The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1906-11-22
Railroads
Are Public Highways.

y
The following from the Live Oak
Democrat suggests a subject which is
worth more than passing notice:
The Pensacola papers are up In
arms against the proposed abandon
ment OF the night passenger trains
between Pensacola and Jacksonville
and the Democrat heartily joins with
them in their protest. The heavy in
crease in passenger traffic all over the
country very strongly suggests more
trains instead of fewer trains That
r great through line like that stretch
Ing between Jacksonville and Pensa-
cola, with a we'll settled country and
many populous towns on the route.
should only have one passenger train
a day each way would seem strange
to the point of absurdity. The rail-
roads are public highways, like turn
pixies, and the convenience of the
travelling public is as much to be
considered as the dividends of the
stockholders. Our Live Oak Board of
Trade should get busy at once in the
matter and there should be co-opera-
ton at leading points all along the
line to protest against taking off the
night through passenger service.
Happily, the condition which called
forth the above has been adjusted
and the train referred to will continue
as heretofore, but the subject to
which we referred as being of more
than passing interest is contained in
the declaration of our able contem
porary that
"The railroads are public highways
like turnpikes, and the convenience oil
the public Is as much to be considered
as the dividends of the stockholders"
This is a fact which the general
public has only recently come to real
lie and which the railroads them
selves have only under pressure beer
compelled to admit
The old idea that a railroad was
simply private personal property tC
use and do with simply as the will Of
its owners or those who controlled II
dictated. never had any foundation in
fact and, under a proper administra
ton of the powers OF congress and OF
the states. II can have none in prac
tice.
A railroad is as much a public high
way. as our contemporary says, as q
turnpike and as a simple illustration
of this fact it need only be stated
that when citizen buys his ticket
or pays his fare from one point to an
other, there is not enough power in
the biggest railroad corporation in the
world to prevent him from riding
straight to that point to which his
fare is paid.
In other words. railroads are oper
ated under special permits granted by
the state-they receive their authority
to operate direct from the people
themselves-and when they abuse
that authority or fail to serve properl,
and adequately the people who have
granted them this right, privilege, Of
authority, the people then have thu
power to compel them to do so.
When the public fully understand
this phase of the matter, and whel
the railroads learn that the public
does understand it, the railroad high
ways of the country will not only rem
der better service. but they will bC
more easily controlled and less arbi
trary in their treatment Of the people
whose money pays their dividends.
when the roses. bloom again" there
will be something doing over in Tai
lahassee. Sixty days will seem {
very short time in which to handle
all those investigations that are being
called for and a few days during
the session should be set aside tC
pass the reapportionment bill, discus:
drainage aud insurance. ETC., anC
then the third house must have one
night to themselves during the ses
sion.
Senator Bailey's political troubles
have come on him in an unfortunate
hour. Only few months ago he lief
his seat in the United States senat'
to attend the funeral of his father ant
now he has lost his mother. What
ever may be the faults of the big
brainy senator from Texas the Soutl
and the nation syrnpathizes with hin
in his present misfortuues.