Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1889-07-20
THE COMPETITION QUESTION

The Hartford Conn Post says:
The Hartford Board OF Trade, interested in the
ditferential rates between the West and New
hearing in Boston before the Senate Committee
on Interstate Commerce. 1t would nave been
secuted as a miserable surrender of principles
if few months ago there had been any truck
ling" to Canadian railroads as against our own.
But now the fTeighteIs who are benefited by the
low rates OF the Canadian have taken their
stand boldly, and demand that no change be
made that Will interfere with their position.
Truly business has no bowels of compassion,
very little patriotism either; it is wholly a mat
ter of dollars and cents.
From what follows it is clear that the
Post is convinced that the true interests of
the country demand that the unfair compe-
tition between the Canadian road and the
American transcontinental roads should be
stopped, and the home roads favored as
against their foreign rival. But it is also
apparent that the Post stands in fear, some
what, of the Massachusetts, sentiment. that
is purely selfish one. The preaching OF
the New England business men now is
practically, "no matter what the effect Of
the Canadian competition upon American
interests at large, so long as it brings grist
to our mill, the devil may take care of the
rest of the country" This purely and
coldly, not to say brutal, sentiment is at
war with the historic conception of the
humanity, refinement and philanthropy OF
New England No one demands that New
England interests shall be sacrificed, as
Mr.. Furber asserts is asked. 1t is not a
sacrifice to protect our own by excluding
the unfair competitor, who is also a for
eigner. New England interests could not
possibly suffer if the Canadian competition
were cut off to-day, since it would simply
leave matters as they were before the COM
petitor appeared in the field. 1t is not
asking a sacrifice of New England com.
merce TO insist that it shall be transacted
over American lines. Mr.. George G.
Croker put it very pointedly, as Chair.
man of the Massachusetts, Railroad Com
mission, when he said in effect that it j.
an issue whether the Canadian roads shall
be permitted to do American business by
means of their subsidies and their failure
to pay taxes and dividends, and thus t.
compete with the roads of the United
States that pay taxes and dividends, anC
contribute by their existence to the build
ing of the interior of the country. TIL,
Post attempts to parry this thrust by say
ing:
But SO far as the business community is con
cerned, they are all united against an advance
OF rates to enable Western roads TO declar,
higher dividends, and however much the manu-
tacturers believe in tax on consumers in orde
that they may pay dividends, they object strenu
ously TO being taxed themselves for the benefi
OF any one else. They insist upon all the ad
yantages which nature ana fortune have givel
them.
Which is disingenuous. 1t is not tn
question of advancing" American rates
but one of ruinous reduction of through
rates. to plane that will throw the sup
port of the home roads upon the way
communities, because of the Withdrawal
of the through traffic in favor of the for
eign competitor. New England has tn
right to demand that all natural adyan
tages in her favor shall be utilized; sh
has not the right, however, to lay tn
claim at the expense of the natural ad
yantages of the West; nor, to make tn
proposition stronger, has she the right L
claim the advantage the foreign avenue o
traffic offers to her, at the expense of ever
the artificial advantages the West enjoys
that were created for it by the policy Q
the Government and under which the Yves
has been built up. If the doctrine of pro
lection is worth anything whatever, here
the place and now is the time to apply il
The transcontinental roads do not ask pro
lection against New England, but agains
the alien competitor into whose foreign
hopper New England proposes to pour he
grist, while she in common with the res
of the country levies taxes upon the hom
competitor and regulates its affairs in
manner that renders the home industr,
incompetent to compete