Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1882-08-07


that it wishes to see the whole existing sys.
TEN Of transportation reversed" That
is to say that it advocates the revolution of
a system which it has taken great mum.
Der OF highly trained specialists half
generation to construct, by three persons
who will enter Office densely ignorant of
every point in the transportation business,
and predetermined not to accept On behalf
OF any existing part of that system the
evidence of fact and reason. The Erana.
iaer is in itself curious but not unin.
structive illustration of this kind OF COM
munistic raid. 1t has no knowledge OF the
principles of transportation. 1t falls into
the most preposterous errors whenever it
attempts to discuss it. IT lays down as
"irrefutable principles" statements SO
utterly absurd that they refute themselves.
1t refuses to discuss anything honorably.
1t wriggles and crawls and twists about
20 put false gloss upon the statements of
its opponents. 1t publishes every falsehood
that maleyolence can invent for the pur.
pose of making the railroads unpopular.
Yet at the same time it undertakes to die.
tate the precise course that shall be taken
in dealing with the corporations, and it
affects to represent public opinion in its
muddle-headed crusade.
Perhaps the worst punishment that
could be inflicted upon the foolish people
who allow themselves to be misled by such
vulgar and shallow demagogism as the
Examiner is alone capable of, would be to
let them have their cwn way. Were it
not for the injury to which third parties
would be liable, it would be perfectly safe
to let the Examiners railroad programme
go into effect. In this we are only speak.
ing in the light of past experience. Ten
years ago an almost precisely similar raid
upon the railroads was made in mum Der
Of Western States, and it was what the
deluded voters at the moment considered
successful" That is to say, that all rea.
son was thrust aside, all commercial laws
were ignored, and parcel of ignorant
people were permitted to reorganize the
railroad system to suit themselves. There
was nothing to hinder them. The corpo.
rations were completely helpless. And
they worked their will upon them. The
various Legislatures passed iron-clad laws
regulating fares and freights according to
the latest Granger inspirations, and the
new schedules went into effect. And then
arose howl from every quarter, which
grew in volume and shrillness as time
went on. Practical experiment showed
( that the new schedules were intolerable.
Instead OF removing discrimination they
doubled and quadrupled it. Instead of
equalizing rates they made them more
unequal than ever. Instead of putting
towns and villages ON level basis, they
helped some and injured others. In short
Everything having been reversed" just
as the Examiner wishes TO have it, the
States which had tried the experiment
found themselves almost fatally handi-
capped, and in the end they were all
heartily glad to retraee their steps, and to
acknowledge thst the business of trans.
portation could not be learned by intui.
tion, and that neither could it be regulated
by those who knew nothing about it.
The Examiner has taken a position
which, if successful, can only bring about
the old result. No real settlement of the
railroad question has ever been achieved
10y blind force alone. No successful Rail.
road Commission has ever yet been
achieved by the Examiners methods. To
Require candidates to chow their sincerity
by emulating one another in the adoption
of cast-iron pledges is to exclude from
competition the only class of candidates
Swho could be trusted. Honest and just
men never can or will commit them.
selves in advance upon matters concerning
which they expect to hold semi- judicial
relation. No theory of honesty and jus.
t:ce ever yet formulated has room for
men who are capable of doing this. On
the contrary, the professional demagogue,
who is VIGOROUSLY neither honest nor Just,
has through all time been recognized
by his readiness to promise anything
and everything /; and these are the kind
of men specially invited and provided for
by the Examiners political methods.
Honest and just men will not make such
promises. They will insist upon a full in
vestigation before they say anything and
candidates for the Railroad Commission,
a semi judicial office. will not, if they are
honest and just, consent to promise any.
thing more than to act equitably. There
is no room for serious controversy on this
point. The Examiner cannot point out
q single instance in which the policy it ad-
vocates hss proved successful, or in which
the methods of selecting candidates
favored by it have had other than dig.
astrous effects. The railroad companies
themselves we are very sure would ask
nothing more than that "honest and just
men" should be elected as Railroad Com.
missioners, but no one who reads the En-.
aminer can believe for moment that il
wants that kind of men in Office, or that its
policy is capable of putting that kind oil
men in office. It is short-sighted policy,
too, FOR unless cur contemporary looks for.
ward to no more than campaign exist.
ence, il viii have to answer for its present
evil guidance some time hereafter, to the
people it is trying to mislead.