Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1883-02-14
GOWEN'S GATLING GUN.
FIElNG DOUBLE-sHOTTED CHARGES.
Brilliant Speech on q Vital Issue-Dis-
cussinE Freight Discrimination-Cut-
Tn

ting out Work for Cassidy.
Franklin B. Gowen caused sensation
in the hail Of the House of Representa-.
tives last night. The senators and repre-.
we're there to be addressed by
him upon the Hulings anti-freight dis
bill. Tho public galleries
were thronged, and many women, unable
to get seats in tho gallery, were provided
for in the passage ways among the legis
lators. No place where a person could sit
or stand was vacant. Mr.. Gowen spoke
from the clerks desk. Before reaching
the sensational part of his speech he pointed
out what he favored and opposed in Hull
ings' bill. His main complaint was that
the bill provided no adequate remedy for
the injured. Punish the guilty officers of
the corporation, he said, and do not make
the innocent share holders suffer. There
are three great and growing evils in cor
porate management-flrst, corrupt control
ofpo!tioal power by officers, and second,
unjust acquisition Of wealth by such Off
GERS. The bill makes no provision against
either of these. The third evil is unjust
discrimination. which tho bill forbids,
although il offers no adequate security
for it.
Objections to the BIZ.
The bill goes too far in some respects.
For instance, it does not take into account
that it costs, in soma cases, three times as
much to transport freight up mountain
grades as down the other side. The Read
ing can't deliver coal as cheapIy in the
heart of the city, where single cars must
be shifted around, as it can at Port Rich
mcnd. The Pennsylvania railroad, carry
ing full train loads OF coal three hundred
miles without break, can make more
money at five dollars a ton in moving sin
gle car loads. Anyhow. the Legislature
cannot make tolls. This is a contract
right of the companies subject to the
common law, He had serious objection
to the bills provision for 4 penalty OF
81, 600, onc-hali to be paid to the informer.
1t was beneath the dignity of the com
mnawcalth to pay such spies for nosing
around railroad offices. Let tenfold dam
ages be given TO tie aggrievcd, but moth
ing to these cheva.iers of industry, who
can't make money any other way. lie
also objected, as a lawyer, to giving
tho jurisdiction to an equity court. Hull
ings' object was to compel witnesses to
testify, but the common pleas had all the
power necessary for this purpose. He
objected to making unj Just discrimination
a criminal o;fense. He didn't care to get
into the pcnitentiary because some subor-
dinate had done wrong or made 4 mis-
take.
Damages 10 Remedy.
Having said this for the railways he
would now, he remarked, take the side Of
the reformers and put in two more ohjec-
tions. The bill would prevent suit against
the railway company after the lapse OF
two yeaIs. "Why," he said, " it took
NE two or three years to find out how my
company was injured by another, and
assure you don't propose to let the thing
DROP Secondly, the bill provided no
remedy for the great evil. Damages We're
no remedy. A company would often pay
damages rather than do what the public
good required. ia company did not move
freight except for its own chosen friends
it must be compelled by mandamus Of
court t. move it and bo Punished for dii
obedience. Drawing paper from lis
pocket, he said it was a bill which he had
prepared to be offered a.; substitute fo.
the Hulings measure. 1t covered the
points tiit he was making in his speech.
He read i. and then continued his address.
Tie Reading company, ho said, had suf-
f>r,d gross injustice by another company's
uyj just Discrimination. Ii legislators had
properly cared for tn: two great staples Of
Peunsylvauia-oil and coal-this would
have placed her Oh 4 pinnacle of greatness
that could not be reached by any CtLcr
state The greatest railroad OF the state
ha closed its doors against transportation
OF these great staples, except to {: few
favored friends. or the twenty two mil
lion barrels CT crude petroleum exported
l., rol1 laa hrf hn SforI
ard oil Company except tho two millions.
This the l'idawater pipe liue got. This
monopoly would not exist but for the
fostering of the Standard company by
railroads of this state and one or two ic
New York.
An Attack on the Standard.
The Standard company was continuing
by unj just discrimination to wulk against
tho TIdewater company. The latter com
pany required the use Of other railroads
besides its own, the Reading, to transport
Its products from the reiineres. To show
how it was treated when it applied for
transportation NJ. Gowen read letters to
the Chester Gil refining company fron,
Agent Wils2E, of the Philadelphia, Will
mington aud Baltimore railroad, one of
the lines Controlled by the Pennsylvania
were Informed that it would be charged
so cents :, barrel for oil from .Thurlow, :.
short distance below Chester, to Washing
tor, 125 miles, while Mr.. Gowcn said not
more than that Was charged fer the $50
miles from Pittsburgh To Washington, by
way OF Harrisburg aud Baltimore. Au-
other letter from Mr.. Wilson tod the COM
pauy that the railroad would carry oil
from Thurlow TO LGck Haven for 23 cents
per hundred pounds, but would not allow
empty cars to be brought Tor tic oil
VINO Owus the State.
"The cars" said Mr.. Gowen, exciting
laughter, "must be brought On wheel
barrow or on canal boat or in a balloon.
Now, if saw my friend, the attorney gen.
eral Of Ibis commonwealth, l would like to
show him these letters -
The laugh caused by this quickly
stepped whcn the speaker, firing up and
10 'ling like & lion ready TO spring, added:
Il: | wcIe attorney general and saw
these letters L d see who owned this COM
mon wealth."
Stamping of feet and clapp;ng Of hands
among Democrats and Republicans were
excited by this declaration.
The Standard Oil Company" the |
speaker almost Kissed, CLOCKS on all this |
like vulture on tho battle field wait
ing Tor corpse. If tho Standard people |
succeed in cripp!ing its little stru gilng
rival, it will take two years before any
other competing line can reach the coun-
try and meanwhile the Standard company |
will grind out of the people an additional
two hundred millions of dollars. Give me
this bill and won't need the aid of the
general Of the commonwealth.
[ [Applauso.] A man named Patterson iu