The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1883-10-26

the idea Of riding into Office (os Of being
retained in Olfiecl By means Of this hob
by-raiiroad Supervision. Notably Is the
unealled for, Sly, wishy- washy eommun-
icaiion Of Seuator J.. Y. George upon rail- \
road supervision.
Viewing this question in its cil II, social
and economic point OF view, rle writer
can see no just grounds or political Wis
dom for legislative isterference in the
business management of railroads and
other incorporated enterprises in uissis-
sippi.
An incorporation is a compact between
the State aud an individual, or individu-
ais. A chartered corporation has the
same rights--eiyil, social and economic
that an individual has. An act of the
legislature imposing burdens or restric-
tions npOn the business of corporations.
which are not imposed upon individuals
in the same line OF business, is unccnstitu-
tlonal aud void. A corporation is vested
by the policy Of the law " tn rights and
capacities Of acting in most respects as an
individual.
Private corporations, such as canals,
bridges, turnpikes, insurance companies,
telegraph and railroad corporations are as
independent of State supervision as are
private citizens. The State has no more
right--oivil, political or legal--to inter
fese with the business, policy, finance and
economy Of milroad, or other private
corporation, than she has to Interfere
with the business OF private citizen.
For If the State may say, authoritatively,
TO a railroad corporation, or to any other
Incorporated company: you shall charge
only three cents per mile for transporting
passengers, then she may say TO farmers:
you may charge only fifty cents por bushel
for your surplus corn, aud ten cents per
pound far your cotton. The regulation,
by law, of the use of railroad property, Is
as impolttic, as unjust, aud as impossible,
IN its legal results, as the regulation of
the use of any other private property in
lhe hands Of the citizen. When the State
Undertakes to fix the maximum rates of
railroad transportation or railroad tariffs,
or to control railroads in their economic
aud financial business Intercourse with
the public, she may as well aud us reason
ably apply her restrictions aud control To
all carriefs-such as steambnats aud other
watcr-crafts, stages, hacks, and to all
other means of transportation of freight
aud passengers. III the State may say to
railroad; you may charge only three
cents per mile for carrying passengers,
then she may say to the haekmaa Won
shall only charge five cents per mile and
she may Tx with equal propriety the
Charge of telegraphic companies, insur-
ance companies, and all other chartered
institutions. Nay, more: If the State
may fix the limits of railroad tariffs and
supervise railroad economy, she may, with
equal proprlety, reason and justice, fix
tue legal rents OF houses and lands, fix tho
price of bread aud meat, town lots ear.
pcntcrs charges, lawyers fees, doctors
bills, and saloon and restaurant charges.
She may say To the saloon keeper. iou
may retail liquor ut certain locality IL
you will pay Into the State treasury 4 90
or $1,000, as the board of superv isors may
require, but you shall not charge but FIRE
cents for drinks, aud drinks must be well
mired up ut that. Ii this is not so, why
not Will some railroad supervisor ex-
plainf Ii Is not true, as contended BY
railroad supervisors, that "a railroad is 4
common highway" et ergo, subject to leg.
islative supervision. Ii railroad could
be considered and treated ns a common
highway there might be some grounds for
the argdment. But the fact is as every
sensible man must see, that railroad Is
not pablo highway. Ifit were a public
highway it would be under control OF the
public-the State Public highways are
necessarily laid out by public authority,
and repaired and kept mp at the pu bic
expense by direction of law. A railroad
Is private property, built or constructed by
private individuals, with private means
and money, aud repaired aud kept in or
der by private individuals In their corpor-
ate capa sity. Financially and econom.
cally the public has no lot or part IN the
road. From an economic point of view,
the doctrine that legislatures may linn;
the profits on capital or skill, amounts to
the right of the State to tax capital al.
ready tared, aud to tax skill and enter
prise. Under such system of political
economy capitalists will fail to embark ~
untried and uncertain enterprises when
such enterprises are subject to state super
rision, to be manipulated by political dem.
agogues who prey upon the prejudices
aud often upon the ignorance of the
masses.
II is the true policy Of ths State to pur-
sue such system of legislation as will
discourage everything like prejudice and
opposition between capital aud iabor--be-
tween monied corporations aud the body
politic--bctween railroads and all other
transportation companies and the people,
Many persons who have only an outside
view of the business and general manage
ment Of railroads are too apt TO conclude
that their profits are enormously large.
when the truth Of the matter Is that very
often the reverse OF this Is true. The his
tory Of railroads in all countries shows
that the projectors and builders of rail.
roads--those who have the brains 10 pro-
iect and who contribute tho eapiial-sel-
dom make fortunes. This fact is more
notable in the history of railruadc in the
Southern States OF the Union than In the
Northern States and In Europe. Social
lists and denagogues are habitually pour
ing ont visls OF wrath upon the heads Of
owners and managers Of railroads. This
is senseless, uncalled for and unpatriotic.
Say what you will of Jay Gould aud Van.
derblt, and Tom Scott and Marshall
Field, aud Willard aud all such men, who
have the intellectual capacity, tho ener-
gy, the money and the nerpe to project
great national results aud TO risk their for.
tunes In great and some Of them now aud
untried enterprises but what would
these United States have been to day as
q nation but for such menf
Capital aud labor must go hand In hand
In juxta position upon the great
highway of civil, social aud political pro-
giess. The Que can never ong survive the
other, They are twin stars In the gal
axy of nations grandeur, and Of her
greatest glory, and they diverge only OF
the national finale. Our great railroads
may be likened to national or intermun-
dine Raiabo,rs; Of great promise. They
now span our continent FROM the Atlantic
TO the Pacific. ocean, aud from the north
cru lakes to the Gulf Of Mexico. Who
have most notably Contributed to this
great ocomplishment--thi grand result
| aIwer, the Jay Gonlds, the Tom Scotts.
the vanderbIts, the Marshall Fields, the
Al