The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1886-08-26


1t has become quite the fashion TO
abuse railroad corporations, or, if not to
abuse, to Withhold any commentator.
Those Journalists who abuse indiscrimi-
nately are generally malicious or find
thsir profit in miuistering to public ap-
petite that they have themselves helped
to create, and which grows by what it
feeds on. Those who withhold deserved
commendation may do so because they
have not thought on the subject, or be.
cause they are fearful of being called
"railroad organs" or charged with being
bought up with railroad money, railroad
passes or other favors. And indiscrimi-
nate praise is scarcely more commendable
than indiscriminate blame, for the press
should be ever alert to censure what is
blameable in the conduct of corporations
having the interests of the people so
largely involved, and thus maintain re-
straint upon their actions. But it is an
unmanly timidity that would prevent the
award of justly earned commentator,
and it is constantly being earned by vari-
GUS companies.
If we would believe some editors the
railroad companies OF Florida are but
wicked corporations with no bodies to
be kicked nor souls to be damned -
soulless, grasping robbers, seeking to
plumber the people in any way,-by high
freights, high fares and the unlimited ap-
preparation of lands. We admit, of
course, that the rates of freight and fare
are comparatively high, the former es-
pecially being very onerous in'some sec
tions, but let us consider the other side of
the question: Notwithstanding high
charges the Florida railroads do not pay
to those who have money invested in
them one-ffth of the profit that bust
ness man expects from ordinary invest
ments; an inside estimate will place their
aggregate disbursements to regular en-
ployes at five million dollars per annum
while they are constantly putting in cir
culation among the people other large
amounts for construction and repairs
they have brought into the State vast
sums of money in their construction and
equipment; they have made the State
what it is, and they sustain the promise
of its future progress and prosperity
without them the State would be
still little better than the wilder
ness it was before they were
built, and but for the land grants there
would not be to-day one-sixth of the
length of line in operation that there is,
for the construction caused by land grant
aid has brought about prosperity which
enables construction of more road without
the aid of land grants; the land not
granted is to-day worth many times as
much as all of the land was before any oil
it was granted, and better disposition Of
80 much of the public domain as was
awarded them could not have been made
AOA CHO OOACAo Va tAO POOPAC. A>O iAon
can dispute this and sustain lis position
The railroads constitute the paramount
business interest of the State very much
larger, indeed, than any other-and here
as elsewhere, it seems the natural inclina
ton of the general public to look with
jealousy, if not decided unfriendliness
upon powerful corporations, whether their
rights have been infringed or not. This
results from the consciousness that the
power exists to infringe those rights, and
hence the peoples representative law
makers provide restraints against the
abuse of that power. This is right, but il
the clamor of some of the railroad hatert
should prevail, laws would be passed thai
would utterly cripple the business of Flor
ida railroads and discourage all enterprise
looking to their construction, extension OF
improvement. Corporations have rights
as well as the people. What would VIZ
do without the railroads we have, and
how can we do without those we expect
to have?