, 1881-03-09

o!,, "'osxus," hi,H; ne l'ynr fstl,sc1lorea
An'l snntt@i, has kidney wnrina: Ilis ln1cs
full oi wind. iiu ias cstnrrl,, triclinlp clulura.
eie. The ln,prnyed ~ hog 1s fast ucRcnerattug
-ana Whnt next?
W. commend this perhaps somewhat on
aggeratctt statement uf tho cnsc to thoss cll-
gagged a,tl Interested III log-ralsing, not only
iii Illinois, but also III The other eor.,-grow-
Ing md fIog-rnislng Stntcs OF tho Northwest |
1EwErr SPEAKS FOR THE RAILWAY |
KINGS.
The Rttlltny xtge Of this city, n paper lle- |
voted to railway Interests, recently ad- !
dressed series Of questions to tho four Kreat
RAILWAY magnates OF tho country,-Vnndor-
biEt, Gould, Jcwctt, and isoborts, s,-[ntenueu
to elicit etensc Ut tho lnonot,olEcs 1'resi-
dent Jowett, OF tho Eric Road, has made re-
ly, and, rs the others arc silent, ills reasol-
ablc presumption tint MIR. Jcwett speaks for
the other three as we'll rs for himself. Mr.
Jewctt's letter is long, soiaowl,at 1aborcd,
but, 0n the whole, Ingenious. It consists
chiefly Of ovnstons, but hero nlll there Is to
bc found q glenn Of frnnkness, md wherever
Mr. Jcwett Is frank lie Is wrong. lie denies
emphnticAlIy, for instance, that the Congress
llas my right whatever to log!slate OIL the
subject OF railways. BY this denial ho VII
tualty establishes the supremacy Of tho COLI
bincd railway lnonopoilcB ovor tho National
Government; for 1t llas been demonstrated
TINT ITO one Stnto Is strong enough to coil.
tend nganst tho aggrcsslons of great railway
companies ba.ldet together, as they always
arc, for mutuai protection. lie tries to get
around tho plain provision Of tho Corstitu-
t1on authorizing Congress to regnlate COLI
mcrce between tho States, by saying that liz
"bc]loycs this provision wns intended 10
authorize Congress to 1cg!slato only upon
Statcs, and to prevent my one State from
embarrassing, by legislation, commerce be-
tween citizens Of different States, or the CIV
ing uf citizens of ono Stale advantages over
t]ose Of another III my commercial transac-
tions." The provision Of the Constitution
embraces NIL this, undoubtedly, and more.
It Is not limited to this nlonc; II includes
Interstate commot.-carrlors, which aro rnll-
roatls, and Mr.. Jowott will find that tho drift
Of all the recent decisions js in TINT dIrcc-
tjon, rs far rs tic question has como before
tho Courts. Adler aud lcsa.tntcrcstcd law-
yors thnn Mr.. Jewett take direct issue with
lin as to the power Of Congress uuder TINT
provision 10 reKnlate commerce between tic
Stntcs, and they scout the narrow construc-
tion lle places upon the American people
netting tllrougl, tho National Legislature.
Mr.. Jewett'a argument against the right of
National regulation Is hardly worth consid-
ering. 11o makes the thrcadbaro assertion
TINT II Congress nay regulate Stato railways
1t may rcgulnte tho business Of private indl-
yiduals, "buying, selling, producing, or nanu-
facturing," etc. lie entirely ignores the por-
tentous fact tltat railways arc common carriers
by Inv, and that In tho building of every rali-
way tho right of eminent domain has been
Invoked and that IL the Nation cannot re-
stratn OF regulate tho exercise of TINT right rs
against the State, tho State may become su-
prene For II tho Stute may MAKE grant
with which tho Matchmaker circumstances
can Interfere, 1t may, by coIluslon with
its creature, tho corporation, practically pro-
hiblt ull commercial Intercourse by the usual
channels OF trade, not only between its cltl-
Zens and the citizens Of adjoining States, but
between tic citizens Of other States. across
its territory.
1t is idle to aay that 1t would DO fatal to the
prosperity OF tl'o railway company to adopt
such an nrbltrnry COURSE. It Is n question Of
right, not of expedency. rho people Of the
Nation and Of tho States are not to be re-
aucca to the miserable condition OF depend
ence upon tIle wEInl OF corporation which
owes its existence to their voluntary net.
Mr.. .Jewett says Ernctously that le is not
opposed to al1 1cgEslat!on,-tl.at Is to say, llo
admits tho right Of tho state to leglsate, and
proceeds to specify several unimportant sui
jects' upon which it may net. But he Is enl-
p!,atlcally "opposed to my legislation [even
by the State1 which intcrferes with tho lie.
tails Of their managcment."- tho
, right to charge whit they please, to dscrlm-
linate rs u,ucl. Us ti!oy choose, and to do
w!,ateycr thDy l,aye II mind to. This Is cor
porate independence with vengeance. 1t
Will be observed that Mr.. Jewett strongly
reso nbles tho man who was in favor Of tho
Matnp l.iauor Inv, but opposed 10 It's Gil
forccmont.
The reason of Ills opposition Is also queer:
"I}erause I belleya sucl, fntorfercnco