El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1899-08-02
The Problem of the Railroads.

Kansas City Journal
The absorption by the New York
Central and the Pennsylvania Central
of certain onnecting lines of railroad
has started afresh tae discussion over
the advantages and dangers of such
mann moth consultations. On the one
side the Railway World discOurses as
follows:
Commerce has little to fear from
railroad consolidation. It has suffered
more from the unregulated competition
of transpor tation lines than from any
efforts that have been made to sustain
uniform rates. Railroad discrimination
has been the parent OF monopoly; the
means by which the organizers of com
expense. A strict adhesion to the
published rate would mean a vast in
crease of prosperity for the railroads,
NO less than equality of opportunity
for all shippers, great and
small. The management OF
the New York Central system is
An example of what consolid alton can
accomplish in this direction. The man
ayers of the great parallel roads of the
system use all proper means to get each
for his own road as much freight as
possible, but they do not bid against
each other by secret rebates, discounts.
or commissions. There Is no reason,
therefore, why the tendency toward
railroad consolidation should not have
results entirely satisfactory to the PEG.
pie at large, who have as little to gain
by compelling railroads to do their
business at loss as they have from the
low rates of which the great shippers
monopOlize the benefits. Till railroad
managers are strong enough to compel
the shipper of thousand carloads to
pay the same rate for like service as
the shipper of five carloads, their meth
dds of doing business must be con-
slant handicap on the development OF
legitimate trade, and anything which
tends TO elevate them to this standard
of independence must be welcomed as
. public benefit"
On the other hand the showing is
made that with the railroad interests
of the country in the hands of q few
men or a few companies the people
must suffer any oppression which may
be i'm posed upon them, and it is argued
that the only way to escape such a
huuLop.ly ind the exorbitant charges
that may be expected to go with it,
is for the government to take the
roads and run them as public institu-
lions.
AS Indicated by the Railway World
the most serious cause of complaint tt e
people have against the railroads is
the Determinations. Taken as Whole
she railroad systems of the country
have not earned, nor are they now
earning, large profits for the service
done the public. But the trouble is
that so long as the railroads are in
competition without the power to make
traffic agreements the big shippers are
able to force cut rate in their own be-
half-a ruinous rate which must be re-
compressed by higher charges to the
small patrons. The prime essential for
widely dispersed business and industry
ls a uniform rate which will not enable
the great combine to start with an
immense advantage over the small
dealer and the small factory. That such
uniformity will be brought about by
ra 'lroad consolidation seems to be be-
yon" anv question.
But what about the power of monopo-
ly which goes with these consolida-
tions? Is it true as is maintained by
the anti-railroad press that the only
means of preventing it is goveromen,
ownership? On the contrary, govern.
ment ownership should be regarded al
the very last resort, for 1t probably
contains more evils than those we
would fee from. The supreme power
in q government such as ours Is the will
of the people. There is no oppression
of any sort which they may not put az
end to Ia their discretion. To admit
that the railroads can exercise and