Chicago Daily Tribune Newspaper, February 19, 1873, Page 2

2 THE CIIICAGO DAILY TRIBUNIE: WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY [ 1873, olassos, aud attached to those obligntions n spo- cial oxomption from rallway taxation, It haa Alao hoon shosn that rallwoy companlos, (n thoir own intoroat, aro now doing for third-class Ena- gongors more than Parlinmont ovor thought of roquiring 3 that third-olnss trafiic is ono of the most growing sourcos of profl, aud that the hresant oporation of tho 8pooinl logislation on [lm pubject is to glvo & vory quostionablo ox- omption from qoncml railway taxation, to croato Sonfusion and litigation, and to givo tho compa- niow inducomonts for ‘willitolding from third- clnsa passongers facilities which “thoy~ would othorwino givo. The {ll-succoss of this nttompt maay well justify hositation In entoring upon fur- thor gonoral logisintion of tho samo Jind.”.. . The familiar Inw in forco on tho Now Yorl Cantrol Tiond, and which 1 vary freqaontly alfod a8 an inatauco of tho succossful oporation'of alm- plolaws rogulating farcs, 18 of n difforont ohinr~ acter. Undor it two conta por milo is tho regular faro whicl 1o rond ia ullowed to charge, and tho Tulo applios to )l traius, doscriptions of. trave), or ratos of spoed. No packnge, commutation or gonson tickot is sold at aby reduced rato, and consoquontly the man who travels evory day and by nccommotlation {rain pnys exnotly tho snmo rate (2 cents) por milo g ho who travels once a onr by exproas. i 3O o & imilae 1w, applying. to all ronds in the Commonywealth payiug moro than 8 por cont dividends por annum, Wak proposed in tho Lufuu- Iaturo of 1871, tho disousslon upon it eliclted guch unoxpected rosults from its operntion that tho monsurawas rejectod, For instanco, though the bill was limitod to ronds po; ing anntial dividonds of 8 por cont and upwards, tho offect of compotition mndait apply to othor roada which eithor paid less dividonds, or, in soma cnaos, lind nover paid auy dividond at all; prac- ticslly throatoning such ronds with bankruptey: Agnin, thero is mot a considorablo busincka centro in tho Commonivonith which is not sur~ rounded by towns in which peoplo have tzammlL Duilt housos, and cffectod every arrangomon for residenco, rolying upon o reguler and vo chenp access by rail to thelr places of daily busi- vasa. Alaw which substitnted n uniform rate of 9 conts amilo for the commutation rates at which such porsons now travel would nocesaitate an ontire chango in their modes of life. uch & svatem mngn worle woll whero o community has grown up undor it ; if, however, suddonly by act of Legislaturo introaunced into a communit which has established itaolf under tho digcrimi~ nating taxiffs always hitherto in use in Massa~ chugetts, {he Commissionors do not seo how it oould fail to produce most disastrons rosults. How sorious, 08 regards rogular scason-ticket vnssongors, such a chango would bo may be.in- terrod from an oxamination .of the tables at tho cloge of this report (No, 127). It will bo scon that thoso who travel most on tho roads of this Stato, instend of paying 2 conts per milo, now roy but from 13¢ conts to 134 conta por mile. ‘T'he rule of uniform mileage rate is also whol- 1y opposed to the fundamental principlo of tax- ation, that the burden sbould in all cnsos bo ro jmposed aa to rest most heavily . whore it will bo least folt. ‘Tho mau who travols every day over n given routo, haa & right, ou every principle of cconomy, to buy a passage at wholosalo rates,” snd to” him a concossion is n mattor o of groat momont ; whorens, it is of comparative- 1y little consoquonce what he pays, within ronson: ublo limits, to the mnn who travels very raroly.’ Alaw, thereforo, which imposos sn additional cont por mile_on tho daily traveller to givo it to the accasional ono docs not neem to placo'the burden of taxation whero it is lonst felt, .. ‘Tho Commissioners are inclined .to béliove thot the syatom of discriminating rates now' geuorally in uso on the Mnssachusgotts roads 18 not only more profitable. to' tho corporations than the uniform prico per mile system of the New York roads, but it at the same'timo is moro | sivantagoons (o tho travolling community through Ammum ‘adjustmont of tha burdon, Tho o .milufl’ rato has not only boon® found to be wrong in prineiple, bub its universal / application is apparently out of. tho question, It might indood bo practicablo,—if its expediency - wore ndmitted,—if oll the raflronds in thoStata | wore consolidted into one corporation, and operatod by ono responsible management.- In “much caxo it would be possible to etrike sn average, and, by . making the profits of one portion of the. ays- tem counterbglanco the losscs on anothor, arrive ot tho basis of a law. Buch a policy of consoli- dation, howover, has nover beon encouraged by tho Legialature of Massachusotts. Thero aro, accordingly, now in this Stato no Joss than Atty- | tivo corporations,* owning on an nyoraga forty miles of road each, whilo somo thfxt.i-flvn dis- tinct Boards of Managers control sbbut sixty miles ench, yorying from 250 miles in tho cago of the Buaton & Albany to less_ thon six in that of tho Fall River, Warren' & Providence. ‘Theto coyporations represent almost every conceivable form of rallroad existenco: gome aro very waonlthy, others are very poor, and yat others are bankrupt ; soma pay dividonds, butmany donot; somo &ro through-roads, othors are local branches; Bome run through largo citice and through & lovel and densaly populstad rogion, others are copstrucled through broken an eparsely sottled districts ; some find thoir profit in carrying pnssengors, othors in carrying froight, and yet othors in tho two combined; . somo dorive a. large incomo from the suburban travel of thoso lmldlnl; soagon-tickots, othors havo scarcoly any local travel at all. To take such o system o8 this and to nppzivtu it one hard, unyielding law of charges, would be an expori- ment which the mombers of this Board wre not propared to recommend. ~In. their opinion itwould bo not only wrong in principle, but impossible of application. Tt remains to consider tho oxpedionoyof special laws regulating in dotail the charges of partiou- Inr ronds; snd genoral laws ulussuytny ronds, and rogulnting charges in accordance with such clussifications, discriminating for all possiblo difforoncon of condition or viclesitudes of traffio, ‘Mo procodents for apecial laws rogulating in dotail the chargoes of cortain roads to which alone thioy exo upplicablo, are vory numerous in Euro- pean legislation. They bave, however, by no moans, resulted advantsgoously. Of thom thes Pyrlismentary Gommittoo of 1873, snys: ¢ Legal muximum rates afford little renl protoction to tha . public, since thoy nro always-fixed 8o high that 1t s, or becowmes soouer or lator, the intorest of tho canunica to carry at lowsr ratos, Tho wvamo thing is trno of terminal charges. ‘Lho circumstancos nre go various, and 8o constantly chnngiufi that any. logal maxima which might 10w bo fixed wouldprobably be abovethe chargos now actually mado, cortainly far sbovo thoso which will hereafter bo mado, Indoed, attompts mado in 1861 and 1860, to fix a maximum for terminala broke down, bocauso tho only maxi- mum that could be agrood upon was 80 nitch bo- yond tho charge theu actually mado to coal-own- ers that the corl-ownors feared it would lead to o rise in that chargo.” And ngain—"""Che attempt to limit rates and faros by tho principle of fixing o maximum. hag almost always failed in practico, and -is almost “l“"’i!’ likely to fail, for tho simple renson that the Parlinmontary Committees and suthorities, Ly whom such limits aro decided, cennot do oth- orwiso than allow somo murgin betweon the not- unl probablo rato, as far a8 thoy can forocast if, and the moximnm rato; and cannot foresee tha sntisfactory form of law to meot tho caso, Ono of = theso han boon - placod upon. tho statute book in Illinols, aud othors havo beon [nreplmd and-pubmitted to tho Legislatnron of othor Staton,. It ia impossible. . fo sponlk cartninly of such'a eystom in advanoo ; ‘but tha Comm{ssionors ard nuablo to find fn i anything whioh ‘Las has not boon ' ropoatod]; rlad with imanbiafaotory rosults. aowiiore. te 18 tho Englieh measuro of mnximum spooinl ratos gonoxalizod 5o ns to covor tho_onso of sov- oral corporations inatend of ono. It would np- l'»unr that tho moro suclt mensuros are” oxtonded n tholr operation tho more complox they bo- como, and the groator must Lo tho difftonitics in tho way . of thoir auccossful oporation, What- ovor woight attaches, theroforo, to tho' oxperionco - which haa ~ boon - enrned respoct- ing. tho slmpler * and / earlior oxperi- mants, attaclies