The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1888-11-24
IN RAILROAD CIRCLES.
The Inter- State Law-Light Travel
General and Personal.

mere are thOSe VINO are unSOpnlStl-
Gated enough to believe that the inter
state commerce law was engineered
through Congress by the agents of the
various railroad companies throughout
the United States. Take the leading
railway men of the country" said
modest railroad official yesterday, land
place them alongside of the same mum
Der of United States Senators and Con-
gress men, and you will find that, for
business ability, tact, energy and
brains, the railroaders are far in ad-
vance Of the law makers of this coun-
try, and the latter will have their hands
full, when they pass any constitutional
law that the former cannot get
around" A leading eastern exchange,
however, does not taken the same view
of the matter. and insists that there is
60 doubt about it, the inter state COM
merce law is hurting the railroads
| The railroad men have hurt themselves
more than any law has by tremendous
overbuilding in 1869. and the com
pletion in 1888 of the projects insugur-
ated in those years, but what is done is
done. The railroads were built un-
wisely, before their time, and before
there was any traffic for them. but they
are built and equipped, neverths less,
and are great public benefit, although
| they are not at present sources Of private
profit.
No one is so extreme, unless it be
some bitter hater of the Chicago. Bur-
llngton & Northern, as to deny these
new roads the right of mere existence
They have come to stay, and the growth
of the west will be all the more rapid
because Of them But it will take some
years before these 20 900 miles of new
| the railroad systems of the west.
Meantime, every line is cutting and
slashing for tonnage, and some are
worse competitors than the bankrupt
Wabash. As in ger eral business, so in
railroading, the bankrupt who does not
meet obligations In full can always sell
the lowest, or make the greatest cut.
There have been just such periods In
our railroad history before. The
trouble has been outgrownsand rene
die d, both. But now the only remedy
is fakenra#ay by the Interstate com
merce law in that section, which pro-
hibits pooling. This sectionof the law
is direct and arbitrary, and since it
went into effect, pooling has ceased
operly and cannot exist. Yet this is
the only material relief for over baild-
ing, and it is legitimate relief. 1t is
reco. nized pr nciple the world over. and
in some countries receive direct legal
sanction. Pooling in its best forms
does not prevent legitimate oompe
tit:on, aud it does check cut throat
railroading. The radical grangers
carried an unintelligent Congress too
far in prohibiting pooling of any kind.
There is nothing short of consolidation
TO ameliorate the evils of destructive
rate-cutting save pooling, and whole
sale consultations are neither practic-
able nor desirable. There is freer com
petition under pools.
We believe in government supervision
of railroads. and that the inter state
commerce commission has a mission.
1t will continue to have one while I'M
just discrimination lasts; but there are
lntricacies of management, born of rival
lines and increasing competition, which
commission cannot best solve.
the railroads have done more for the
bAoh now LCSCitCAs lucy
ought to have the right to exist and pay
the ir debts, AMI wait while the sections
they serve are growing populous and
prosperous. Congress should come to
the relief of the present situation by
making pooling in its best forms legiti-
mate. If this is not done now, we pre-
dict that the chief mourners and the
Leading advocates of change by aud
| by will be the representatives OF the
granger States. They can not long
prosper at the expense of the railroads
DISPATCH SAYS.
The Winona & Southwestern Railway
in Mime sota, formally was opened on
Friday The road is intended to form
link between Winona and Omaha in
the great traHscontinental line. includ-
ing the Ladkawanna. Green Bay and
Winona on the east and the Union
Pacific on the west. connecting at
Sioux City with the projected line to
Ukden-
GENERAL AND PERSONAL.