Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1891-08-21

RailrOads-APain.

We do not think that the railroads OF
the country are in any present danger.
What the future may reveal we cannot
foretell. They know too well how to pro-
tect themselves. They know that their
services are invaluable to the community,
and that these services are not likely to
be dispensed with. They know tnat.some-
body must pay the cost of transporting
freight over the railroads. or 1t will not be
Transported al oil. Nevertheless, 1t may
not be amiss to say n word on the general
subject. now that il is mp for discussion.
We do not remember that in any book,
pamphlet. newspaper, or periodical, we
have ever seen it suggested that good
many railroads belong to the class of pro-
perty or works styled nowadays "Datu-
raj monopolies." That is to say, there Is
not much probability that a second rail-
road will be constructed parallel with one
already IN operation. However, this proba-
bility seems to become greater as time
passes on. and il is possible that either
electric railroads or some other kind may
eventually pass every county-seat and
every village of any considerable size.
But TO say that thus competition may re-
suit between railroads is to say that the
public will have to pay for all the CON-
peting railways. In other words, railroads
must be constructed by persons needing
transportation for freight or.passengers, or
by SPECTATORS. In either event II may be
assured that these roads will not work for
nothing and find themselves. The money
TO keep them up will be supplied by the
patrons Of the road or else the road will
go down. There will no good results fol-
low mere railing at such roads as mo
nopolists." IL Is only money that talks"
efectually.
But will not the people find or make
way out of their troubles? Will they not
compel tho Government TO take possession
of the railroads and operate them on the
public account? Possibly. There is no
telling what our system of submitting the
decision of important questions TO the
popular vote will result in. We are afraid
that the cost of running railroads on Gov
eminent account would far exceed the
cost Of running them as they are now run.
We have all witnessed the manner in which
Government business is done. We all
know how the Government is made to pay
the highest of prices for work, and for ma
terial, and for service Of all sorts. If a
railroad official is paid two thousand dol
lars year now. ne will expect and will
receive four thousand dollars a year when
he becomes q Government employe. If he
receives ten thousand dollars year now,
he will expect twenty thousand when he
begins TO work for the public. Men plead
with their friends to secure Government
employment for them. and look upon the
salary of the place they are seeking as
enough 70 satisfy the cupiditv of anybody.
yet they are no sooner installed III office
than they go about telling how hard it is
for them to live upon the salary which so
recently they regarded as liberal TO the
highest degree. Yes, the Government
NAV undertake to operate all our railroads,
but it will not long be found engaged in
that sort of business.
But let us assume that some government
will continue to operate the various rail-
roads of the country. Shall it be the ma
tional Government or shall it be the State
Government? The Federal Constitution
empowers the United States to regulate
commerce among the several States, and
the United States already has an Interstate
Commerce Commission and Interstate
commerce laws. So we may take it for
granted that all the railroads would be run
by the national Government, and would
thus DO removed SO far from the people
that the cries of the latter would never
reach the headquarters of the combined,
consolidated tyrannies which would grow
up at Washington in the shape of railroads
and their servants. The name of these
servants or officials would be Legion. and
they would be more to be dreaded than
ever Roman legions were. Once let these
cormorants get possession of the railroads
and they may never become dispossessed.
At any rate, the people who work on their
farms and plantations and in their count
ing-rooms and workshops and offices will
have TO pay the Eat salaries Of the thou
sands of officials who will bask in the sun
shine Of Government favor and refuse to
allow anybody else to participate in their
good fortune.