in - yob gronter _dopreo to the moro gonoral ahd, domplex. The Logisla~ tures undoreaking to deal yvith tho subjeot hnve but ‘o partial” jurlediotion over 1t; -undoer tho offact of compotition, tho laws infondod to bo nppucnlglq only to ronds of ono class boconia ap- P leablo'to thosa of nnothor'; thoro is no disorim-~ nntion ag rogards mpocinl raquiremonts, ofthor of looalit{os - or corporationu, provided dmy fall within the linos of clnssifieatlon, and a passongor rond moy find itself put on tho same xwotln o8 a minernl road; it‘1s_nlmost an-impossibilit; that any moasure conld bo framed at once suf- flolontly preciso and _nufliciontly floxiblo to. meot the. rdquirerhents of mo complox a systom, and, oven if it woro possibla to framo- it, it Is ox= tremoly improbable that it could pass tho ordeal of auy logislative body. . Th final difficulty with all logislation -of thin claga s ita oxcossivoly dangorous and politically ocorrnpting tendoncy, It forcos thecorporations, whether thoy wish £o.como there or not, into the lobby.of tho Logislaturo and the rooms of gom- mittoos and commissions.” They are forcod there for tlio proteotion ot 'thelr intoreats ;- for the ca- sonco of the systom ls, that cortnin porsons, whothor the Legislaturoe itsolf or oflcinls_dosig- nated by tho Logislaturo, have dovolved upon thom tho rogponsibility of oatablishing tho rove~ ‘nueof proporty belonglng to othors, Tho Com- mitsionors have imve doubts a8 to tho succoss of any offort at the rogulation’ of the railrond syatem which practically efocts a-soparation be~ tiveon tho ownorship of ‘a rallroad and ' its man- sgomont. e 5. g A Entortaining theso viows as ° the rosult of their -investigations, tho Commissionors hayo not thought it expodiont to rngort any bill, or form of law, in which it wonld bo appa- ront that thoy thomeolvos ontertained littlo con-. fidonce, It {a nunecossary to add, however, that should the Logislature, or the Joint Committeo on Railways, arrive at a different conclusion as to tho expedioncy or practienbility of logislation of tho nature of that under discussion, tho membors of this Board will contributo overy ns-, siatanco in their power townrd maturing an of- footive measuro. A FOREIGN RATLROAD BYSTEME. 3 The exporicnce of othor countrles in reln- tion to thelr moveral railrond systems has froquently beon reforred to in tho discus- slons of the last fow yoars. As tho statemonts made huto gonorally boen vagne, and.often or- Toneous, and as correct information on this sub- . jeot ja vory important, ns throwing - light on Bomo of tho most difficnlt probloms which the American people are now undertaking to solve, the Commissionors submit the following gonumi deseription of tho loading ralirond systoma of. tho sovoral conntrios to which thoy bolong. I 7 i GREAT BRITAIN. The English railivay systom moro neatly re- somblcs that of this country than any othor in Turope: , It grow up.ou’ the princfplo of Inde- pondont orato -oxistence, freo of Govern- mont control. A special charter has always been | granted by Parliamont for tho organization of ovory company, ind thevarions changes through which the sovoral corporatious have pssed hisve all boott made enbject to Parlismontary spproval: Nowhero has tho system o!,aa)ccinl logislation beon more persiatently followed, and nothing, it mny bo added, conld'have beon ‘more completo than ita failure; As the rosult of forty years of experionco, reviewed in tho recent - elsborate ro- port of the Joint Committeo on the ‘Amalgama- tion _of Railways, ' ‘1t may bo “said that'| the English logislation "has neither accom- plished anything which it “n:i:" to bring about, nor provented anything which it sought to hin- dor. ~ Tho exponse incurred by the various com- panies in sccuring the legislation thoy dosired and in conducting their Parlinmoutary contests was almost incrodible, and was oastimated, many* yonrs ago, ot & total of $675,000,000 up to thnt timo, or onc-quarterpart of ° tho cost of the whole railrond systom. At first Parliamont re- led upon tariffs of ratos, which were insorted in the chaortors, to_regulate charges on tho sevoral roads, Undor the yrnct(unl operation of tho sys- tem of transportation by rail, theso havo rarely proved efliencious.’ Subsequently to 1840, & theory provailed that theao restrictions wero un- nocossary, a8 *an enlightened view of their own intorosts would. lways compel’ managers of railronds to havo duc rognl'(l to tho goneral advantago of the public.” The recont Commit- too roport that oxpericnco has domonstrated that this. ls true ‘‘only to o limited oxteat.” Compotition botweon railroad companios was next reliod upon, and chartera were freoly grant-+ od, ‘This took place in 1844, but tho Committee now roport that ‘* competition botweon railways oxista only to o limited eoxtont, and cannot be maintained by logislation.” Provision was thon mado by sa efsborate law, vory similar to the 10 por cont purchaso law in forcoin Massaohusetts (Gen. Btat., ch. 68, § 188), for the ultimato as~ asumption of tha onds by the Govornment. The Committce now report that ‘“tho terms of that act do not appear to bo suited to the Erosont condition of railway 'property, or to e lilely to bo adopted by Parlinmont, in cage of any intention of Parliamont at nny future timo to purchiase_tho railways.” The over-compoti- tion whioh had been stimulnted thenled toa rapid consolidation of compoting roads. This excitod tho utnost nlarm, and Parlinment for many years persistontly -hnmpmd to oliock it ; tho Commitios now roport that * this procoss L nat brought with it tho eyils that were an- ticipated,” but that in nnY ovent it is imynsulhlo to prevent it, and equally irl:llsgpsiblu * to lay down nnyficuor&l ruloa deto) ing itslimita or charactor,” Many octs wore possod rogulating tho rates ot which the poorer classos should bo transported ;—the Committco now flud that “the 1ll “succoss of this attempt may woll justify - hositation in entoring npon farther gonoral legislation of the samo kind." Finally tfilu Committeo, ag tho rosult of o most labarious and thom}lg\a investigation, pass in réview all the various panacoas for rallrond abuses which aro annually introduced a8 novel- ties into tho Logislaturcs of this contry; thoy find **oqual milengo rates impracticablo and in- expodient;"” ¢ n - rovision of rates and fares founded on cost and profit impracticable;” a maoximum geale of torminal charges could with dificulty be dotermined and would cresult in “1itflo it any gain to fho publio; " Immodisto reduction of rates and faves by law, “evon whon praotical, cannot bo looked on as pennanently effectunl ;" ‘‘the periodical rovision of rates and fares," thoy find “impracticablo without contingoncios of competition, of incronse in quantitios,:of facilitios or cconomy in working, or of alteration of comniorcial conditions, which 1may oceur in the courso of yoars after such lim- its havo beon arranged by them.” Tho result of thirby yonrs of succossive and wholly abortive: offort in this direction in Eng- land Ias been thét Parliamont has at last sottled - down in the conviotion that tho dovelopment of and- nocessities of trade in practice always have nullified, and inovitably must nullify the pro- visions of speclal acts, no matter bow carofully and ekilfully thoy may bo propared. This, too, has hitnerto, resulted from common consent, all ‘partios recognizing the fack that theso enact- ments did not possess tho flexibility abaolutely requisite to tho movoments of modern com- merce, - In the United Staten tho diftculties in the way of this olnss of legislation would be infinitoly gronter than in England. There tho wovoral roads aro, ab least, tbmn};hout thoir ontire lengths, under the control of one central logisla- tivo power. In Amoricn this is not the case. Tow ronda of any importanco 'le wholly within the limits of auy ona State, and tho process of congolidation in rapidly roducing™ the num- ber. Practioally, . in " Tovery caso, the laws of any one Stato apply only to tho sogmonts of an entige line. 