Hillsdale Whig Standard

Southern Rail Road Again.

The citizens of Detroit held a meeting on the evening of Thursday last, to express their views in relation to the Southern Rail Road Bill, now before the Legislature. The meeting adopted a Memorial, and appointed ten prominent citizens to present it to the Legislature, and use their best efforts to defeat the said obnoxious Bill. The tone of the Memorial is temperate, but the reasoning is only specious. It sets out with an avowal of surprise and regret, at "the application of the Michigan Southern Railroad Company to abandon the line fixed in their charter, for one through some of the northern counties of Indiana, and that too, with the design and intention of preventing all other roads passing round the head of Lake Michigan and connecting with the roads leading to the Mississippi."

The important fact is studiously concealed, that the Central Road, by deviating from the line originally laid down for it, and seizing upon the western terminus of the Southern Road, has created a necessity, either for adopting a new route, or allowing the Southern Road to rot down. Neither is it explained, how our Legislature can pass a law, that will prevent any other road, from acquiring the right of Indiana and Illinois, of passing around the head of Lake Michigan.

The public is also assured that "It is not a rivalry between two parallel roads competing for public favor," and yet a little further on it is suggested that, "It is well known that the route through Canada is the shortest between the railroads of New York, and the west. This application is designed to cripple and prevent the construction of that road. And is such a result to benefit the State of Michigan?"

It is also well known to the public, though not alluded to in the Memorial, that arrangements are progressing, for constructing a continuous line of Railroad from Buffalo to Toledo, along the Southern shore of Lake Erie.

Railroads from Chicago to the Mississippi will soon be completed, and it requires no unusual sagacity to predict, that the wants of the business public, will justify and require the speedy construction of the link between Toledo and Chicago. This it will be seen, completes a chain of Railroad from the Atlantic to the Mississippi, and it is all on American soil.

If the central interest is not fostering a rival project, a project that will pour into the lap of a foreign country the profits of western trade, we are much mistaken.

After alluding to the facilities of our State for manufacturing flour, and the amount of capital already invested in that business. the Memorial says: "Here would be the natural resort for that purpose if the obstacles so pertinaciously thrown in our way were removed -giving our millers free access to the west."

Whoever examines the slight difference in the charges for transporting produce from Chicago and Detroit to eastern markets, will at once detect the absurdity of expecting to transport wheat from Chicago to Detroit by Railroad: stopping by the way to convert it into flour.

The freight charged by the Railroad, would defray the cost of manufacturing the flour at Chicago, by steam power, and pay the difference in cost of transportation, from Chicago to eastern markets, and Detroit and eastern markets, leaving the Michigan miller nothing for his labor, or even subjecting him to heavy losses. The Memorial again says:

"The question is practically, whether there shall be a great thoroughfare through our own State connecting with the west, or whether we shall be confined within the Peninsula."

We do not understand how the Central influence can prevent the building of the Buffalo and Mississippi Railroad: neither can we see how the Central Rail Road can become a link of that great work. Now what is the difference to Detroit whether that road takes a route directly west from Toledo, or passes through Southern Michigan! The existence of our road is at stake. "We look upon this struggle as one originating in the desire to further the interests of men whose fortunes are embarked in Toledo." This surely exhibits a commendable degree of state pride. but we cannot afford to be taunted by men who are striving to enrich the subjects of a foreign power, by turning upon them the profits of American enterprise. It is quite as excusable to build up cities in Ohio and Indiana, as in Canada. Besides, we can have no assurance that Canada may not at any moment, become hostile to us.

We do not clearly appreciate the purity of that patriotism which is rigidly bounded by state limits, and yet glides so easily over National boundaries,

In conclusion, if the S. R. R. was sold for less than cost, the fault was with the Legislation if any where; certainly not with the present Stockholders.