Sacramento daily record-union., 1889-08-31
SHALL AMERICANS CONTROL AMERI.
CAN CARRYINGl

GhN GAhh41NGt
Mr.. 7. John Totyi, in the Ocerland
Monthly for September, has very interest
ing paper on a subject of the most vital in
terest, that should have a greatly wider
reading than it is likely to receive in the
pages of the monthly. Mr.. Totyl has taken
up and discussed the question of the COM
petition with American railroads by for
eign lines, notably the Canadian Pacific.
He points out that prior to 1860, when the
bulk of domestic carrying was done by
water craft, no protective laws seemed
necessary. All our domestic carrying and
over 81 per cent. Of exports and imports
were by American carriers. Such is not
the condition at this day We are found
with surplus of production and CT do
mestic carrying facilities. What is the
remedy?
1t is fact that public sentiment has run
counter to any public man who ventures to
treat railroad and other transportation in
dustries as other industries are treated
This, however, should not prevent candid
criticism as to the justice Of such senti-
ment. Nor, let us assure Mr.. Totyl, will
it. The day has passed when these mat
ters are to be treated by the people from
any other standpoint than their true inter
ests. The essayist proceeds to say that the
commercial sense of the coast has awak-
ened to the truth that the legitimate trade
of the State and Of San Francisco is being
diverted to foreign channels of movement.
and hence the call for the Commercial
Convention that is now in session in the
metropolis, He then proceeds to consider
few facts that he holds the Convention
must consider, if it would reach remedy
for an acknowledged menace and evil.
Certain business men not so very long
ago hailed the construction of a railroad
over British territory from shore to shore
as means of enabling them to receive
goods in San Francisco at lower rate, in
which the consumer would share. These.
of all others, now that the trade is drifting
away from us to the foreign route, ought
to be the first to endeavor to recover lost
ground and prevent any further loss to
California, or the erection of terminal and
distributing points for our commerce out
side Of our own realm. ''Those that favored
the passage of the interstate commerce law.
in company with the Canadian Pacific
Railway Company, viii find that one-half
the zeal displayed therein, exerted in the
opposite direction, will effect its repeal and
place American railroads on an equality
with the company mentioned, 50 far as re-
CARDS through business. They can also
lend their influence in securing such legis-
lation as win confne all interstate carry
ing to American carriers"
The American merchant marine was
built up by excluding from interstate
carrying all foreign nations, and no one |
has ever ventured to doubt the wisdom of
that restriction. Now, says the essayist, |
as New England's wealth and prosperity /
are the result Of protection to her manu-
featuring industries, she should not object to |
the extension Of the principle to the trans
portation industries; ifNew England and |
Chicago think free trade in transportation
industries is a good thing, let them not OBJ
ject to its application to other industries.
The chief advocates of interstate commerce
restrictions are those States and cities
whose contiguity to the Canadian lines of
transportation and their intersections,
enable them to secure concessions that
completely nullify the interstate commerce
law, and make possible divide between
the American shipper and the foreign car
rier. 1t is this fact that constitutes the chief
inducement for shipping from New Eng
land to the Pacific coast over the Canadian |
road
But this Interstate Act forbids Ameri- !
can lines from competing for this traffic on
the pain OF reduction of their local sched-
ules of rates to the same level. They are |
thus placed between two fres-if they
compete they lose by local reduction; if |
they do not compete, they lose by diver
sion in through business, and that, it may
be added, causes increase of local rates. Il |
is these facts that make it imperative for
the commercial men of the Pacific to act
with yigor in presenting their case to the
country, for it is clear that the loss to the
American road, under either of the condi- |
tions, is loss to the commercial man, who, |
less than the railroads, can afford to have
the trade of the coast diverted to the for
eign routes.
Now, what should be done? The essay
ist replies, apply TO the land carrier the
same restriction that attaches to the water