'I'he roal goat of ‘an existing grievance is ofton, thorefors, a thou- sand miles romoved from tho point whers it mukes itselt folt, and whore the romody is auled Tor. Wero those difliculties all romoved, tho most sorious difticulty of all would still romain, To bo done succeesfully, this work muat be dono vory thoroughly and very intelligontly ; those hiaving it in chargo must Do thoroughly informed on the whole theory and practice of transporin- tiou by rail, and ful llv‘ alivo to all ita fluctuations end vicissitudes, Tho labor inyolvod, if thelaws wwore to remnin anything mora than. dood Jottors on tho statuto book, would consoquently be cnormous, and any Loglelature which undortaok 4t must not only romein in continuoua session, Lub must contaln within itgelf an.unususl pro- portion of railrond exports. Under any other conditionn, tho oxporience of Gront Dritain would but ropoat, itgelf, ‘The only other method of dealing with the subjeot which suggents itself iy through gonoral laws u!nuilylufimul! #nd rogulnting olurgos, in accordaucs with thoes classitlcations, In such a wey as to allow for all. probable diiforences of condition or vicissltudes of traflo. ‘I'his ia the plan now most {n favor in this country, snd & pumbaer of attomots Lave been made to davius & somo stondard of rovision," any basis for. which thoy coufoss thomeolves wholly unable to suggest; tho rovision of ratos and fares founded on o limitation of dividond to fixed amount; thoy concludo is “undesirablo in tho intorost of tho public;” tho rovision of ratos and fares founded on a division of profit abovo a cortain amount betweon tho companies and the ;mblia, they find to bo attonded in Gront Dritain, * with' groat, i not insuporabloe diftieul- ties.” And, to conelude nll, the Committeo, na o reault of its labors, suggea!ud littlo .morg thaun tho organization of & Railway and Caval Com- misglon, which should consist of not lesa * than - threo E‘“’“HB of high standing, ono of.:whom shonld b au ominont. lawyor, sud one a porson woll acquainted with railwny management,” and tho plan of which was spfinrcncly suggestod by the existenco of o similar Board {a this Stato. In concluslon, it may bo. atatod that the Gov- erumont of Grent Britain takes no part in the active managemont of railroads, but hae always .company 15 sl Turops,. and the policios in rogard to thom of °| dis izod undor what woro called conceaslons, which .woro very similar to tho English ohartors, to go on with oxtonsions. 3 Thoso conoosalons worn mnda for s torm of ninoty yonrs, at tho oxplration of which timo the rallway, with all itarolling-stook, ia to becomo thé Propnrty of. tho, Govornmont ;'which Ia_ bound, ioyover, to .I]ny an appraisod value for tho. roll= Ing-stock, ‘I'ho Govornment alao rosorvém tha right of buyiug baok tho concossion at any timo apon tho paymont, for the unexpired portion of _iho torm, of an annuity, to bo computsd on the ‘bnsis of {ho_avorago not rocolpts during sovon yenrs immediatoly proceding the rotaking. 'Fhe private companion organized undor {licso ooncesalona rocoived no subsidios -or nssiatanco from the SBtato, oxeopt in_ocortain isolated cnscs in whioh loann wero made to thom, subjoct to ropaymont. Thoy owned and oporated tholr sov- oral ronds much "a8 tho corporations in Maasn- chusetta do thelrs, Monnwh,lu tho Btato linos, holding thecontroof tho country, andiutercopting thomaiu routes of nommunlonfion, necossnrily re- colvedgront bonofit from the furthor developmiont of tho systom in whatover direation it took place. TUndor this srrangoment, in 1850, tho Stato hold 64 por cont of all tho roffronds thion in operation, and tho privato companios 86 per cont, In 1860, howevor, tho proportion had " ohangad, tho pri- 'yato compnnies holding .07 por cont whilo the Qovornment had but 83," In granting its con- cosslons tho Govornmont did not follow any plan of distrioting or dividing tho couutry among the privato companios, or guarantosing *any mo- nnpnl{ {o thom; on the contrary, it not only ro- sorved but freoly oxerolsed tho right of author- izing compoting lincs. From this policy tlers rosultod o compotition botween tho Btate and tho corporation lines, which, as n congolidation ot tho two wna Impracticablo, led taa system of pormanent cheap transportntion, Monnwhile, nbout 1860, the numerous small independont = companios, flndlntz thomsolvos proseed by this vigorons competition, bogan to unito among thomeolves, until they fonnufilnr 0 trunk lines and ngsociations go\vnrm onough %n bold their own againgt the Government, and to compoto with it on equal terms.. In order to maintain its proponderance, the Govornment was thus compellod tcllnvu]o&z its systom, It did eo, both bly construcing and leasing addition- sl rané{n, until, at tho commencemont of 1872, of tho" wholo ' Bolglum railroad mileaga (2,010 milos), " ton privato companios, _oporating from twonty to six_hundred and fifty milos o rond ench, controliod about G8. per cont of tho totnl, jand tho Govornmont controlled tho romaining 42 por cont, Tho maximum rates of fares and fraight which tlmLpflvlto companics mny charge are horo, 08 in England, regulated by tariffs insorted in tholr original concogsions, ~ Oporating within this maximum, tho corporations .are freo to mako what profit thoy can. -Dividonds aro in no way limited, nor is ahy provision mndo for a roduc-. tion of chnr%uu in case of unduly large profits being realized. - " Theoretlcally, within tho maximum rates, each tlowed, with tho consont of tho Miniator of Publle Works, to raiso or lower its charges, provided that it doos so in o porfocts ly goneral manner, and without Individual proforonco’ of auy lind, and aftor duo public notico. In" practico, bhowever, little nttontion lLas boon paid to theso roatrictions, and tho torms of tho formal tarilf of cha lnve not been put in forco, Tho compnuios . both raiso sud lower their rates at discrotion, and give special rates for carringo of morchan- se, ; Tho only mattor in which tho GQovernment in- terfores formnlly with tho administration of tho railways, is in quostions’ of eafoly and polico ; to suporvigo 'theso thoy” have o dopartmont, which hos officors in differont parfs of the country, but, save in this respect, tho officors Davo 1o power of Intorforonco, and, excopt with rogard to the guarantoad linea, thoro is no powor of supervising or compolling the rendering . of accounts,® Compotition. ia° nn‘oclun!‘l{ Lilled in Belgium, but at the same timo tho dificult quoations of spocial coritracts, through ratos, traflic arrango- monts, and running powers_batieen conneoting ronds hiavo been solved, while the servico is por-~ formed at rates whiol aro satisfactory to tho public, There can be littlo doubt thatthis has rosulted from the nction of tho Government, though circumstances, in somo dogroo fortu- itous, tonded to force an activo polioy upon tho Government. Binco tho consolidation of the compnaios, iho Listory of why rallvay quostion in Bolgium Lins, indeed, been tho history of tho Btnto, neting, 88 the richest and_most powerful company, against othor companies, competitors for its traflic and not greatly inforiors in powor, who were dealing upon oqual terms with it. One effcct of this was to compel tho Gov- imont, whon prossed by tho competition of ita rivalg, to soek for traffic through the methods pursued by them. It bogan to work upon ‘ com- moroinl principles.” In order to got businesson to itg lines, it mado special contracts and sposial tariffs ; and it sustainod n sovere compotition, tho rosult of which was, in some cnsos ot lonst, & joint-purso arrangoment, undor an sgroemont with its adversurios. - Yot tho State, -ufiug a8 an indopendentt company, hns boon sble tomake Dbold exporimonts, and by tho moro force of it example to coorco the privato linos into follow- ingitsload. At tho samo time there is nt loast room for doubt whether, if it hed not been for thio pressuro of compotition, tho Biato would have beon so active. ‘The measurce of tho Govornment have boen most vohemently criticised by private companies, who have' complnined that their property was being " unjustly doprecinted by the lowering of tariffs, made without suflicient canso and upon ungound principles, but which, from their'pogi- tlon, thoy wore in wholo or in park compolled to adopt. The Government, however, having the ublic puree to back it, being supported by pub- fic opinion, and having adominant position from Dbelng owner of tho best, or nearly all of tho bost lines, lind no neod of any furthor power to con- trol tho privato companics, .whon onc it bogan to net in enrnest, and henco, though alwnys aot- ing on a footing of equality in matter of rates, focllitios, or purcheso,, it .has . been ablo to lead or drivo tho- companios to adopb ite _princlple without putting .in force parlinmontary ‘powers, or having. recourgo to anything but tho morad influonco of its position. Itis nlmost.a nccossary consequonco that this state of things should end in tho dominant party taking tho whols ot tho liues. There has boen a period when the partios wero equal, and when it may have beon a question whick would ab- sorb the other. At tho present moment the ro- sition I8 ono of ‘agrcement, in whicli competition jsput an end to, by fottling overy question of rates, routos, or facilitios, upon principles mu- tunlly accepled. -Tho wholo. of tho lines