The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-05-11

within moderated bounds that on almost
every occasion when the incorporated carriers
of the country meet in convention, the. first
thing they do is to close their doors Those
uniniuated in the mysteries of railroad and
steamboat directories cannot be supposed to
know all the reasons which would make an
open convention, and discussion in the
hearing OF the public, undesirable or i'm
proper. But this much is known. that secret
conventions OF any kind do not appeal very
strongly to public confidence least of all do
secret conventions which charge themselves
with the regulation of great business con
Germs. They too often suggest something
closely approaching to conspiracy. They
are alien TO the rules of commerce proper
and at variance with commercial usages in
their broad and legitimate interpretation To
that extent, therefore, a private discussion of
carriage rates, and of the regulation of freight
lines for the season, by a rival class of carriers
for such many of the delegates to these con
ventions aTe-must always create more or less
distrust.
In a narrower view of the business which
such bodies as this Cleveland Convention set
themselves to, there is ground for comment.
Some exceptional line of road sufficiently indie
pendent to stand aloof from all combinations
may choose to be unrepresented at these
meetings; it may choose to do its bargaining
directly with the public, without any under
standing with other lines, and to hold itself
responsible for whatever share of the CARVING
business on its route comes naturally in its
way. Such a line is generally sure to be
tabooed in a railroad or a steamboat confer
ence. That has been the case at sundrv times
in former years. We do not know positively
hat it is the case this year. But it happens
that one great central railroad line
has so far fallen under the dis
pleasure of the Cleveland Conventionsts.
that its financial standing, like that of a shaky
banking house, is discredited by formal reso-
luton of the Convention requiring all connect
ing railroad companies represented at the
conference to demand from it prepayments
for every description of freight. There may,
possibly, be special reasons for thus assaling,
by concerted action, the credit of great cor
poration, whose standing has been equal to
that of the average leading railroads. But in
the absence of such light as might have been
thrown upon this particular subject by an
open preliminary discussion, the resolution
referred to has a scay appearance. 1t is,
moreover as injurious to the character of
such conventions that they should engender
suspicion by their methods of action as if they
actually do what can be proven to be injurious
to the public interests.
If those who, in the summer season at least,
are more or less competitors for the inland
carrying trade of the whole country, deem it
for their interest to meet, periodically, in
common cOnyentiOn for general discussion of
their business, well and good. Let them meet,
and deliberate so far in public at least that
the public shall know what they are about
how they combine or cooperate, and how all
this is consistent with due regard to public
economy and convenience