The record-union., 1892-05-18
SAN FRANCISCO AND THE INTERIOR.
Every Place in the State Should Have
Equal Rights.
The Mistakes Made by the Traffic Asso-
citation and Its Manager-In-
portant Facts.

EDS. RECoRD-UNIoN: The question
of transportation is one of no little
concern TO the people of this State. What
the Board of Railroad Commissioners of
the State of California may or should do
TO accomplish the greatest good 10 the
greatest number of people throughout
the entire State, is now being agitated
with more than usual force; and as the
people of the entire State are interested
in having those things done that shall
rebound to the best interests of the
greater portion, if not all OF them, it has
been surprise that some one having
large financial and commercial interests
1t stake has not taken up the question in
a common-sense business way, and made
some effort to bring about such changes
as may be necessary and practicable,
keeping in view the rights Of all parties.
Every resident of the State is directly
interested III the matter Of transportation.
No single occupation is so closely aSso-
cieted with all classes. Therefore, that
plan or mode of operating and govern
ing lines or systems of transportation
which will afford opportunity for profit
TO the owners and users of the lines
respectively, is the plan or mode that
should be adopted; and no fair-minded
person Will ask or expect anything more.
Congress, by the interstate commerce
law, and several States, by local laws,
have sought to solve the transportation
problem by ''long and short hauP' pro-
visions, and by distance taritfs,' which
were considered the correct solution. In
theory they do sound well, but how about
the man who pays for the longest haul
OF the same article? The fact is the
long and short hauP' provisions and the
distance tariffs" only emphasize the
difficulties.
One of tho fundamental principles of
this Nation is that all people shall be en-
Titled to The same terms OF taxation; and
any substantial deviation from that rule
would arouse opposition on all sides. If
the farmer in SiSkiyou were compelled to
pay a tax OF 81 on each 500 of value
while the farmer in Santa Clara paid but
80 cents, how long would he submit; and
who would say he should submit? Is
this not the situation with reference to
mileage rates? Would not the first thing
asked Tor if the Government controlled
the lines be that all products should reach
the same market at the same price? Even
then the shipper most contiguous to large
markets would have the advantage of
time in getting to and from market: and
- ICO tAAt1N IAAS OiiiS az iC 10
entitled to?
The principal reason for the construc-
ton and operation of railways as against
rivers and other waterways, is the fact
shat natural ways for transportation are
arbitrary. Trade centers were geo
graphically, not commercially, located;
sections of the country calculated to
maintain a large commerce were, by rea-
son of location, unable to develop it,
Railways have enabled commerce to be
conducted wherever there was material
regardless of geography or topography
A few years since, the only custom
houses and ports of entry tor foreign
commerce were on tide waters: now
Denver, Omaha, Kansas City, ST. Paul.
Minneapolis, Chicago, Cincinnati, Nash
vile, Atlanta and many other cities more
than one thousand miles from ocean
communication are ports of entry; and
1t is simply matter of enterprise to have
the same privileges a thousand miles in
land as at the spot most favored by
nature in water communication.
Was this state of affairs brought about
by applying the long and short haul or
distance tariff rules Not at ALL 1t was
brought about by the application of the
law of supply and demand. Take the
seaboard for instance, one place nat
Trally as good as another, the only differ
ence being IN point Of business energy
and capacity, with territory available Tor
population. When one of two or
more places similarly situated, by enter
prise in railway or other artificial traffic.
attracted trade and was thereby enabled
to deal on larger scale than the others.
it inevitably brought other facilities there
by natural laws of trade and there was
no difficulty in getting ships to take
freight at rate that would cover only
half the expense and profit of a round
trip, as there was reasonable certainty
of a return cargo. and thus one advantage
added another, while to the equally good
harbor without development of com
lnerce it was necessary to charge enough
to cover round trip or such portion of
1t as would carry the ship to a CONNER
cial port of such character as would in
sure return cargo. What is the result ?
The merchants in the undeveloped port
find themselves unable to compete with
their brethren, and in casting about for
some reason they learn that goods are
laid down in the other city at much less
than TO them, and they almost invariably
attribute it to discrimination by carrier.
when in fact the carrier is simply asking
the same for his services there as he gets
at the other place, the whole trip consid-
cred. But the average man, hopeful of
his surroundings, will insist that the ear
rier must help develop his property, and
claims that If the carrier will contribute
others will come to them. They refuse
to help themselves and blame others for
not helping them, and among no class of
people is that idea so deeply seated as in
those who originally located along nat
ural waterways. They commend them
selves for having had the foresight to
Settle there when that was the only
means of transportation, and they Will not
forgive men who were not of the same
mind and disposition.
All the people cannot live in CONNER
cIal or manufacturing centers, and of ne
ccSSity some must live farther away than
others. That is the basis of the problem
The buyer OF farm produce does not g,ay
the remote producer any more for his
grain than he pays his nearest neirbbor.
but the remote producer must expend
time and money for transportation to get
the same price as the man at the suburbs.
even If the matter of transportation be
properly understood and adjusted
If population were evenly distribrte1
throughout the country, and if all land
were equally desirable and were to he Ill
vided for the first time, possibly a scale
OF prices might be fixed so that those who
received the land nearest commercial and
trade centers should pay CORRESPONDENCE y
higher prices for their land there wolld
be an apparent adjustment; but ii would
be temporary and fictitious for the reason
that the difference in localities and people
makes 1t impossible to arbitrarily main
tain the center of trade regardless OF the
changes and increase of population As
a matter of fact, IN many Instances, those
who originally acquired the lands then
adjacent TO natural locations are remote
from what are now trade centers. and
they paid more for the same kind OF land
than was paid for land now adjacent to or
occupied by prosperous cities, created by
enterprise.
The logic of events is irresistible and
will eventually impress itself pom those
who seriously consider all the circum-
stances. The difficulty is in getting peo-