will, howaever, probably pass into. tho hands of the Btato. i«‘ur, in spite of tho hostility and erit- 1oism of its opponents, the Government has been able to carry through its measures, and has mado a falr financial success, inuemuch ns the Inst yoar will probably. show a not return of ¢ por cont upon tho invested capital. .. TBANGE. > The French railroad systom was not begun o oarly as that cithor of Bolgium. or of Groat Bri- “toin, Nino gront lines wero organizod undorthe relgn_of Louls Philippo in 1813, soven of which avoro intonded to conneet Parls with the frontior countries or tho seaboard, nud two wore provin- cial ronds,” This condition of thinga lasted until 1859, when & new srrangomont wae offected by tho Governmont, through the-consolidation of .existing lines, by wbich Tranco was in effect partitioned out amiong six great companios, to ench of which a distinot territory was allotted. In considoration of this mrrangomont, oach .of thoso companios undortook tho more comploto dovolopment of tho railrond system within its dis- rict. Bubsoguonily this burdon was found grontor han tho companios could benr, nnd reconrso syag had to the Stato for pusistance, This the Statp grantod on tha following conditions: Tho linos'of ‘cach “company woro arbitrarily divided _into two systoms, iknown ag tho naw and tho old ; —tho old u&'xtmn (Ancien Rescau), ns o, gonoral ritlo, Included tho existing linos, which were tho moro profitublo;; tho now system (Nowveau Reseay) includod’ tho additlonul lines, the con- {mralatumly ondonvored, by sots of Parlismont, o regulate or direct tho- dovolopmont of tho nyatom, o8 woll as many of ita working dotajls. In thoso attempts it Lns beon unifornily unsus- cogsful, and the fact s now recognized, Monu- while & very xapid congolidation of existing indo- pondent lines is taking place, whigh Parliament o longer endenvors to provent ; partly tho process, so for aait has yet {;one, s falled to dovelop the ovils "nnticipated, and artly lozause tho tendoncy has shown tuelf 100 strong to be reslsted, Bix compa- nies now control moro than half of tho railropd Bystem of Great Dritain, and leading Govorn- mont offlclals openly oxpress It nu their lflfln(an that tho time is near at hand when tho railways will manago the Btate, or tho Btate must mauage tha railwaya. Aunordlngli', 80 incrensing party ‘o oxporioncod mon, wholly abendoning gl fun. thor offorts to modify or control tho systom by Parliamentary nction, are urging on publio at- toution tho sssumption of the rallwaya by the Blate, a8 tho tolegraph systom has alroady boen ngsumed, But this question Parliamont ‘ln not roady to onter upon, and it is consequontly referred to as 44p stato of things which may possibly ariso,” DELAIUM, @1T)14 polloy puratied, as regards its railroad sys- tom, by the Govornmout of Bolgium, has boen a varinble one, The earliest linea wero undertaken in 1888, as public works. Subssquontly tho Gov- ornmont, baving ocoupiod the principal ana most romuneratlye routes, did not itself “ procepd | further, but allowed private companios, orgin- i becausa struction of which was considerod nocessery, Tho Government guarantoed o cortain rate of in- torest on the scouritios iseued to build the lat- tor aystom, which tho companios undertook ulti- matoly to roimburse, Bubscquoutly, in 1805, the sfatomy was furthor modifled by the intro- duction of & new principlo, undor which the do- partmonta and towns “\ere empowered them- Holves to wndortako, or to nuthorizo othors to undertake tho construction of local ronds yithin thejy {nrludmmn. ‘Phrough tho ultimate cons solidution of fhoro local lincs within tho dis- triots apportioned ta {ho %rm\t companies, this principle may lond; by the introductjon of “com- potition, to important modifications of tle whqlp oxlsting rallrond systom of France. As yab, howevor, ouly somo 150 miles of such ' local roads have boon constineted, though tho ton- doncy townrds their increasod Gonufpuction is very decidod. f Tho conneotion_botwoon the (overnment and tho ratlronda of Trauco Is very closo. ‘Though tho Government has not actuilly worked rail- roads, ns & fluancial purtnor and endorser it has always oxorcised & -closo snporvision over thom, Tho concosslons, as jn Bolgium, are oll for & fixed torm: in thls caso, 09 yoars; nt the ond of which timo the ronds will rovert to the Biate, which, howaver, In bound to take tho rolling-stock and movable property at a veluation, ‘T'ho Governmont haa also a rogorved power Lo !mrchnm tho linon at any time after tho oxpiras lon of fifteen yoars from the dato of tho'origi- nal concession, on (he payment of an -nnufi)’ for the unexpired portion of tho Yi)-yosr conood* || Bettlo alon, which s calculnted, in much the snmo way a8 in Dolgium, on tho averngo Pron(n of tho soven yonrs provious tn tho nct of taking.. [Chero i no guarantos of diyidondn by tho , Govorn- mont, nor any- poouniary llnbilll.{l othor than that xoforred to In . conncction with the ! now sflst " dnd thato fa'no provision mado for the . ‘reduotion * of ~ chnrgos in consequoncd of ‘tho payment -of _dividonds in oxcoms of n givon rato, thougli, by virtuo of spocial agroomonts In cortain’ cados, tho Governmont shares-in am;plua funds nvatlable for dividonds | in oxcons of B por cont, . . e 3 Thoro 8 thus, through the. systom of ‘inde- pondent distrioting, no gonoral compotion be- woon " roilfonds in- Frauco 3 nor, in oxcoptional onscr, i8'it .oncouragod by tho ' Govornment, Rates ond faros aro fixed in tho onso of eacl Company by a tarift, of ulmr?en which i8 accom- paniod by & complato clagsitieation of goods and travol. Tho rates aro maxima, but boro, a8 in Tlolgium, ~consfdorablo powor fa loft with tho companion 08 rogards_reduoing ratos ond moking speclal tariffs. Vory groat uso lig boon mado of this power by tho railway com- panien to make difforontial ariffs, speoinl tarifls, aud through-rato tariffts, subjoct, however, to tho followlng conditions: That the conaonb of tho Governmont must bo obtained to any ohango in ,tho rate .which affeota thio-originnl basis of tho tarilti—that publio notico must bo givon of tho intonded change, oxtonding to ono voar if the rato I8 to bo ralsed, and ono month it t ia to bo chonged in m{ othor way j—and, Instly, that overy tarlff shail bo goneral in form and np}:llcnblu to overy ono. 'Tho last condition, which is aimed against the Fruunu of making speoial contracts with individuals, nt ona time vory prevalent in France, i8 strictly iusisted on, In practico, tho q:)odz charges of the Franch compsauies ara ostablishod upon tho basis of a. difforontinl rato, graduated decording to quan- titios and diatance;. and epecial tariffs at ro- duced rates ato conceded. whorover it ia neces- sary, 08, for instance, to enablo a compsuy to moet watercompotition, Thoquestion of differen~ tial rates hng in former times boen much debated and opposed in Franco, but it ia now so, goneral- 1y rocognized and adoptod 68 to bo.boyond the rango of discussion, No ono would at the pres- ont moment scriously ontortain n proposal to on- forco o%mu. milongo ‘ratos throughout tho' coun- . The companles, lioweyer, do not all adopt tho same basls, nor doos tho .samo, compnuy adopt orfo_ umform bosis thronghout its whole gystom. , In umn‘:'fi Lication of tho spoolal tarif, thoro is'ouo condition rigorously insisted on, to tho offect that whoro a rate is fixed. for any sta- tion, no intorvening placo: shall bo charged n highor rato for the same sorvico. ¢ t 'he companies hiave, under tho torms of . their tariffs, complete. running:powers aver one an- aothor's lings, ory aa.it i8 exprossed in Maesa-~ chusetts, the, rlghb', to onter and use; upon nymont of tho presoribod - tolla. Practically, Euwnvnr thoy have adopted, by rooment with one anothor, tho 8ama system as in Bulfmm by which the cars of .ono company nro &ll owed to pass frooly ovor tho lines of another ;- the soc- ond company being bound to pay to tho formor o amall sum for uso of rolling atack,. and to ro- colya'in return its ‘milongo proportion of tho rate. It'doos not appoar that any sorious difii- cnlties aro " oxperionced in relation to. facilities Tiold In common betwecn. companies. . Where thoy do arise, if they are, bolwaeon ono company and snothor, as, for “instauco, in rogard- o tho control of o common station, or. tho proportion to bo paid for tho use of & common liuo, they aro S by o _spoolal . tribunal. in - iho naturo of _a Board of', Railroad . Arbi- tration. . If thoy. nriso Pbobwoon n company and a privato’ individual, a8 with re- spoct to tho non-forwezding or non-delivery of goods, ‘Tecourse s had to the . ordinary law courts. 