The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1890-04-15

if any legislature ever intended to
grant such rights it had no power to
grant them.
If the legislature can not regulate
the tariff to be charged by these cor.
porations for these services, then thew
| charge the full value of a car load
from Raleigh to Weldon for its trans.
portation, provided the owner of the
same could not get it to Weldon for
less money. And the right having
been granted to corporations to trans,
port between these two points, and it
being equipped for the work, no other
person or corporation can afford to
build and equip a new line, because the
first line al haul cheaper than a new
one; and if it could not it would buv
off the second line OF pool the freights
and kill competition, and it would still
take the value of the car load to get
it to Weldon on either line.
The Constitution in allowing the
law making power of the State the
right to charter these corporations,
did not intend to surrender the right
of self protection. Nor could the law
making power have intended to de.
strOy competition in transportation
and place the citizens of the State at
the mercy of these soulless corpora.
tions. And it is believed by many
able lawyers of the country that a
combination of the traffic between
these corporations for the purpose of
keeping the rate Of transportation
aoove high water mark is a perpersion
of the power of the corporations suff.
cient to forfeit all rights under these
charters. If it were otherwise there
could be no limit to the power of the
railroads. If they can charge what
they please, then they can charge to
the value of the goods transported.
If they can not charge what they
please then there is a limit to their
power to charge. If there is a limit
to their power to charge exorbitant
and oppressive rates, where does the
power exist to limit the power of the
corporation to charge up to the point
of ~confiscation.
It must exist in the same body that
granted the charter-the Legislature.
Many persons become merchants,
horse dealers, millers, etc., and ask
no special privilege and are granted
none.
Each one has a right to follow
these callings without the consent of
the legislature and no one has any ex.
elusive right ver any one else.
All stand on the same footing and
compete with each other for patron.
age.
1t is not so with the corporations.
Three or four wealthy men put their
heads and capital together; they Sc
cure a charter, they build a road from
Raleigh to Norfolk, equip it and COM
mence work. They calculate what it
costs to produce a bushel of wheat in
Wake county and what it will bring
in Norfolk and charge for transports.
ton exactly the difference between the
cost of production and the selling price
in Norfolk.
The farmer is helpless-he has no
other means of getting his wheat to
Norfolk, and can not find a market in
Raleigh. Competing corporations
agree to charge the same tariff, deduct
expenses and then divide the profits.
What is known s competing lines
of corporations never per :n~anently
lower the rates of freight. They al
ways increase the rate in the end.
No competing lines ought to be al
lowed. Where one line can perform
the work that line ought to be COM
PEELED to workf for the public at reason
able rates, so as to make reasonable
dividends.
Without a charter these corpora.
tons could not build one foot of
road over the lands of the citizens,
and yet it is conceded that the legiS.
lature granted these special privileges
with full power to coniscate every
mans property that comes to them
for transportation without any power
reserved to the legislature or the peo-
pie to in any way intercede in the PEG,
Piles behalf.
The legislature has no such power
and the Constitution never contem.
plated any such power.
If the legislature has no power to
control the railroads, then they are
tyrants with unbridled and unlimited
power to confiscate any mans property
transported by them. 1t is not neces'
sary to charge for transportation the
full value of property in order to con-
fscate it. To charge the difference
between the cost of production and
the price at the point to which 1t Is
transported is sufficient to bankrupt
the producer.
When the railroads were first built
in the State they were allowed 70