Daily globe., 1882-09-30

human life among their laborers; and
that they are wanting in general courtesy
to the public and to the state itself.
In fine, the railroads are managed and
controlled as though they were a purely
private property and for personal ends.
For eight years we have left them to
| themselves, and this is the result of our
experience. We find that they require the
presence Of police officer, and the re-
straining hand of power. .9d1 gf .s99tg5f I'll
THEIR OWN STANDARD OF MORALITY. n
Tried by their own standard, what right
have they to expect that the public will
place confidence in the equity Of their
conduct? They do not repose confidence
in each other. There, is not one single
railroad corporation in this country that
places implicit trust in the honesty and in
tegrity of the action or promises Of an
other. Do they not battle with each 9TH
err Cut rates, form secret alliances, over
reach They keep standing army of
secret agents to watch each other. - ''.' -.
lam credibly informed of their recently
patching up a war of rates at a
meeting of managers and agents, and
then rushing from the council chamber, to
meet in the telegraph Office to send in
structions to their eastern agents how to
evade the covenants just made! We are
constrained to believe that railroad mo-
rality is not of high standard. They them
selves teach the lessons of distrust With
and all their wars are but the result of
punic faith. The gates of the railway
temple of Janus are never closed. They
oII w 1ox 10, 4bor Oh,
other, and to protect the stockholders
from the results of wasteful wars by en-
ragged managers. They are Rob Roys, the
strong way laying and robbing the weak.
The large roads, without compunction,
shark does a minnow. Shall the public
treat them as they treat each other? -'f
''That mercy to others show, $40 9c
That mercy show to me.''} .sI.u
We are taught to believe that pres
ent railway management will respect
nothing but the empire of force. You
may not trust human nature
with unlimited money and n power
in its fists. Corporate power holds in the
hollow of its hands the industries and pro
ducts of the people. Any day Gould can
blow his hot breath on the bulb. of the bar
ometer and breed a financial storm. The
public should endeavor to protect them
selves from such possibilities. ~ 'i4s
90 WHAT IS THE REMEDY? ...,
would be greater discoyerer than
Columbus if could produce specific for
railroad abuses. We are all but students
in system, which in single lifetime has
drawn to itself the vital energies of the
commercial world. There are no definite
laws yet fixed for this new force We only
know that it is a remorseless power which
must be watched in every phase of its de-
velopment. ! The conditions of the railroad
problem have themselves changed so rap
| idly. that no perfect theory of control has
yet been evolved. Undeniable facts and
abuses must be met as they arise. We
| know enough to know that we must for the
present meet railroad abuses by force.
Here is where the machinery of the state
must be N brought in r. play ~. But
| it must be done considerably
and firmly. They must be made to feel
| that are always at the bar. of public opin-
ion, on trial for their good behavior. We
should have no laws which are not EN-
forced. > You have a statute now which
says that rates shall be tiequal and reason
able;"' but there is no sufficient penalty at
tached. You might have a law against
| murder, but without a penalty, affixed it
would be dead letter. By discreet, but
| vigorous statute, we can prevent most of
| the evils arising from diHerential rates.
from rebates, and from autocracy ingeneral
management. 1--WE can compel them to
parade all their financial operations to the
eyeiof the public. AM efficient railroad
| commissioned can note and present to the
Legislature such infrmities, as they pre-
| sent themselves in daily experience, for
such action as may appear wise to the leg
| islative authority. IF ! deemed prudent.
maximum rates could be fixed within
| which tariffs might be flexible. The gen
| eral idea of publicity in all railway bust
| ness should be pushed to the extreme limit.
| We can require of them that all their
accounts shall be kept by one
| uniform system SO " that III in
understanding one you will understand all.
We can improve the machinery of state
authority without increase of expense by
associating the Governor and State Auditor.
with the Railroad Commissioner as tribu-
nal for the considerationeof such higher
Imatters,as should not be deftl to, the author
| iityl Of any one man The railroads must
be made to respect the sovereign authority
of the state. ThatrI authority = must. be
welded With Prudence and carfplnsss and
lyet with, upfinching frmpnesss, ~ ~ is time
for epE state TO formulate a purpose ia it's
dealings With the railways ys,: which viii be
| mp to the measure oof the adyanGet th6dght
Of the country. Let, US neither hope nor
expect any thing ideafIn but 9mest every
abuse, demonstfated topB4 saehp befdrelit
shall become by ,Gddsteo5m steo5m,l J. establishsibas
part Of the BY sttsmh .and slip bsyond thepale
Of law, hsu5hT oh5 10 osOd1 eg bnDoa | z
ANEW PHASE OF RxiaHhoaDI IDsssfop.fsar. h
It has, happened to us as It has to other
portions ii ff tie Country r. that we have en-.
tered upon new phase Of railroad dete7
lopment Forty different, f. ailwa,y enterprises
in Minnesota haye been Consolidated into
lseven great systems! j OF these 1.-THE Mil
waukee has absorbed eight;9 the North
I Western six; the Omaha eleven ;Ythe ID ami
! toba three; the North Pacific five, the Du-
Iuth three and the Minneapols and st.
Louis fOur9HiIG5n bRe no Igf Ion p =
| q Weiare now TO deal with a few great cor
porations and not with a multitude of
iroadsol decomposition is largely destroy
I ed BY! pooling. we have vet gained the