'Tho dooision of nny: question ps to tho right of any company to. run its engines aud cara over the Linea of nuotlior'is expressly con- fided to tho Government, hilo an artiolo, fol- lowiug the genoral law on tho subjoct of minis. torial docisfons, roserves tho ullimato .mppoal upon any disputod point as to tho excoution or interprotation of tho clauses.of tho “concossions and tariffs to the Councll of State,. Othor mat- tors of . gravor importance which como bofore tho Government are referred to. tho Contral Railway Commission, and docided thero. Tho whole system of railway. managemont and rallway control in France is the furthost ogsible removed.’ from. the - principlen ollowed in America. . Tho lines to be construot~ od have boen under tho supervition of the Gov- ornment.” ' Evel nssonger timo-tablo, and evory froight tariff, is submittod to the Govern- mont, which has » complete systom of . survoil- lance, with agents in every prinoipal station of the conntry. _ The accounts of all the companics aro open to the inspection of tho Govornment, which makes n yoarly examination of thom. Tha Govornmont has also tho rightto make orders on all matters which affoct the public eafety, and thia right is construed in tho most liberal ‘man- ner. Nome yoars_sinco, for inatanco, thore was found to bo an uridue sccumnlntion of gooda in tho railway atations, arising from tho gxerciso b; thio bonniEnoon o (et eknomadged ight o4 lenvo tho goods there; the Governmont - there~ upon, mnfio an order that the- companics might . eart away. all - goods. . not :romoved Tithin & cortain timo, and scemod to bive basod their decigion upon the ground that it was noc- ossary for publio safoty that tho stations showld nat be.choked, a8 otherwiso tha trains would bo delayed upon the linca, Thm_lfiil thore sooms to bave beon somo disposition at'that time to ques- tion the power of.tha Governmont in thomatter, it was admitted, and another similar ordor was ‘mado during tho year 1872, The country, more- over, is ono whero tho grest amalgamations haye boon long sinco carried into effect, whare tho companies do not profess to compete, and where their “rolations ‘with one anothor sro on the whole moat friendly. :Luatly, tho esprit de corps smong . railway mnunsars, their | relations to” tho = Btate au the powor of -tho Btato, to docido authoritativoly . differ- onces arising, botwoon ' them, or. upon the interpretation or oxocution of their tariiis, tond to.produce barmonious working through- out tho railway eyatem. - The publicity which is enforcod as to tho classification of goods, the amount of -the rate, the distinction betweon ratos and terminal chargoes, and botween these lattor and tho charges for carting, must also bo of gront assistance in_proventing disputes -bo- twoen the companies and the freightors. QERMASY. 3 Thoe railway, systom of Gormany was originally constructed undor n Bystom of concossions to individuals very. similar to that which has been described in “the cnse of Franco nnd of Belgium. In tho earlier dsys of railroad ~doyolopment, tho principle - *of compotition wag dlstumzlrv ronounced, and, in- dead, the conatruction of compoting linos was oxpréssly forbiddon by law. This, lowovor, praved o great impediment in the way of railro dovelopment, and the law has rocently been ro- penlod. The concession is nsually limited to 50 vears; but, in Pruesin, powor has also invariably oon resorved for tho éovprnmnnt to repurchaso any railway aftor 30 yoars upon tho paymont _of an'indemnity, to bo computed at twouty-flyo times tho avorage. annunl diyvidonds of tho five yours provious to the taking. = . K The assistance of tho Stato .has boon freely iven to tlio construction of railronds,sometimes ?n the form of a subaidy, at othor times throngh o guarautee eithor of interest or of dividends, whilo, in yot othior cases, tho Btato hos takon an intorest in tho onterpriso, and ag a sharcholdor rocoives ifs part of tho profits. Tho Prus- slon Government also owns and itsolf works noarly one-half of all the milos of railrond in that country. £ 'I'ho railway companics of North Gormany en- joy grontor froodom in rolation to their tarils of froights and fores than those of France” or Delgium, No masiinum rates are fixed in tho Cconcossions, and the complicatod gonoral rulos 1aid do¥u by tho Governmont for the ascertalu- ‘meit of charges Liayo not in practico boen np- licd. Sub{uct to tho obligation of giving pul ic notico, the Gorman railway companios malo. cousiderablo uso of thlnhrn'.vur to’ vary ratos, Tho opponents of tho rallway syatem, indeed, allogo iEak thoy do 80 to an unwarraiitablo ox- tont, so that ib is difioult fo follow tho changes, Tho tondenay, howover, scoma to bo in tho opposito diraetion, toward' tho adoption of & uniform systom’ and o uniform tarift thronghout the Empire, Bomoe progress hns nl- roudy boen mado u this direction through tho formatjon of the companies into uniona for the purposo of settling froighta aud faves, and mak- ng arrangements for trafio, This proooss, which was rondorod almost nocessagy in former vours, when Qormany was divided into small tntes, hag beon found to produce good rosults, sud at tha pregout moment the Imperinl officers are considering as to the mogns of applying it throughout tho Ewmplro in pursuancn of s‘hn artlolog of the Conatitution recently adopted. Clausos hiavo also beon introducsd into recont congessions, which oblige tho company uot only o notify their tariffa to tho Govornmont, bub algo to obtain the Government sanction for ‘thom, Bpeclal contracts mado with individualy are not pormitted, but special tariffs, upon the prinoiplo of thoso of” Bolgium gnd France, aro not uncommon ; and, as iu those dountries, jp is concoded that, for special purposes or to moet compotition, special arrangoments may be made, oilaat always 0 tho oblization of publication, Xt sooms also to be allowed that this princ’ple may bo carried to tho length of oouuudlni; ud- vanioges, to persons who send goods in large qunu&lh}a, ovor those who only furnish small Totn, In Intor conaossions, & claugo has boon in- ;0 Inced to tho cifeat that tho lowest difforontial tarift sholl ba bighoer than any one of the inler- modlato rates, so that a shorter distanco shounld not be charged a higher sum than a Jouger one n Tmityrmity dn tarilt - foro, with It fa allowod, howover, that {l1s clauge moy. bo aubject to modification In spacial c¢nsen, ne, for oxample, In -tho - enso- of goods in transit whero sen competition hina to bo mot. A reduc tlon of ratos for . a specinl_servico is;_oh tho ‘wholo, rogatded with favor by tho Covornment, ‘a8 it 18 (thought -to tond toward producing n gonoral feduction for tho trauaport of ‘the samo clnsg of goods throughout the country, . Tor tho purposo of informing the publie of tho raton In forco, handbooks aro ;\Hh inied na in Traheo, by privato Individuals, Theso hooks “lvu tho milongo botwoon tho principal stalions, 10 entogorion of goods i forco on onch raflway) tha rato for onoh datogory onloulatodl from tho gonoral tariffs, the classifieation of poods l{\doplnd on onch lino, and nny spoolal” tacifs fn’ orco, As rogards tho through businoss hotwoon councotivg roads thore Is nothing in the civil law _ to com{:ul companios to mako combined rates, but in practico it fs commonly dono. Thoroe aro various enactmonts which boar more or losa. closely on this subjact, while tho now Constitution of the Gorman Empira lays it down thab all tho railways of tho country aro to o administored as part of one uniform networlk, and makes it Incumbent u{wn oll railivay compa~ nios to malto arrangomonts for the projior ex- ohango both of goods and passengor trains with ono another, ; ¥ The onactmonts of tho lnw aro wide and gon- oral in form, but they aro supplomouted by the ministorinl docroos, T'hoso aro extremely minuto nnd dotailed, making regulations with rospeet to all kinds of mattors, from the manner in which {hrough rates are to bo calculatod down to tho number_of brakes to. bo cmployed on onch train. It s this powor of tho lixecntlye which hag go considerablo an influenco in Gormon rait- way affairs. Starting from the principlo that the Btato hna a right to_make ro(iulntlona in all things which concern the public intorest, it hag asgumed tho rl%ht of ncting in nearly every dircction until,” In- practico, the opinion of tho Miniator is able to mako itaolf folt on almost any point, The grounda of this power aro, first, tho right of suporvision which tho Biato claims in thio public intorest ; necondly, Lho nctusl peouni- ary intorost which the Btate hos in its railwaya ; aud, thirdly, the right of- n‘)polnfln an ofiicor, called tho i}nhn-Cuynmlnnnr ug, or ovornmont Director, for onoh company, through whose moans tho supervision ean bo mado offoctual, - In conclusion, thoraforo, it would appons fhat the - spmo principlo is * emforced " In °North Gormany 88 in: Franco and Bolgiun, of giving publioity to overy charge that is made for earrying goods, whother in the form of ngen- oral or special tariff, and of roquiring that the classifications of goods, the terminal and_othor charges shall bomado known. Bub the liborty which was allowed by tho old law to tho comi- panios in gettliug theso mattora without the nfi- proval of thie Execative boing roquirad, and with~ out’ oven tho necessity for tho busisof tho charges being.set out’ in thelt concossions, hng roduced “groat “comploxity i tho mattor of ariff ; and thore arg also complaints that the difforent descriptions of railway companics, their rivalrics and jealousios, have provented tho rail- ‘way systom from - boing worked as harmoniously as it should bo, whilo at tho samo . time in . cortain .quorters, thero is o doman for. - incronsed competition, especinlly throngh_tho- maintenanco. and dovelopment of indopendent .wator-carrisge. 