Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1881-02-24
JUDGE BLACKS SPEECH.

The Relations OF Corporations to the
Public From an Anti-Monopoly Stand
point.
NEW YORK, February 23.-The
National Anti-Mopopoly League held
meeting Monday evening at the Cooper
Institute. The hall was we'll filed.
Upon the platform were Mr.. Peter
Cooper, DR.. Edward Beecher, Judge
Henry Alker, Colonel +. A. Conkling,
General Egbert l.. Viele, Mr.. William
III. Webb and about forty others. Mr..
L. +. Chittenden pres ded, and after q
long list OF vice. e.presidents and secre-
taries had been read he explained the
objects OF the League. He then intro
duced ex-Judge Jeremiah S. Black, OF
Pennsylvania, who said, without pre-
face: III will tell you what l know
about railroad monopoly, or at least
what | believe. At the bottom ef this
subject there lies one question OF mere
fact which
One Man Of Common Sense
can decide for himself as we'll as an
other if he will but open his eyes and
look upon the proof. 1t is alleged that
RAILROAD corporations being put into pos.
session OF the public highways OF the
country are bound to run the roads in
the interest OF the public to whom they
belong, and are public servants and
trustees. But they have violated their
trust grossly and shamefully. They are
clothed with power sufficient by law
to enable them to perform their func.
tions efficiently and well, but not con-
tent with that they have grasped at and
seized other powers which don't belong
to them, and all which they have by law
and all which they have usurped they
have perverted for the base purpose OF
private gain" Applause Judge
Black then discussed the
Legal Aspects Of the Case
from its present point OF view and
went over the same ground as that COW
tee on Railroads of the Chamber OF
Commerce, and which was widely cir.
culated by the newspaper press at the
time it was made public. Speaking OF
the defenders OF corporate rights Judge
Black said: "Among this class OF men
there is one that | would select because
Of his respectabiity. Mr.. Charles
Francis Adams has written more on
this subject than any other person that
has advocated that side OF the question.
II il were not invidious to make COM
PARSONS with others, | would say that
he is the ablest man that the corpora
tions have got in their service. He Is
the great advocate OF the railroad mo-
nopoly; he believe it good thing, and
he
Deprecates Any KIND Of Legislation
which would deprive them OF one atom
of the power they now enjoy, but he
utterly refuses to stultify himself by
denying the existence OF these gross
abuses. He says il is true that the
charges they have made are without
law and justice, and that the discrimi-
nations that they make between persons
and places are cruel in the extreme.
He SAYS thatths thing has been carried
to such frightful extent that he is fill
ed with surprise that the business OF
the country has been able to sustain it.
self at all under such conditions; that is
to say he is amazed AZ anybody else
might be who will reflect moment,
that the general industry OF the whole
country has not been crushed into ami.
hilation by the intolerable burden i'm.
posed upon i. By the railroad corpora.
tions. lie makes a clean breast OF ii;
he pleads guilty to the whole indict-
ment and under the circumstanceU take
that TO be decisive.
"Let me cite one other authority OF q
somewhat different kind" said Judge
Black. at is that OF very high placed
gentleman who has long looked into
these offices from the standpoint OF
statesman. Upwards Of seven years
ago, at Columbus, o., Gen. Garfield
(cheers mingled with Kisses made
speech in which he introduced this sub
ject. He described the immense power
Which these People Weld.
the vast area OF the public domain which
they had absorbed, and got possession
OF more than nine States as large as
Ohio; the large endowments that had
been bestowed on them out OF the pub
lie moneys and their solid combina-
tions, and he then warned his audi
ence that the time was coming when
conflict might arise between them and
the public authorities OF the country, in
which the government itself might
be overthrown unless these railroad cor.
porations were throttled before the fight
began. Applause. Now, due re-
spect for the elected Chief Magistrate
ought to make us very cautious how We
differed from -lIsughter]-in opin-
ion, especially those OF us who expect to
hold Federal Offices during the next
four years. Renewed laughter lfhe
acts upon the conviction which he then
expressed and with vigor in any degree
corresponding 10 the subject matter, you
will near blast upon the Presidential
trumpet that will rally all hearts to the
cause Of justice: il ne does not act upon
his convictions, il he is silent and sub
mis.iye, and sees this Government which
he is appointed TO guard broken down
by the power against which he has
warned us, then he will have made com.
mon cause with the monopolists aud he
as unfaithful to his trust a. the monop-
olists are to theirs"