Frostburg mining journal., 1883-03-10
WHOLE NUMBER, 500.
Railroads vs. the People.

Ex.Judgs Jeremiah s. Black, in
his speech before the Judiciary COM
mittee Of the Pennsylvania Senate,
Wednesday evening, on Senator Cor
don's snti-dbcrimination bill, did not
hesitate to declare that there is an
irrepressible conflict between rail-
roads and their adhsrents on the one
eide, and the rights Of the people to
the use Of their own public highways
on the other" A perfect victory, he
said, must come before the conflict
ends. While he believed the Gordon
bill needed modification, he expressed
himself rs strongly in favor Of a bill
of the general character proposed,
and would have for its object the
seventeenth article of the State con-
s,itution. 1t had been argued that
some of the railroads, having been
chartered with certain ptiyileges,
could make rates to suit themselves,
but Judge Black holds that railroad
charter without reasonable limit to
charges is void. "To say the State
cannot save the people from extortion
and fraud is to utter preposterous
absurdity. By the right OF eminent
domain the State always has the
power to abate monopoly. You
can regulate railroads just as you can
ack-drivers. Mr.. Gowen says that
the railroads have great power with
the courts. l don't know how that
is, but really they are weak aud pow.
erless in any issue that brings them
before the people. For every mil
lionaire they have made thousand
paupers; for every man they've done
a favor to tt iey've cheated ten thous-
and, and these are the things that
are to be remembered in a popular
issue. There's nothing in the Lords
Prayer more correct than the seven
tesnth article of the constitution.
Referring to the influence Of free
tickets, Judge Black said that while
he did not believe that any member
"of this Legislature" could be influence
ed improperly by free ticket, these
tickets may be worth to legislators
who ars men of business from 500 to
$500 year. "Would there be any
difference in principle" Judge Black
asked, "if the railroads should dis
tribute an equivalent in cash among
the members Of the Legislature p He
advised the committee to extend the
prohibition with regard to the accept
ance Of free passes to the Judiciary,
to judges of the Supreme Court.
Judge Black referred to the town of
York, Pa, where 100000 tons of coal
are consumed every year, as an illus
tration Of the workings Of unjust dis
elimination. In consequence Of the
freight consumed at York the con-
sumers, he said, 'pay one dollar more
than the coal is sold for in Baltimore.
1t ought to be one dollar the other
way, 60 that makes the actual dis.
elimination two dollars par ton, or
100000 a year at that one town !;
and this is not to keep up the rail-
road companies, but to swell the CO.
lossal fortunes of the directors. l
believe that it's worse in Philadcl-
phia. ! believe that the Reading
Railroad blackmails the Poverty and
Z the wealth alike of the city of Phila-
delrhia to an extent that is appalling.
l can't give you the figures, but I
7 trust that Mr.. Gowen will be calle
upon to do so. The only way to
stop these outrages upon the public
! is by prohibition, with penalty.
8 Mr.. Gowen and Mr.. Roberts don't
) want to go to the penetentiary, and
3 they'll never go there. Pass bill
like Gordon'a, and the next morning
: every railroad man in the country
Q will wake up just as Eonest man
? and as good Christian as you or I.