Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1883-09-28

few shippers while others are excluded.
Concerning TIE observance OF pool agree
ments as sGtter of honor, and the liability
of their infringement. the Commissioner
replies that not much can be Thought OF
the honor of the railroad manager who Will
violate the agreement and take secret ad'
vantage of his competitors. Yet there are
come, he admits, mean enough to do this
very thing, or allow it to be done. 1t is
this class of men who cause the chief
trouble with the pooling arrangements.
These are the men who cause the most
trouble to companies that desire fair re-
turn for their services as carriers, and to
avoid Determinations that are unjust, and
favoritism by which few monopolize trade
and enrich themselves at the expense OF
the many. But the vast majority of man
ayers condemn these practices, and desire
to do business in an honorable manner.
Hence it is that they associate together
for protection against those who will not
stand to their honest obligations and
agreements. To remove the temptation
and motive for cheating, to discover and to
bring to light the offenders, and to
put stop to their Objectionable practices
the system of pooling and diverting freight
was devised. The results have been and
are to the best interests of the public, and
instead of discouraging the system, the
Courts should aid it and enforce the con-
tracts, the same as other contracts are en-
forced. They encroach on the rights of no
one, they are of benefit net alone to the
public, but to the companies, and they
should be recognized at law as wise and
economic. But, says the Commissioned
and here we quote in full cat present
the railroad companies have to battle with
these questions as best they can, without
the support of the law, and without even
the support of public opinion. They are
| blamed for unjust determinations, and
again, when they associate to stop the evils
complained of, they are blamed for COM
planning. This inconsistency arises from
the fact that the public is not sufficiently
informed to discriminate between combi-
nations which are made for the purpose OF
conducting the transportation business in a
proper and lawful manner and combina.
tions that are made for the purpose of ex-
tortion, the preconceived idea being that
all combinations between railroad compa.
MES are for the latter purpose. The fact
is that the usefulness of railroads to the
public can only be fully developed by COM
binations between the different railroad
companies" This intelligent discussion of
the subject, taken in connection with the
testimony given before the Senate CON-
mittee on Labor and Education the other
day on the same subject, must go far
toward cooling heated debates, which are
generally, when railroad rates and profits
are involved, unreasonable and marked by
strong prejudices. 1t will tend to bring
calmer thought to the consideration of
these questions, and must lead the reader
! to conclude that in the railroad ques-
tion there are matters worthy of consider
alton upon one side SIS we'll as the other,
and that reason and wisdom, rather than
passion and prejudice, must settle the
issue