1t is nlso evidont that tho moans to which recourso is Liad in Gor- many for redressing .the two evils of want of ormit and want of lharmony in working i3 tho power of tho Executivo Govorn- mont, and that the Governmont Lins rocognized tho desirabillly of . roform In these mattors, -and is taking nctive mensuros to bring it about. The consolidation of the Empire and the adoption of the qr’mclplu that“railways ard o mattor of im- perial intorest, brings_the wholo systom under ono jurisdiction ; while "the introduction of spocial clausos into tho concossions, tho inatitu- tion of tho Govornmont Diractor with tho oxtont of powor claimed . for .him.by tho -Gov- ornment, . and ° apparontly admittod, - and lastly, tho suthority of tho- Stato in all matters of public {nterest, coupled with tho immonso moral influenco of tho Excculive in Gormany, E)ue it in-the poworof the Goyornment :flnurry 10 offect such measures s it thinls Y CONGLUATONS, As o result of the foregoing_ doscrintions of tho loading rilrond arstoms of Eucopoau Siaiee and of their own additional investigations, the Commissioners submit tho following inferences: First. - Tho conneotion of cach systom with the Government of tho country to which it bo- longs insonsibly partnkes of the charactoriatice of tho institutions and pcople of that country, In America ond in- Greab, Britain it is Par- linmentary " or logialativo; in Bolgium it is diractly administrativa’; in France it is supor- visory and paternal ; in Germany it is bureau- cratic or ministorial, It is oxtromely dangerous, thorgfore, to draw any inferonces g to'tho prob- ablo rosult of tho_adoption of tho railrond sys- tom of orio country by anothor, a8 it is not gon- erally practicablo to adopt tHo wholo govorn- montal system at tho spmo timo.” I’urlmmomm&/ governments, for instanco, aro apt to bo nd~ ministratively weal, for tho obvious reagon that the rogulation of administrative dotails is wholly outside of the logitimato province of the logislative “department, which, in ‘thoso coun- trics, almost invariably sttempts_to nssumo it, Vory porfoct laws may bo cnncted, but thoy do not necossarily - contain in them any in- horent executive force. A country,” thore- o’ weak .or .unstablo executivo, or ono which is subject to tho™ fluctua- tions of popular oloction, can rarcly assumewith success the functions of n bureaucrgoy or an imperinlism. - To onsblo it to do o, the exeon- tive functiona must bo .largaly doveloped, a8 in tho caso of tho Belgian, tlie Fronch, and the Gorman Governments, at the expense of the legislativo or popular influonce. Great latitude a8 regards oxecution and application of the Inws ‘must bo delegated to thoso entrusted with their sdminiotration. o 2R This consideration, .in o far aa it is sound mugt militate strongly against tho succossful adoption in this country of the essential foatures of .the railrond systems of ‘Europo? In nono of the Continontal .countrion has legislation moro than a very sunordinate bearing oun the connee- tion of tho Government withtho railroad system; it i almost entircly a mattor of minute adminis- trativo rogulaticn. .. 1 Socond. Asa proctical resnlt tho Commis- sioners are unablo to say that tholr investigations havo lod thom to beliove that eithor the conti-- nontal or tho Dritish railrond Aystom possosses ndvantage.ovor that of this country. Theoretic- ally tho continental railronds may worlk with loss: {friotion, but, looking at tho general results ace complishod, the rapid/progross of dovelopment, tho onory sum of tho servicos rondered to tho publio, and it is not clenr that.the individual corpornto sys- toms of ‘cithor: this_country or Groat Drltain, liowever - irresponsible, crude, or chaotic thoy may appoar, have proved less servicoablo than thoso of other countries describod. On the contrary, leaving tho- caso-of Belgium out of tho discussion, in regard: to which question may fairly be made, the inferonco would ssom to Do that, in tho rospoets reforrod to, the roilronda both of this country and of Great Dritain nicde- cidedly in advance of. thoso of continental Lurope, Tho latter are more carefully super~ viged, but thoy haye loss of individusl enorgy. In fact thore is in somo rospocts n striking shndlarity botween tho Anglo-Saxon railrond ore ganization and its ~ politieal institu. tions, In both casos thoy aro ural growihs; the resulls of publicneeds and Llrivuln action; showing little that can Lo called ystem of dovelopment and certainly no marks of ouo ererting hand, AU that can’ bo enid of thom is, that practically they worlk well and- nc- complish surprising results. Tho continontal sys- toms, liko tho continental governmonts, aro more n{'mnmtric:d,—-mom tho result of o plan, and - almost invariably show tho marks of somo cron- tive individunl mind ; but in their practical work- ing it is questionable whether .the one or tha othor accomplish the ends for whicli they wore designed botter than, or oven g0 woll as, those of Gront Britain or Amorica, Third, Tho tendenoy towards congolidation, or & moro thorough unification. of raflronds, i vary manifost in caoh of tho syntems which lavo boon desoribed. It would seem to bo a nniversel and necossary law of their growth., In Groat Britain, as in this country, tho tondenoy at one time oxcited groat public'nlarm on [‘mlitlcnl on- sidarations, but Parhemont found itself wholly unable to éheclcit. In Bolgium the Govern- ment gooms to havo made no offoxt to cliock {t, while in Franco and Germany tho polioy has bosu to encourago it, Nor {s this tendonoy in any way conflned to conneoting lines, leaving competing limos still indopondent, On tho contrary, whilo on the continent of Furapo littlo ragmi haa ever boan had for the principlo of compotition among railroads, In Great Brtain, whoro the systom wan founded upon {t, the great railrond questions of the day relate almost wholly to the amalgamn- tlon, a4 it ia ealled, of compoting organizations. Publio opinion sooms thera to bo convinced that no offootive check esn bo put upon this tens denoy, sud it {8 moroover inclined to suspoct that the approhonsigng hitherto folt upon tho subject have partaken rathor of the natnre of an Imrnnagnh{fi panic then of o well-sonsidorod Judgment. .Tho ovidonco, indeed, publivhed at groat length in the ' bluo baoks,” soems Lo ba almoat oonclusive that positive honotlt_rather than injury hoa thora resulted frem amalgama- tion, go far as it has yot gono. Not only have tho evila anticipated not resultod, but it° would gsoom that tho public has invariably (been botlor end more economically servod by the consolidat- and economy of manngement, and tho* od than by tho indopendont companios. Tho Iargor companien omploy abler oflicors, and saom to bo managed moro on tho systom of grent do- pattmonts of commerco, and logs on that of linos of stage-conchon; tho timo and attontion of thoso offi¢ors ara not mainly abrorbed - quos- tions of corpornto hoatillty, and tho monoy of the compnnion {a wanted fn nsomaowhnt loss degrooin warfiro with each othor; thoro I, I fact, far leus of fristion in tho worl of trausportation, aud far moro of gystom. .. Tinally, an - rogards - tho community at Inrgo, 1t is found Lhat largo comn- pantos can bo Liold to . closor responsibility than smulloncs, Tho prominence onables public, opinion to_concontrate upon _them,—thoy aro morc'ulonnly watchod, and hold to n strioter ac- count, Whother destrable or not, howoyor, the Gov- ornmonta of Europo would scom to have con- cluded that cousolidation is o unccnanr{ phosgo in rollrond dovelopment through which the systom must pass, In what it ia to rosult is not ‘clenr. 