Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1881-04-04
ESTABLISHED 1850.
THE RAILROAD COMMISSION.
should the State Delegate Such Ar
bttrarY Powers TO a Body of Meme
Correspondence Au0ustG Chronicle and Con-

Correspondence Au0asstG Chronicte and Con-
stitutiondlist
Among the several legacies left by the
Constitutional Convention of 1877 to
the people of Georgia, the Railroad
Commission seems likely to prove the
most unacceptable. Under the leader
ship of Mr. Toombs, who has long since
outlived his usefulness to his State and
his people, and the destructive tendencies
of whose mind are only equalled by an
alert and wonderful capacity to build
up and sustain his own private fortunes,
the radical element which found Its way
into the convention determined to make
war upon railroad corporations, as fur
nishing the fattest field for operations of
this character. The word radical is not
used in its late and present political sig
nificance, but is meant to describe that
element whIch has ever opposed and
will always oppose the broader, safer and
more conservative craftsmanship which
is growing up even in the South. The
carpet bagger had left the borders of the
State with what little of plunder they
had not spent in riotous living, aud the
political scalawag had dropped back into
the obscurity from which he had been
dragged by social convulsion. These
fair targets no longer stood out and in
vited assault, and the peaceful beginning
of quiet national administration left
little or no margin upon which the poll
tical agitator might ply his trade, assault
the public ear and command the atten-
ton of the people. So the word of com
mand was given and a declaration of
war openly pronounced against the
railroad corporations of the State.
Though Georgia had for years pros
pered as these great enterprises pros
pered and developed her indus
tries and resources, and though few
complaints of reasonable and substan-
tial nature had come from any quarter as
to the management of these in
stltutions, it was determined to
put them upon the rack. 1t is
said 10 be comparatively easy task to
make the most petted and INDUCED child
dissatisfied with a mild parental au
thOritY, and to cause it to believe that
its lot is hard and cruel one. Men and
women are but grown up children, and
constitute what is known as the people.
Under the skillful manipulations of am
bilious men, who were not above the
ways and methods of the demagogue, it
was no labor at all to convince the peo.
pie that they had suffered great wrongs
at the hands of the railroad corpora
tions. The people were eager and at
tentive listeners. Their sympathies were
never with consolidated power, strength
or wealth. Their preiudlces were all
against railroads, as the records
of our judicial tribunals will show,
by extraordinary verdlcts in favor of
careless employees, reckless passengers
| and needless steers, COWS and bulls, all
bearing in their veins the best blood of
the stock farms of England and it's ad-
jacent islands. The situation was ripe,
and, when the Legislature which follow
ed the convention met, it devoted very
large portion of the time of an extra
| session to the framing of a railroad law
and the creation of a Railroad Commits
sion. This Legislature was not without
lights and precedents The British Par
lament had devoted years of patient
work and investigation to the sub
ject, and some of the Western
and Eastern States of the Union
had made experiments in the
same direction, with more or less sue
cess. Yet, in the face of these facts,
the Legislature enacted a law crude, un-
equal and buTdensome, and created
Commission to carry its provisions into
effect. The action of the Legislature was
distasteful and unsatisfactory to the rail- |
road corporations, who did all in their |
power for the enactment of a statute fair, .
reasonable and just to the State, the |
people and themselves. And, with one |
exception, though protesting against the
exercise of the power, the railroads have |
Obeyed the rules and regulations as from |!
time to time they have been promulgated |
by the Commission.
The law itself has passed review, and |
passed favorably, in an inferior tribunal
of the United States, but has gone upon
appeal for final arbitrament to the Su.
preme Court of the country. The dis
cussiOn of the Railroad Commission, it's
powers and its acts, have heretofore
mainly been confined to railroad officials.
who have confined themselves to that
technical knowledge and experience
which the general public will not read,
and which it could not understand if it
did. But the most Indifferent observer
OF passing events in Georgia cannot have
failed to see that there has been reaction
in the public mind, both against the law
itself and the manner in which it has been
executed. The railroads will ask the Leg
islature for repeal of the present statute
and the enactment of one more in con-
sonance with the gathered experience
on this important subject, and one
which, while it affords relief to the citi-
zen when he has suffered wrong, will
not attempt to administer that relief by
the con1scation of property in whose
millions of capital hundreds of other
citizens are interested. And in the prac-
tical discussions which must precede any
legislative action, the press of the State
can perform no higher duty to the peo-
pie and its patrons than by taking such
part as tends to eliminate from the diff
culties and darkness which now sur
round the subject the safest, easiest and
best plan to give equal and exact justice |
to all.
1t is said. perhaps truly, that corpora.
tions are the children of the State If !
so, they are entitled to fair and generous
dealing, and are to be protected against
cruel and harsh treatment. The law
defiues the relation between parent and
child, and may be successfully appealed
to right the wrongs of the one or the
other. Are not corporations entitled to
the same protection upon proper ap-
peal.
The Railroad Commissioners have
published to the world that their powers
were so great ''that to test them was
considered too dangerous Should
State delegate to any body of men a
power so great that citizen would con-
slider too dangerous to question in a
court Of law and justice?
VIR6LNIUs.