The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1890-02-25

ana unjust, anu the E6WeuyI
if any, now provided is economical,
speedy and pr practicable, then no further
law is required.
1t is for you, my readers, to answer
this question. You are the sovereigns
of this republic; and by your COM
mands must your servants, the mem
bers of the legislature, be guided.
Railroads, al before stated, are built
for the benefit of the public, AMI there
il an implied contract between the
State aud the railroad companies that
all people shall have reasonable and
equal facilities for transportation OF
persons and freight. 1t needs no
argument to show the injustice OF
charging one person more than another
for the like service. All persons are
equally interested in the railroad, and
in a qualified sense it belongs to all
the people. Those persons who have
by their labor and capital built and
equipped the road are beyond dispute
entitled to manage it in whatever way
they may think proper, and whatever
profits are derived from it belong SOLE
ly to them, GEuOGys ProVtded, hoWeVeT,
that the road is so managed as to give
to all its patrons reasonable and equal
facilities and conveniences. l can
charge for the use of my horse in
conveying a traveller from Halifax to
Weldon whatever price I please, or I
can charge n person price and
another person another price, and no
one can complain, because the horse
is in the fullest sense my exclusive
property, and [ did not obtain this
property or ownership of the horse
through the aid of a grant from the
people, and because, as l have not the
exclusive right of hiring horses to pas
sengers between Halifax and Weldon,
and if the traveller does not wish to
pay the price asked by me, he can hire
q horse from any other person.
But this is not true of railroads. If
the Wilmington and Weldon Railroad
Company should charge enormous
prices for carrying cotton from Hall
fax to Weldon and any other person
should wish to build a rail
road between these two points
so at to carry cotton at reduced
but still remunerative prices he
could not do so, because he has no
power to take from it's owners land
upon which to build the road and be-
cause the Wilmington and Weldon
Company has the exclusive privilege
of transporting along this line cotton
by rail. This privilege has been
granted to this company by the people
in consideration of an implied promise
of equal facilities to each and every
one of the people. Unless this were
so the railroad company might require
one cotton merchant in Halifax to pay
twenty-five cents per bale for carrying
cotton, and at the same time require
from another Halifax cotton merchant
for the same service only ten cents
per bale, and thereby build up and
enrich the one at the expense and ruin
of the other. That this would be
oppressive, unjust and illegal requires
no argument to prove; and but for the
grasping, lordly and tyranna cal con-
duct of at least some of the railroad
companies there would be no necessity
to adopt means to prevent it.
A statute of this State provides that
railroads shall not make any unjust dis.
elimination in the rates of charges for
toll or compensation for the transpor
tation of passengers or freights of any
description; and so there is no doubt
of the illegality of such discrimination.
Yet this law is of no practical or real
benefit to the people and is violated
with impunity.
A. ships from Scotland Neck to
Weldon by rail one bale of cotton for
which the railroad company makes
him pay twenty cents, and B. ships at
the same time another bale of cotton
from and to the same place for which
he is compelled to pay fifty cents. This
is clearly IN unjust discrimination,
and B. is entitled damages; but in
order to recover these damages he
must employ a lawyer to sue the rail
road company. The claim is resisted
by the railroad company, the suit
slowly progresses from court to court,
and after much loss of time and money
B. finally RECEIVERS from the railroad
thirty cents,
1t is well known that it is the policy
of the railroad companies to litigate,
and resist in every possible way, all
demands for damages without regard
to the justice of the claim, so 8 to
prevent suits against them and there
by avoid the payment of just demands
for thenon-performance of duty. They
keep in their constant service the
ablest and most skillful lawyers, and
the contest between them and the peo-
pie is unequal.
IMPROVE YOUR LANDS.