The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1890-03-20

road would lessen IL. charges for hauling
stone by one-half, it would quadruple the
stone industries of the county, and yet
leave fair profit in the business of trans
portation.
"ALL TER TRAFFIC CAN BEAR."
Railroad freight rates, ii uncontrolled.
are fixed upon the theory of putting upon
| the product all that it could stand, instead
of simply putting upon it fair compensa-
| ton to the railroad for hauling the goods
This was illustrated by the story of tho
| Irish eabman who, in a western city, was
called upon by two railroad magnates to
take them TO resort few miles from the
city. 1t was just after the papers had been
discussing the difference between people
and the railroads on some freight charges,
and the railroads were insisting upan put
ing a tariff which was all that the product
could bear, and more than fair compen.
Sation for transportation. The railroad
men asked him what he would charge
20 take them 10 this resort. He re-
piled IS. They told him that
t:ey were compelled to be in the city al
four o'clock, for they had trade which in.
volved five hundred thousand dollars, to
be made at that hour, and wanted to know
just how long 1t would take to make the
trip from the resort back to the CITY Tho
freshman told them just one hour There
upon they seated themselves in the cab and
went to the resort At three o'clock they
told the Irishman that they were ready to
return. The cabman did not bulge They
called his attention TO the fact that the
time had come for them to return, and that
they only had time by starting at once, to
meet their important engagement. The
Irishman replied that he had agreed tc
bring them out to the resort, but had made
no contract to take them back. Thereupon
the magnates, with few words of severe
crlticism, proposed to pay the Irishman
hVe dollars to take them back The Irish.
man promptly replied, Faith and be Jasus,
believe in the doctrine of charging
price which Is all that the traffic
VIII bear, and as have the only convey
anco which can take you to town, and as
you have an engagement involving S50O,OOO
when you get there, will charge you $500
Tor the use of my team for the next hour.
true, IT is more than my team and cab are
worth, but the traffic will bear it and you
must pay the charges" 1t is useless to
say that the railroad magnates, with
smothered imprecations, paid the $500 and
rode back to town.
Ahe IlStoIJ OI our own state shows that
the railroads make rates, not in accordance
with fair compensation for services rem
dered, or to develop the country, but to
make every dollar that they can.
THE RAILROAD COMMISSION.
About - years ago." said Mr. Smith,
I'VE established a railroad commission.
When the effort was made to establish it,
your capital city was thronged with disin.
terested ~ patriots, who urged,
First, That the establishment of rail-
road commission would check railroad
building. that capital was timid and ought
not to be interfored with.
Second, That the interests Of the people
and the roads were the same, and the roads
could be relied upon to develop the section
and put freight as low "a possible, and that
the agitation was coming, not from those:
who really felt an interest in the question,
but from demagogues and men who sought
popular favor at the sacrifice of tho indus
trial pursuits of the state.
Despite this line of argument the rail.
road commission was established and what
has been the result? More railroad devel-
opment has taken place in Georgia
within the past twelve years than
in any other period of twice that length.
Instead of finding that the railroads were
fixing the lowest freight rates possible con.
Sistent with their welfare, the commission
has been able to reduce freight charges at
least one-third inside the state, and the
cost of passenger transportation has been
also proportionately reduced.
TRUE DEVELOPMENT OF THB STATE.
"These reductions, forced by the people
in the exercise of their right of control,
have caused untold blessings to come to
our state in the way of industries developed
and individual prosperity, and the agita-
tors who were supposed to prefer ruling
in hell to serving in heaven, are found to
have been public benefactors, indeed, men
who were really serving the public"
few years later the same class of dis
interested (?) patriotic and philanthropic
sons who opposed the establishment of
the railroad commission, turned up before
the Legislature and urged that the powers
of the railroad commission should be cur
tailed. And the same old arguments were
made by the same old crowd in favor of
curtailing the powers of the commission
which were made against it's establish
ment. The fight was bitter; il was close
1t came from numerous independent rail-
roads with no concentrated power in a
sillBlc COMPANY, using lllullleSS money, ana
yet so stubbornly was the fight conducted,
so numerous were the newspapers found
willing to advocate it, that the cause of the
| people was almost defeated. The railroad
commission was preserved, but only by
| close vote.
POWER OF THE RAILROAD COMMISSION.
1t is well for you to understand the
I limit of it's power. The constitution of the
| United States reserves the control of
interstate commerce to the congress
! of the United States. Under the
decisions of the supreme court of the
United States no state commission can fix
rate commencing at point in the state
and going to point out of the state. When
your cotton is shipped to New FORK the
state railroad commission cannot lessen the
charge which is placed upon your cotton.
When the products of the west are shipped
to Georgia for your use the state railroad
commission cannot lessen the rates. They
cannot cross the state line with their rates.
The result is that rs you cross into South
Carolina upon the Richmond and Danville
rates go up enormously, while as you cross
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