrong. bet us cease.
irons inveighing against the. roads, and
resOtately work for the interests of the
State SDd tho interests of the rDads. The
second question is. Co what extent should
Congress or the States undertake to gov
ern them? Ianswer. by as little legisla-
ton as possible. dnd that upon vital
points. Railroad managers and the
people are not necessarily in antagonism
to each other. Wherever railroad goes
we see additional value given to the land.
transportation is our process of nasnip-
ulatiOn which transforms the products of
the wheat fields into bEsad. life ard hap
piness for the hungry thousands, else
where. Let us not forget this important
fact, and we find our opposition to- rail-
roads gradually diminishing. As said
by a thoughtful writer: ''Graduallv
the railroad managers have reached a
better understanding of the fact that the
of their corporations and the
growth of their prosperity of the eem-
munity from which they must derive all
their business. This view is clearest
those managers who have control Of the
most diversified interests among those
whose lines stretch through different
States and supply different cOmmuni-
ties
Railroads, are common curriers' and are
entitled to receive a just compensation
to one road would not be to another. No
congress, no legislature. can prescribe.
BY its own acts, nor by or thrO ugh q
board of commissioners, an inflexible
rule or rate of fares and frsight applica-
Die, ut all tunes. and to all railroads
which wOuld.nOt build up sac road and
at the same time destroy another Many
eauses forbid such an iron rule. Com
nercial depressiOns, bad harvests. met
geological emergencies, man,iOld rea-
sons. beyond the power Of human con-
Tol or foresight, may, in q few months.
educe the demand for transportation
% the minimum, where the tariff
which yielded fair profit, when there was
nore freight 10 be moved, would OF yield
my profit at all under those adverse cir
Legislators might as wisely
undertake to tx the price Of e0in for the
armers for q series of seasons or years.
The minimum rate one season might be
more than the maximum the following
esson. Business and competition are the
rue regulating forces In transportation,
more potential than Legislative acts, and
more wisely applicable to al conditions.
so fixed rule can be adopted in regard to
reight and passenger ra.es. As rule, the
ates of to-day are less than the rates OF
me year ago. As science and skill in rail
nod business soanro l0war Of
ng expenses, so they, at the same time,
ecurs lower rates IN freight
md passenger transportation. The rates
n existence in Missouri ten years ago,
would be considered inequitsble at the
would not be submitted to by the people.
10 show you what progress has been made
n such reductions, | append table relat-
ng 10 the business II tae main line OF the
Contra. railroad. This pre-
ents a comparative idea Of such reductions
70 all tbs lines.
There are very few persons who have
ny conception of the ripidity with which
he rates of transportation have hsen re-
uced IN this country since the close Of the
ate civil war. The following table CON-
ned 10 the business o. the main line g.
he Penpsy lysnia railroad between Phila-
elph;a and Plttsburg, gives some informs-
ION On this subj ct, and The figures are au-
heniic. 1t shows, for each year since 1866,
be number of tons of freight moved one
,ila, the rates per ton per mile, and the
mount of reduction in any given year,
orapuied on the difference between the rate
d that year and the rate charged in 1855:
Total tons Average Am0ant of
mile rate per reduction
Years. ton per-, each year
mile Compared on
rats of 1865.