Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1882-10-21
COMMISSIONER ARMsrRoNe's REPORT.

commissioner armstrong Is reported as
saying that his recent visit to the Pacific
"coast left him in doubt as to the best
"method of dealing with the railroad
"problem. He thinks that many of the
complaints against the Cectral Pacific
RAILROAD are unfounded, and that ma.
tional Commission could afford but very
"little relief. He thinks that there should
abe more information obtained before any
Congressional legislation on the subject
sis attempted" To all who are candid
and intelligent enough to reason it must
appear singular that whenever men are
appointed to examine the railroad question
officially, and thus become responsible,
they are led to take conservative views.
OF course the anti-railroad malignants
have ready explanation for this. They
assert that every man who presumes to
differ from them has been bought by the
railroads. That is an easy mode of eva.
sion, but it will not satisfy thinking men.
When a man who, like Charles Francis
<abahlS, 10 aOONO suO ousEtSAOL VI !Sbdklb1,
comes to examine the railroad question,
and comedies in such views as those of
Commissioner Armstrong, it is necessary
to find some more plausible explanation.
And it is significant that whenever
the railroad question has been seriously
and impartially studied, the conclusions
reached have been as far as the poles are
apart from the assertions of the anti.rail.
road howlers.
The fact is that the anti.railroad agita-
ton is really a means of preventing the
proper adjustment of the question. If
there are abuses i'll the railroad system
they cannot be remedied by any such
agency. In dealing with corporate prop.
erty it is necessary to begin by realizing
that when individuals combine for business
purposes they do not forfeit any of their
rights as citizens that the property rights
of companies are as sacred as those of units
that it is impossible to discriminate
against them legally; that if charges are
to be brought against them they must be
preferred and supported properly; and
that reckless abuse and misrepresentation,
kept up by irresponsible and anonymous
parties, cannot be made the basis of legis-
lation. In this State we are only repeat.
ing the crude blunders of Illinois and Wis
consin and Iowa. Ten years ago they
went through the experience we are hav-
ing now, and since then they have been
kept busy undoing the stupid and mis-
chievous work of their anti. railroad mania.
No substantial results can ever come from
the half.crazy attacks now being made
upon the railroads. They are not justified
by any existing state of facts. They are
merely theatrical properties which are
being employed in the interest of two sets
of office-seeking demagogues. There is no
regard for the public welfare at the back
of them. There is neither intelligent com.
prehension of the railroad problem nor a
desire to obtain the truth behind them.
When responsible men are sent to exam.
inc the situation they are compelled to re-
port as Commissioner Armstrong does
namely, to the effect that the charges
against the railroad are for the most part
upfounded, and that none of the proposed
remedial measures are capable of doing any
good. We believe the people of California
have already recognized the utter frGudu.
lence of the present anti-railroad howl,
and that if it were possible they would b.
their votes set the seal of condemnation
upon it. They no doubt understand that
before any good can be effected there must
be complete change of tactics that dem
agogism must be repudiated that the
railroad problem must be approached in
spirit of equity; that when charges are
made, full proof of them must be insisted
upon that ignorant and malicious persons
must not be permitted to formulate legisla-
ton hostile to great and important inter.
ests. 1t is very certain that, as Commits.
sioner Armstrong observes, there should
be more information before any Congress.
ional legislation on the subject is attempted,
and it is equally certain that the informa-
ton must be derived from other and far
different sources than the anti.railroad
press. But if the people really desire to
have this problem solved they will be COM
PEELED to insist upon rational, temperate
and unprejudiced course of procedure, and |
they must not allow demagogues to elevate |
themselves into power at the expense of
corporate interests, or by fostering dan.
gerous communistic sentiment.