The Goldfield news. [volume] (Goldfield, Nev.) 1904-1911, 1907-02-09
NEVADA AND THE CORPORATIONS

in the history of he state, inimical to corporations. Hitherto thu senate and
assembly gssticuated and GRATED or sat dumb at the beck o fr0"n OF thu South
en Pacific railway.
what the railroad wfued it was given an the burdens o which it weaaed
interests, lot only when the legislature vas in session, but when meetings of the
state board Of assessors were held.
Freight consigned to any point in Nevada, wen in carload lots vas hauled acros
n state pst its destination, t. sacramento, the nearest terminal ratep point and
nam arted back we the mountains. Finally freight wasd delivered It its desina-
ton without the needless journey but the company continued to charge the ter
mnal rate from the asst to Sacramento and local rates from Sacramento added
This extortOn was not SC much for the excesdvet toll, taken from the people
Of Nevada, for in those days the state "a not a large importer, but it was the
of demands made by the Wholesale merchants IF San Francisco, who in
formed the Southern Pacific company that if it gave Nevada its due in the matter
Of rates. these merchants would boycott the Southern Pacific by bringing in their
supplies from the east via the Northern or Canadian Pacific and by water. This
gave the Southern Pacific company a excuse which, though originally a good
An appeal as made to the interstate commerce commission without avail
for a rme had been adopted by that body, at behet If the Southern Pacific I'M
cssso # expense of maintenance within the state over local receipts
Meanwhile the agents OF the railroad were active at primaries, conventions
ans s nj ss, aas special '''A''' A''A = - 'N'''' :
With the upbuuding If the entires state through the development of South
I'm Nevada bonanzas with the influx # a population which had never worn the
corporation yoke, with the building of competitive lines, therec came a e era
It became too expensive for the Southern Pacific to control all political dehbera
tions and polling booths in thu state. Nevada al lastp possessed the power to
formulate a new declaration of independence This document has been signed by
the men it elected last fall to legislative posts. There is lot a Benedict Arnold
IN the floor of either house, or if there be, he has not been discovered.
The legislature of Nevada will work for the interests # the people Of
Seeing affair the shadow of coming events the Southern Pacific has vastly i'm
Nevada. It has decreased both freight and passenger tolls. 1t has issued hun
dreds of thousands of pamphlets boosting the sagebrush Empire It has i'm
rove the train service to the southern mining camps.
In view of the fact that so much has been accomplished voluntarily by the
southern Pacific company, which viewed the shadow of coming events, the work
of the present legislature in the matter If regulation of rates and Improvement of
conditions is obvious The soons now have a willing horse to drive. To WELD a
cudgel 1t this stage of the game might be ineffective, but judhious use o. lines
and whip, evena IN encouraging word or two, will accomplish wonders. 1t is up to
the legislature to produce a good puner O. a bad bucker. The Southern Pacific in
Nevada 10 only pulls the freight, but like Jones. 'pays the freight" 1t pays
half the axes in Humboldt county, onethhd of those EIko and pretty nearly
all in Churchill While Nevada is grateful Tor this it should realize, and does
realize that n southern Pacific company should voluntarily correct or be forced
by he aw to correct many Of its habits Despite the pressing need for mining
machinery, fuel, mine timbers and other supplies, carsla laden with thsem materials
corduad 70 codsed remain for weeks ON the ddetracks at Sparks Hazena and
.,ona en- linz ~ n Nevada = California road Thesed DELAYS in Transmission
have compelled the people + Goldheld to bring in by carloads supplies via the
N " s ! xssts r. Il we're not for these DELAYS in TRANSMISSION, the express company
would mott be b to proclaim that the people of Goldfed pay more for express
char res than those of Portland, oregon, r. Sacramento. Cal, though each If these
cite ave several times the population OF Goldfeld.
The high cost of living in Goldfeld and the holding back of vast reserves of
ore.w which might be shipped at a profit, are due largely to high freight tariffs A
between Goldhed and Nina are almost qua to those charged from Mna % San
Francisco. many times that distance. The Tonopah and aoldheld has voluntarily
Furthermore it is in a condition of almost perpetual blockade furnishing the
peculiar spectacle of broadgauge railroad, eighty miles in length, being unable
to bring in supplies as rapidly as they ire onsume by a town o. $4,000 popula
ton
This railroad. it is understood. pays for itself every fourteen months Ger
tanly thu stockholders have had n reason to complain of the dividends they
have received.
In Justice to the company it must pc said that the people who built the road
were taking a long chance. They invested hundreds of thousands Of dollars in
a n enterprise that was far from being a safe and conservative They laid
rails across a desert ito a struggling little mining camp that had lot yet proved
its W permanency. Instead of pockaing dividends the company might have
had n immense sun of money to place on IN profit and loss of thu ledger
Again it must be considered that the railroad pays the highest wages to en-
pboyes # m line in the world, section hands receiving 81 and s. a day. Again
the rush occurred without warning and the road found itself insumcienty
equipped, although engines ant cars were promptly ordered.
These explanations excuses and statements of palpable fact. however do
not excuse the railroad company for exacting gouge rates. now that the per-
manency Of Gddheld is assured. The legislature we it 10 the people of Gold
field to thoroughly examine into the local rate conditions and by enactment Of
law. enable a working man to subsstu upon his wages and a mining company to
operate it's property, both of vhicha are vel ugb impossfble owing 10 ercesxve
freight charges and lingering delays
no other mining camp in the world could have m to the front as oodaed
plies This fact alone is proof II the wealth and magnitude Il Ii district
Regulation 4 rates by legislative snactmen is me Of tn most important duties
0odfsd than county seat removal that when Inc bill comes up fr debate it is
the duty Of the local "boosterz" the best in the world. to again assanl the state
capitol and again win the day.