Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1882-03-31

| be still more craftsmanship IN doing
still less. A bill which proposes to do
! almost nothing may yet be inferior to
bill which proposes to do nothing at
all. Require the railroads to make
frequent and regular reports of earn
ings and traffic, and the public may IN
time be educated by these oft-recurring
statements as they never could be by a
ponderous document. But as for regu-
lation or supervision, we suspect 1t is as
true as ever that the best government is
that which governs least.
The one merit of our present position
| is, that the advocates of an Infinite va
riety of plans mutually neutralize each
other, after the manner of the kllken-
| ny cats, and thus unintentlonally pro-
duce the government that governs not
at all. But let any statute whatever for
railroad legislation be once enacted and
the probability is that, from that time
onward, nearly every session will see it
altered, possibly for the better, proba-
| bly, for the worse. But the change IN
itself will be nuisance. The railroads
will at once make common cause to
| fight in the courts and afterwards iE
congress. A bill to regulate railroads
by law, regarded in the light of its prob
| able consequences, might be entitled,
"An act to sell the government of the
| United States to its corporations"
| Either the legislation would be empty,
innocuous and futile, and IN that case
changes would be instantly and inces-
| sanity demanded or it would be to some
extent effective, and in tnat case four
/ Al x~1,II.Nx,s n fol mould
mediately begin to concentrate itself
upon Washington. Hewho thinks that
legislation would thenceforward be
shaped in the interests of the people
has a simple and child-hke faith.
Mr.. Adams's plan misses the Scylla
of coercion, but does not avoid the
Charybdis of perpetual agitation for
change. His commissioners are ex-
pected to report measures for the con-
sideration of congress. This would
bring up, year after year, the whole
subject Of railway regulation, and every
member of congress would have his
pockets full of amendments and substi-
tutes. Perhaps the Commission would
wisely argue against attempted coer-
cion. and recommend only the wisest
possible action. Thereupon every sin
cere fanatic and every demagogue in
the House would start up, all atiame.
! to rebuke these "teols OF monopoly"
Commissions rarely have as much in
fuenc over legislation as committees
composed of mem bers of the legislative
body. The members would feel called
upon to vindicate their own wisdom
by altering or rejecting proposed for
| them, and the chances are that real
| ly wise measure would fare worse than
it would if offered by single repre-
sentative on his individual RESPONSIBLE
| ty. In fact, if the Commission should
devise any particularly good thing, its
Recommendation would probably lessen
the chance of that good thing getting
| done.
The railroad problem is settling it
self good deal faster than any Con-
gress could settle it. Ten years ago
there was not even a single fanatic
who contemplated as possible the rate
| for transportatio. j which the railroads
have of their own sweet will maintain
ed for half year. If the practical re
suit is bankruptcy for any company,
that event will educate more people
than any number of elaborate reports.
Or, if the result is that the roads
have all survived, that experience will
educate both people and managers, so
| that rates which were once common
will become forever impossible. Or,
again, if it appears that railroads have
escaped bankruptcy only by taxing
| local traffic unreasonably to support
through traffic, it will instantly become
a practical question for the business
men of every State whether they wish
to surrender the through traffic or to
see it preserved at such a cost. As
matters stand, stockholders, bond
holders, shippers and consumers are all
getting educated by the same events,
and very rapidly. 1t may be doubted
whether any Commission could posi-
blv disseminate as much information
in as short a time, and in a form to
stick in the mind as long. Men re-
member lessons that they pay for
roundly.
The best OF it is that the railroad
managers are getting educated. They
have been compelled to appeal to COM
mercial bodies, to merchants, to public
JOll1 1lidlo stll0 pltDllS OIIlIOll, w saw
them from the consequences of thell
own acts. They have learned that
they cannot afford to make Transports
ton so profitable that new roads by the
score will start up to divide the bust
ness. They have learned that unlim
tied dilution of stock has its disadvan-
tages. They have learned that public
distrust Of the good faith aud wisdom
Of railway management is a particular
" expensive inconvenient crop to cul
tivate They have learned that a mo
nopoly is in greater danger just in pro
portion as it becomes more powerful
and profitable. These are WHOLESOME
lessons. We douht whether any Com
mission ever could teach them as et
t fectively as the experience of the las
year of unrestrained and unreglllate,
seif-government.-N. Y. Tribune.