New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1875-10-01

sense and common honesty
II il impossible that such campaign should
be altogether wasted. We are not too san
| guine about the immediate result. Violent
error has often carried one election in spite OF
all that truth and reason could do against 1t.
But on the whole it is usually safe to rely
upon q frank discussion between truth ana
| falsehood. between honesty and fraud, if the
field is free and the time is long enough. The
advocates of national honor and sOlyency in
Ohio are greatly encouraged by the present in
dications in their State. They will deserve
great credit if they win this contest, and
whether they win it OF not the result of the
work they are now doing cannot but be bene-
| fetal in the greater fight to which a victory of
| the repudiationists would inevitably lead.
--------------
! Mr.. ADAMS on THE RAILROAD QUESTION.
! No man is better fitted to discuss the rela-
| tons of the railway system to the State than
Mr.. Charles Francis Adams, jr., whose address
at the Wisconsin State Fair we publish this
morning. Mr.. Adams has not only given close
study to the subiect-as readers of The IRIB-
uNE knOw-but in his long term of service as
one of the Railroad Commissioners of Massa-
chusetts he has had opportunity to test theory
by practice, and las learnt, as he frankly tells
us, to revise many of his early Opin-
ions by the light of experience. He adj
dresses the farmers of Wisconsin, not as
a rampant ene.ay of the "grasping corpora
Z" tions,r nor as n heartlcss capitalist who makes
light of the suiferngs of the agricultural classes,
and only lamcnts the failure of dividends and
the prccarious revenue from mortgage bonds.
lie perccivcs that producer and carrier are both
wronged, partly by the injustice of each other,
partly by the inevitable operation Of natural
causes. The settlement of the new West and
the development of the Western railway
system have alike proceeded too fast !;
farms have been opened before they were
needed, and railroads built to them long
before there was any reasonable prospect
Of paying business. Moreover railroad
transportation is rapidly working revolution
i'm many OF our social conditions, and proving
the inadequacy of old principles of govern
mcnt which till lately were thought sufficient
FOR every emergency. 1t would be strange II
in such IA condition of things there were not
many hardships and many abuses. 1T was
once thought that the easy remedy for every
sort of railway oppression was free competi-
I =
liberal Inducements for the opening of new
roads. But this is an admitted failure.
Connection is impossible where combination is
possible. The virtual consolidation of COM
pcting roads goes steadily on. 1t is only
few years since n dozen separate companies
divided the line between Chicago and New
York How long will it be before a single
company controls the whole line from New
York to san Francisco The process of COM
binaton is irresistible, and statutes can no
more Obstruct it chan they can break the force
OF graytatiOn.
The Force bill theory of legislative interfer-
ence has proved itself not only pOwerless to
accomplish good, bat prolific of positive and
widespread evils What then is to be done ?
Without stopping TO consider problems that
may be created hereafter by the changing re-
latonS of the railroads and the State Mr..
Adams shows what has been accomplished in
Massachusetts by the Board of Railroad Com
missioncrs. There it may be said that the
transportation problem, at least for the time,
has been solved. There are no serious abuses
for which remedy is not close at hand.
There are 10 serious complaints without an
investigation and remedy. The Commission
l
the companies and the public listening
impartially to both whenever a dispute arises,
and Judging between them. They have no
power to enforce their recommendations; they
can only report to the Legislature; but that
ia found to be sufficient. "Our action is
almost always accepted by the parties before
Gus as fnal.r says Mr.. Adams, land | do not
now recall any case once brought before us
" in which subsequent legislative interview
" ton has been sought for. When it comes
"to a direct issue the corporations do not like
"to pat themselves in public antagOnism to
the wcll-colsidcrcd action of the Commits
"soncrs. They will perhaps resist up to the
"last point, but when it comes to a clean
tissue, with the equities against them, they
Invariably yield"
These remarkable results are the fruit merely
of Publicity. "What is it," asks Mr.. Adams,
90 that the society of our time always depends
"on for the correction of abuses, and almost
"never depends in vaini On the broad light
"of publicity, and the pressure of an enlight-
!'ened public opinion. These after all are the
"grcat purifying and refOrmatOry agents upon
(Which the government by the people for the
"people must rest. Light Publicity! These
care what we most need for the better order
'ing of our public affairs, and, as respects
railroads, these, curiously enough, are what
ono one has yet cared to think of providing"
A new drama, based upon the story of Gen.
Arn0lds treason, has been written by gentleman
OF Troy Mr. Sala recently suggested this topic a
/ GOOD one for an American DRAMA III seems TO be