The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1884-04-23

Train WEsekin
f1nhappily lie belief has obtained snai
y recent nftemps % wreck page
rain On the Illinois Central near D1sA Al
4iIl. Vas made By the interruptions lools
& those superyisionistA whose anger D. "a
,es'n worked no TO an unnatural pitch py pi
he cool headed policy q the ralirosas ~ SIC
lheir fight against the railroad commission !,
rbis opinion was FIRST expressed m the %
mccall dispatches 70 several leading Jour a.
nals ANNOUNCING the catastrophe. We SIM M
ceTely hone. and indeed are gate sure that
tbis stigma on the reputation OF the super Al
vision people Is aslander.-AeT dissIssip- m
plan. OF
If there be man in the State who Il
honestly believes that the effort to wreck fC
passenger or freight train on the Hi n
nois Central or any other railroad was 0
the act of those who believe in the prin-
ciple and expediency of railroad super {
vision, he ought to be bored for the sim v
ples. Our neighbor on this side OF the I
street disclaims; but it seems to US that l
he gives undue prominence to SANDER :
which has so little foundation, when he
makes it the basis Of leading editorial.
We do not believe that a charge so
wicked and so groundless will be in
dorsed by sensible men, and it is hardly
to be thought that our esteemed cotem-
porary published it for the benefit OF
fools. On the whole, we conclude that
it ought not to have been published.
In this connection, we are reminded |
that the utterances of many of the anti
supervisionists in the public prints and |
in the halls of legislation have been put
forth with an air of superior virtue and
knowledge that would have been anus
ing had it not been contemplate. In
their view what was said for the rail-
roads was unanswerable; what was said
, !, for the people was not worth answering;
what was done for the railroads was pro-
. gressive; what was done for the people
was unconstitutional.
= Whether the policy of the railroads
: "in their fight against the Railroad CON-
: mission" cool-headed though it be, is
backed by the best judgment, is ques-
ton to be solved by future events. On
the part of the railroads, it may be said
20 that no good citizen should wish to i'm
10 pede them in the entertainment OF their
: rights through the medium of proper
! judicial tribunals. On the part of the
u people, it may be said that when the
Legislature has gone to the admitted
constitutional limit of its power to op
of press railroads, and then undertakes Il
overstep that limit, it will be TIM
enough for the railroads to seek the pro
10 lection of the courts. In other words
no If the legislation of the State touching
he railroads had heretofore been oppressiv
.o- to the full extent of constitutional wal
-, rant, no one could now blame the railroad
hit for praying the courts to protect tier
I'd. from further oppression. Is this the cas-
ty. which the railroads were called on
i'd consider? We say not. They had nc
,gs been oppressed by the State. The const
he tutional limits within which oppressiv
at laws could have been enacted, eve
in under their construction of that instr
or ment. had not before been reached.
an. the mere matter of taxation they ha
sly been favored more than the poorest cit
me zen. They were in fact benefciaries
gia the State. Under such circumstance
age they must have reasoned before flil
.
on the injunction bills, about like thi
is ave are under many obligations to Il
md State for past favors The Legislatu
has always had the power to enact la'
within constitutional limits which Won
pm have destroyed US, but has never ext
uld cised that lower. The supervision Ia
dis has not injured us, and may not, but
ere is unconstitutional, and without waltz
s, q to see whether it will do us harm or II
One we will have it declared to be uncons
'ald tutional, imperative and void" II
axe may be "cool- headed it certainly
ea" cold-blooded policy, but is it sensil
40 policy? That's the question. We "
lred await developments with lively int
and est, declaring now that in the fight viii
he is to decide whether corporations are
oted control the people or be controlled
d 80 them, we will be found on the Peep
ans. side.