HON. w. c. FLAGG S ADDBESS. 351 



the country s owning a part of the lines, and running them so as to 

 compete with and lower the rates of the others. 



Eegulations of our existing through rates by improving and in-* 

 creasing the water ways of the country was a favorite idea in many 

 quarters. A ship canal at Niagara, a canal connection of .the Ohio 

 and James rivers, a canal connection of the Tennessee and Savannah 

 rivers, the improvement of the mouth of the Mississippi, are among the 

 most prominent ; and in regulating commerce a part of the year, it was 

 likely they could be made effective. But water evaporates and freezes, 

 up ; iron rails do not, and he looked to them as the future carriers even 

 of cheap freights. Mr. Adams had said that steam locomotion abolished 

 the Mississippi. But it did not, until freight could be carried by rail for 

 one mill per ton per mile. But rivers, and lakes, and canals had lost 

 their prestige, and railways alone, he thought, could regulate railways. 



Regulation was again sought by dividing, practically, the road and 

 the rolling stock ; making one company owner of the road, and per 

 haps of the motive power, and another owner of the cars carrying the 

 freight and passengers, thus securing competition of different trans 

 portation companies on the same road. The various &quot; colored &quot; lines, 

 were they not perverted in the hands of rings within the railway cor 

 porations, would speedily become something of this kind, if they had 

 the right of travel over all roads. 



The speaker, after the above general history of experience concern 

 ing railway regulations, said he wished to give a few impressions of 

 his own, as to what was desirable and best. 



First. He would favor a general system of national highways, lim 

 ited at present to three north and south, and four east and west ; rail 

 ways generally distributed and connecting the principal centres of 

 business. They should be constructed as fast as the States through 

 which they pass can assume the expense. 



At present the great need was for a new northern freight route 

 from Omaha to the seaboard. No entirely new route to the east had 

 been built for fifteen years, and yet the local railways of the north 

 west, feeding these through routes, have at least trebled their mileage. 

 Hence the demand made at Chicago and at New York for increased 

 facilities ; and this line, in some shape, would be built before many 

 years. The commerce of the Mississippi was controlled by monopo 

 lies, and it would not be long before the southern trade would be 

 compelled to ask for transportation not controlled by single compan 

 ies, but by government. 