1t moy rosult in the nnsnmruon of railronds by tho Govornmonta; or in tho oxistonco of yast rogulated and suporvised monopolics, over which Govornmont will oxorolso n cloro suporvision. A tondonoy in, onoh of thoso dircotions now oxiats” among tho !flu(umu which hnvo beon described, 'ho samo Irrosistible progrons in conaolldation is alao very apparent in this country. Whother it can be hold in chnck, or snllflfm_:!pfll{ rogulatod hora through tha ap- plinnoeu’which havo falled in Europo, remaing to bo seon. ; LFourth. Monnwhilo, among tho 'systoms which have beon doserfbed, and in view of tho pecullar conditions attaching to tho institutions of America, tho Holgian system is the only ono which nllagnmntly offors fonturos .worthy of care« ful conslderation, with » viow to _thioir adoption a8 & part of the polioy of this Commonwoalth. This orises from tho fact that the Belgian system owes ity muccess . mot alono to skilful admininistration on tho lmrt of tho Goyornment,—in which respect ho Btatos of this country nro essentinlly and noc- cesarily wonl,—but its Buccoss is in yat groator dogres duo to tho fnot that tho esaoncoof its systom s competition. Nqb tho competition which alone is Imown in thia conniry between two or moro organizations which mayat any timo combiuo, And are cortain ultimataly to do 803 but tho compotition of tio forms of ownor-. abip, belweon which combination is necensarily. impracticablo,—~ownorsbip by the Biate nnd ownorship by the private corporation. By con- trolling n portionof its rallroad system, the Stato I8 in this way in o position to regulate tho wholo; for it s out uf tho question thnt’ two distinet scales of railrond msnagomont, ag regards tho public, should-long exist sido by sido inono country., 'Tho success or failuro of the ong in its’ operations connot fail to dictato tho policy-of tho othor. Through this mixed ownor- 6bip, also, tho two classos of roads, brought.in constant and glating contrast, continually keep oach othierup to a high standard ;, tho Buccoss or sbortcomings of the one tolling immodiately up- on tho other, This Is what has ‘actually Lup- oned in Bolgium, with the results whichhave ocon doseribod. : " NO NONSENSE THIS TIME. ———a, Examination of the Alleged Trea mont ITouse Robbers. An Honest Justice Places- Their Bail at 10,000 Each for Trial. « [ Wamen R, Barron and Ignating Behoen, the two mon who woro arroatod somo duys ago on well« grounded suaplolon of having committed tlie {rromont Houso jowelry robbery, wore arraigned boforo Justic Scully, at kis privato offics, yes«' torday dftornooii. Thoy woro brought into the Court-room handeuffed to osoh other, and sur- roundod by a squad of ton policoren, in order to prevent tho ocourronce of auch another dise gracoful scono as that at Justico Vau't Woud’s offico the other day. Tho usual number of Jus- tleo Oourt hangor's-on, and a lot of ill-favored porsons, who appoared to be friends of tho pris- oners, were {u attendance. . Two Inwyors, nomed Trude and Jonckes, do- fonded the sllegod robbors, and the poople, wora ropranentod by Genoral Btiles, Olty Attorney. Alr, Trude rond an affidavit, sworn to by Bar~ ron, In which it wns sob forth that matorfal wi« nesges for tho dofonca could not bo procured for somo time—probably a wosk—as they wero out. of the city. Those witnessos would prove that tlio defondant hnd Imrohasud the jowelry found in his poonossion In the ordinary course of trado. It was algo got forth that tho defondanta hiad baon lmEt in such closo custody and confino mont ot Polico Hendquartors sinco the dato of thofr arrost, that thoir connsel could not soo om, nnd that the Buperintondent of Pollco * would not give tho counsol any information oon« corning tho naturojof tho chiargo upon which they wore imprisondd. The nature of tho charge had been discovered but o fow minutos bofore making ont. tha afldevit, For theso rensons and oapeciully for tho roason that Important witnessoa for tho defonco wore absont from tha olty, tho prisoner nsked for a continuance nnd {ho smount of bail be fixed. Tho defenco did not deom it wigo {0 give tho namos of tho wit- nossos who wore oxpectod to prove tho inno- conco of tho ncensed, ae the police nuthorities would arrest them, and put thom out-of tho way. = (goneml Stilos repliod that it was sbsolutely necossary to givo tho names of-thq witnesses whoso ‘evidonco” it was dosirable to progure. The materinl facts in the afidevit should be stated in such n manner that, if thoy were proved falso, & proscoution for perjury might bo had, The real object of tho continusnce was to got the mon.out on bail. Tho rofusal of tho Chlef Bhould tho pooplo of Mrssachusotts dosire to profit by the Tomarkable exporionce of Bolgium, and nttum“t o similar oxperiment, an opportu- nity is at this timo afforded them for so doing in “the organizotion .of. tho . line soon to connoct Dogton with _the Wase by way of - tho Hoospe Tunnel, ‘Tho &subjoct Lins boou dwolt upon at longth in' the ‘previous roporta of :this Bonrd, and it is unnocoasary for tho Commissioners at this time to mora than ro~ for to'the rocomimondations mado heretofore. A large portion, and the most exponslve portion of this lino now bolonga unroservedly ta tho State, and the rest could bo acquired on terms which would enablo tho ‘Btato at any time to dispose of the ontire property in such o way as to insure it agninst logs, 'I'ho connectod lino will ‘soon bo organized on somo gon‘xmnant fooling, and tho ucation must thon bo decided whother Massn- chusatta is to enjoy two nominally compoting, but renlly combining avonuos of Westorn trade, or whother she will attempt to ‘control competi- tion through the possossion horaclf” of - ouo ronlly compoting and rogulating thoroughfare. It Is, li:‘urhnpa, a8 \N!I\IIHIE upon thig question, rather’ then. upon tho sifompt -to rogulato, through complicated acts of lflfilfl‘nufl“,‘ tho faros and fralghts of, ronds controlled by private corporations, that the experience of othor coun- fries might prove mont valuablo, to Mnssachu- sotts. QOmas, F. Apavs, Jr., A, D. Bniaay, Fraxas M. Jc OTINEON, Commiesionors, e e i MORE MORAL SUPPORT. Resolutlons Pnssed nt n Meeting of Five Hundred Tempernnco Peonle. At o publio mooting hold on Mondsy evoning at Bothel Hall, corner of Laoke and Desplaines stroots, thé followlng . resolution wea wnavi- mously passed by 600 men and womon: 7 T Reaoled, That wo most decldodly concur in tho nc- tion of our Mayor in removing two of the Polico Come anisstoners and other polico officials, believing it to Lo o stop townrd tho promotion of luw and_ order, and wo reapectfully roquost that they hall not bo relnstated, Dbut thefr places Alled with boncat and loyal mon, Jesolved, That we beliove the beat intorests of our city domand that our Stato Leglslaturo shall at once aud forevor abolish tho Board of Polico Commission= Ttesolved, That wo'aro- striclly opposcd to the ro- peal of tho Mayor's bill, belloving ihat to securo eufoty and good order requires a rigid exorclsa of tho samc, Resolved, That in Elmer Washburn we' rocognize an honest, faithful, and fearless Exccutivo oficer,. and tendor’ him our sincero thanka for the oiiclent por- -formanco of his duty, Resolved, Thnt we, aa law-ablding citizens, shall ex- poctyand fnost sespéatfully demanid, tbat air eity su- thorities fnithfully and feutlesaly exccute the Bunday Jaw, and promptly rovoke tho licenses of all who may Do twico convieted of violating the samo, as required Dy tho eity ordinanco. : >4 o tho resolutions are appondod the names of the Committeo appointed.to wait upon the Mayor and presont thom. They are as follows: J. E. Ferguson, W. “’rifiht. Thos. Watson, V. V. T, Maunville, W. H. Bennott, W. Chambers, — SANITARY MATTERS. Tho Board of Health had ita regular woeldly mooting yesterday afternoon, Mr, Hoard in tho cbair. The Sanitary Superintondent roported 184 doaths Inst weok, an incroaso of 17; 72 wero malea and 82 females. Thoro ivere 27 doaths by convulsiong, 10.by -pnoumonia, 8 by sinall-pox, and 7 by consumption, This incrense in deatha _wag oxpectod, but tho total is Icss than_for the eame . week . last ' year. The .incresse is omong women and persons under 20. Theo most marked fonturcs in’tho mortality of tho wecl is tho incrense in tho causes of deaih, showing that thero aro no marked proveiling dis- nat- | | atnnd by Sountor McGrath, onses, Small-pox-lns also decronsed, ~ The highest donth rate was in the TFifteouth Ward, and tholowestin tho Tenth, Forty-ono casos of nmn.l'li-fi)ox and varigloid bave boon roported, being o small increnso. Mora than a half of the casos’ roportod ora in tho northwestorn part of the city. - 3“‘11: to vavious eanges, mainly tho intensely cold -winter wenthor, more than ordinary