The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1891-06-09
ABOUT RAILROADS.

10 THE EDITOR OF The TIMES: have
read with interest your article in Sun
days TIMES on the impolicy of placing
our railroads under government manage
ment and control. Any such assump-
ton either on the part of the Federal or
State government would be revolution.
airy and fatal to the best interests of our
railroads and our people. 1t would
actually stop all railroad progress and
enterprise for our railroads are all built
by private capital and conducted by
private enterprise and energy, and
1t would be virtual confiscation
of private property for public use,
without the shadow of compensa-
ton to take them from under the con-
troll of their owners and managers and
make them football to be kicked about
by an army of Federal or State office
holders to be run in the interest OF the
party in power. Il think you would do
good service, Mr. Editor, to the people
If you would give place in THE TIMES
to the following article from late
number of the Petersburg Index-Ap-
peal. 1t is question of the gravest
interest to our State whose railroads
have done in the last i've years and are
now doing immense and invaluable SER
vice to our State and people.
"At the recent meeting of the Vir-
ginla business agents of the Farmers
Alliance, in Richmond, Mai. Mann Page
is reported to have said that in his opin-
ion his order will next fall, among other
subjects of legislation, demand a rail-
road commission law. He thinks, how
ever, that the alliances will be very
conversative in their course.
The Alliance should not only be very
conservative, but very cautious also.
Railroads are efficient and almost indi-
spensable auXiliaries to farmers who. as
class, know very little about the man
agement and technical details of the
railroad business. With the best pos
slble intentions to promote the public
good without doing injustice and injury
to the railroads, our agricultural friends
may do both the roads and the public.
including themselves, grave injury. 1t
is not to their discredit that they are
ignorant of the requirements of railroad
management. 1t is vast and compli-
Gated business. which taxes the resour-
ces OF the greatest minds Of tho age and
demands the exercise Of the rarest ad-
ministrative ability. A man of mediocre
parts may fill with credit. certainly
without serious peril. the office of Prcsi-
dent CT the United States. but such q
man would be 4 total failure at the head
of great railroad system. To be sue
cessful in this position he must be man
OF first-class ability. and there is no mid
die ground for selection.
ESPECIALLY is it important to tho
farmers Of Southside Virginia TO pro.
coed cautiously in the matter of railroad
legislation at this time. Tho impor-
tance to them of the construction of tho
Virginia and Carolina railroad is uni
versally admitted. There is as much
unanimity as to the inability of farmer s
TO build it. The work, then, must be
done by capitalists, if done at all, and
the enac tment of hostile and re oressivc
legislation, or even the menace of it, will
ensure its postponement and ultimate
abandonment. Capital is proverbially
timid. 1t needs encouragement. and it
demands security and peace. There arc
| good investments all over the country,
begging capital to avail itself OF them.
And they are Offering Inducements, in.
stead of imposing obstacles.
Farmers should bear these facts in
mind, and make haste very slowly in
railroad legislation. We want all the
railroads we can get, and so do other
sections" NN.