Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1885-05-07
Ube lat,faster 1ntelligei,fer.
LANCASTER. MAY Z, 1885.
When His Ok is GOred.

sf NAIs hOptIIS, Picoiuoie VI Vnc lciihoyr
vania railroad, who took occasion to COM
plain 80 bitterly, before the legislature, of
that clause in the pending railroad bill
which requires all railroads to permit the |
connection with them of other railroads, is |
evidently of very different mind on the |
question when his own railroad wants to |
connect with or cross some other road.
Manifestly Mr.. Roberts regards the Penn
sylvania railroad with the like veneration
In which it is held by Drumore Brosius,
member of the legislature who would not
hurt it, whoever else may get hurt. Mr..
Roberts and Mr.. Brosius regard the Penn
Hylvania railroad as one that can do no
wrong and that can ask nothing that il
should not get.
Mr.. Roberts has some excuse for this
feeling since he is supposed to run the road,
and can perhaps not be expected to think
that he is ever wrong or unreasonable.
I And now that he is penetrating the Schuyl-
& kill valley with a branch road, which seeks
to cross and recross the Reading railroad
! that occupied the narrow places of that
valley long before it, Mr.. Roberts may
perhaps be persuaded with great difficulty
or perhaps not at all, that he is not acting
consistently with his declarations before
the legislature against the Nervousness
of such doings.
The fact is it is not easy to keep pace
with the mental workings of a railroad
official and the Pennsylvania people have
lately demonstrated in a signal way the va
garies of their understandings. And it was
the directors too who did it. In solemn
meeting, after long consideration, they is
sued to the public declaration that they
would not enter into n anthracite
/ coal combination, because it was wrong in
railroads to combine together to control
the natural laws of trade, or words to that
effect and they did not. But few days
afterwards they entered into combination
with the Baltimore Il Ohio railroad com
pany to maintain the price of bituminou:
coal and divide between them the territory
to be supplied.
To the ordinary comprehension theii
seemed to be contradiction here
To the Pennsylvania railroad official under
standing there was nothing of the kind. II
was all reconciled to them as true and beau
tiful and good, because it was good fo
their road. In like manner the world il
general has conceived the idea that tn,
Russian government has not been truthful
to it and the Britishers, and that Komarof
lied like good fellow. But to the Rus
sian official understanding everything ha
been done in a straightforward way AM
Z At.ov,h haty oh To oil "a,
territory they could and all has been don,
for Russia's good. That made it all right
The Pennsylvania railroad, however, ha
not the same following as the Russian gov
ernment, because it is not a government
yet, nor is it all powerful in the governing
legislature as it used to be. 1t is a yer,
fine road, and we are all as proud o
it as Brosius of Drumore. 1t probably doe
not impose on us any more than any othe
company would, with like opportunity
But as its opportunity is great, we feel it
oppression more and it behooyes us to lie
1t know that its conduct must be qualifie'
by aregard for the general interest. Tha
it must not, for instance, carry grain iron
the West to the Eastern market at lowe
charges for the same service than it make
to Pennsylvania farmers for their grain
That it must not carry Pennsylvani;
minerals to the seaboard for shipmen
to foreign points at less charge than i
makes for the same service in carrying Goa
for consumption in Penns sylvania. That il
fact it must act, as it is bound to do unde
the common law of England, established
centuries ago, and do its duty as a com
mon carrier upon equal terms to all it
customers. This must be taught to tn,
railroad conscience.