MR. MIDGLEY S ARTICLE. CONTINUED. 409 



monopolize the conduct of the lines and become common 

 carriers. 



Considerable stress has recently been laid upon the public 

 character of the first railways, and the original charters 

 have been quoted to show that they were not designed to 

 be monopolies. The people are reminded that they still 

 have the right to run their own cars upon the several rail 

 roads. Let us consider the feasibility of the plan. A man 

 goes into the Lake Shore Eailway office, at Chicago, and 

 says : &quot; I want to start a daily train for New York, at 11 

 A. M;&quot; another, &quot;I want to start a train at 3 o clock;&quot; 

 and a third wants to start one at 5 o clock. &quot; Very well, 

 gentlemen,&quot; remarks the officer ; &quot; start them as you wish.&quot; 

 But the man whose train leaves at 11 o clock will find that 

 he has not patronage enough to pay expenses, and the one 

 who selected 3 o clock will fare little better, while the 5 

 o clock train is crowded. Why ? Simply because to start 

 at 11 or 3 o clock breaks into a day, whereas 5 o clock is at 

 the close of office hours, is the most convenient time, and, 

 perforce, monopolizes the travel. The 11 and 3 o clock men 

 then demand that their trains shall be started at 5 o clock. 

 And they are denied, simply because a railway track is not 

 like an old turnpike road, where vehicles turn out to allow 

 others to pass. The train going at a fixed time has the 

 right of way, and, to prevent collision, becomes a monop 

 oly. Were every one allowed common use of the single 

 track, in the manner of a highway to start out at their 

 pleasure some one s car that could not get out of the way 

 would be getting run into continually. This certain result 

 was so apparent to a select committee of the House of Com 

 mons, appointed in 1840 to investigate the subject, that 

 they concluded the public right to run their own cars on the 

 railways was, practically, a dead letter for three sufficient 

 18 