accumulations of ashes and garbage havo occurrod, It is impracticabla r8 yot' to ate tompt to do imueh, in tho = way of removal ; but.tho increnso of tomporaturo daily diminighos tho difliculty, and no timo should bo lont in offooting o thorough cleanjng. Tho Union Rendering Company his removed all the . doad animals from its platform. Much has been doue in removing tho offal {rom the Stock Yards, and from prosent indieation all will be taken awny during the coming weelk. Tho paoking sonsion, also, will soon closo. < of Polioo {0 lot tho counsel sco their clionts could not bo used 88 an_argument in favor of- a continuanco, If tho Chiof of Polico ncted in that manner, ho ‘acted unlawfully, and the coun- sol knew what stepa' to talie in order to secura n conforence with tho prisoners, The affidavit waa notn mifficiont cause for n continuanco, - - The Court fully concurred in the opinions of - tho. Clty. Attornoy, aud decided not to grant'n coin‘!i‘lnunr;cu. B o prisoner Barron and his attorne; thoir heads togother, and hold & twenty m} oot consultation. The rosult was anYpplication for o chougo . of venus, which, - accordin to Dr ‘Trude, wis mude altogothos 08 .o - matter of taste. Tho prisoners id not think that it would be propor for thom to be tried by o magistrate whom they bad oneo Doliaved incapablo or unwilling to give.them a fair and Impartial trial. 0 = Tho nocoasary papers were mado ont, and the prisoners and spactators moved ovar to tho offiéo of Justice Bturtovant, which Is located in the samo bullding with that of Justico Soully, Tha waa callod, and the witnossen for thoprosceution woro exsmined without further delay. Mr, Isnac Mills, tho travolling salosman wha was robbed, testiflod ns to the naturo of the gooda which were taken from him, aud their yrlus, Thoy were worth betwoen .$15,000 and 420,000, and wore stolen from his room in the P'romont Houso while ho wasat tes, Thorcom lhad beon broken into and his trunk brokon open, Some doys afterward ho found and identified some of his property in the store of Gilss & Bro. 1lr, W. A, Giles, ono_of the firm of Giles & Brao., jowollors, testiflod, but all the important gortmns of his evidonce is given in that of Mr. - hilo Beofleld, to whose shiretydness and ingonu« ily tho arrost of the supposed robbera and tha recovery of about one-quartor of tho missing proporty aro due. Mr. Scofleld said ho waa travelling_ salosman for n wholosalo jowolry houso in Now York. He mot Schoen, ono of tho grluemrs, in Oppenheimor's jewelry atore, om— - Btato atraot, & wook ngo last Wednvsdsy uight, and was told b( Lim thiat ho (Bchoon) had a lof of chains to sell at a bargain. ~ Witness mado an . appointment to meet Schoon at No, 216 West udison. atreot, a bakery or rostaurant, and wont thero in_company with another jewelry mon pemed Marks.- - Schoen was, promptly ot~ hand, but, ‘after n fow minutos’ conversation, wont'away, oxcusing himeolf. Ho roturnedina . short timo, and snid that the person who had the choaine would not 1et them- ba seen just ot that time. . An appointmont was then msade for next day, ot 8 o'clock in the afternoon, Witness, . accompenied by Schoon “and s man named King (whom Lo identificd ss . tho -prisoner-Barron), - went to & houso an ‘Reuben atréat, . Thay en~ - terod without knocking or ringing, and King, alias-Barron, spoko to somo person in a b: room. The eo\volry way .then displayed. Wit~ noes. immodiately “recognized it by the, mark - - and manufacture, but said nothing that would Jead the others to anppaso that ho mado such o disoovery. --King; - alias Barron, “nsked 65 cents por peunyweight, for the packsge, which was obout half tho “value. ‘Ho also, told witnoss that ho-could* soll " him a “laigér and moro _ yaluable . lot of . jewelry. - Witnasa- “did got- have “ADY monoy ~ with ' him at that time, 8o he mado another n[;[&olntmune for the Bame afternaon. ' It was agrood that ho'snd, * Schoen shonld go down town, and that tho'lattor should wait outside whilo the former rborrawed" the nocessary sum from the firm of @iles & Bro::- - They wore ther to ropair to the cornor of Pooria and’Adams stroots, nnd mako the oxclidnge with .. . King, alias Barron. -Tor his seryicen Schoen was™ to recolvo 8400, o gold chain, and bo' assiated to- o situation by Beoflold, .Schoen and witneaa .. went to Gilos', and_the former waitod outside -- whilo-the Intter mnde the negotiation for money, o8 it wns supposed._ Witneas met Mr, Giles’ nnc Dotéctive Tyrrell in'tha storo; by provious ap- Polntment,-and, after informing them of the ar- rnngomunl mnda with King, atias Barron, and Belioon, wont to tho coror of Poori and Ad- ams stroets, as agroed, snd thoro met King, alias Basron, 110 hind & paclage of Jowolry withhim, | Worth probably 94,000, or about ous-fourth-of Hhio oo of tho propofty stolen from M. Mills. Dotactive Tyrroll and Mr, Gilea followed to the meeting place, end the supposed robbera were taken into custody, not, haweyer, boforo. Barron attempted to drivo away in o bu?;gy, and Schoon gonght to run off with the jowolry. - *- Ganeral Stiloa - anid: he -had no furthor feati- mony to offer, and asked that tha bail of the prisoners bo fixed ot & sum pproximating tho valuo of the Erapuzby atolon from Mr, Mills, aa h“wntn.\;nomt an probablo that thoy had stolen all of it. : Mu. Trudo seid thet thore hnd been no ovi- denco adduced to provo that tho defondunts had gommitted larcony. They only rested under tho suspicion_of having received stolen property, Enowing tho samo fo bo_stolon, . aud tho bail should gn fixed accordingly. ' Ho had no' testi= mouy to offer just then, and did not care sbout oross-oxamining tho witnosso for tho people. The Court took the same viow of tho caso that Tho Bonrd alac concluded the considoration of tho apecifications for tho ecavenger work, and will soon proceed to advortiso for propouals. —_— _ FARWELL V5. GUTTERS. To the Editor of The Chicago Tribuns: Bm: Pleaso atlow mo spaca in your columus to oay that, owing to tho abacnce of tho princi- pal pariner in the speculation roforred to in your poper of yesterdsy, I cannob answer as I iutond- od uutil his return, but this much I know, thab thoro was not o dollar's worth of tho goods sold by W. A, Butters & Co,, or any othor person, by my authority, nor was any seved from thoe fire, or waa any of the funds used by me for any pur- o8a_savo that which our ngraoment called for. e tow daya T shall havo tho wholo mattor opon to the publio, ‘War, A, BUTTERS, Ouasao, ¥, 18, 1873, ol L THE TWO M'GRATHS. Mayor Madill recoived tho following dospatch from Sonutor MeGrath on Wednetiday, Fob. 5t frmNorwLp, Fob, 5, 1673, ~Though you did not froat mo vory hondsomoly.tust suminer Twill stand by you nnd vofo to confiru uny names you miay sond i on Moaday night, ; . 4. Meanag, Whother Aldorman MoGrath felt bonnd to or whothor Bonator MeGrath moant to intimato that ho would stund Dy the Mayor in Durke's Hotol againat nuy offors miado by aplaln ickoy, o loft for Alderman MeUrath to oxpluin, unloss Benator McGrath oaros to mako tho caye closr, Goneral Btilos did, and placod the prisonors’ bail at 910,000 cach, ‘Thoey wora thonromoved to tho County Jnil. e . 3 1t 5 understaod that sufilcient ovidonco has guun accomulnted to provo that Bircon and choen woro tho porsons who robbod the travols ling salosman in Xulng' Hotol of & largo quans tity of jowelry saveral wooka ago, and thoy will . Lo oxamined on that charge soon. —— A Gont on tie Rampage. From the Danbury News, A rotirod clorgyman sonds an acoount of 8 lftle affair that heppencd In his place. It appoars that thero Was n young womau, & fine- spiritod girl, ongnged at o washtub,.opposito an .- - opon door. Just behind hor was & young man, ‘a8 is gonerally tho caso, and fu the yard-was an old buck that was allowed tho freedom of the promises, which {6 not always tho caso, wo are glad’ to say, Woll, this old buck onme to the oor and” looked in, and the young man, _going * bohind tho * young‘ women, pointed his flng‘er atraight "ot the buck, and ‘tho. old follow, rocogniziug at onco the proxului; character of this mute invilation; put down hia hond and dashed forward, and tho iserable man atepped Lo one eide aud fled, and tho young woman, unconscious of the arrange- moults, rocoived {ho awful sliook withon warus ing, aud passed oyor the tub, and the air foran instant appeared {o be full of slippors, and wot clothes, aud soap, and hot wator, and suds, And tho nost minute that got camo llying out of thio door at o dreadful paed, bald the whole longth of hia spino, and with n wild look fu his «?e, And for an hour afterward he stood back of the Larn, soratching his chin, and trying to recall all $hio olroumatances 1n the unfortinato amair