Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1885-08-22
0be lnnfastfr Jnttlligenfer.
LANCASTER. AUGUST q. 1855.
The Protesting People.

The protest against the consolidation of |
the competing railroads Of Pennsylvania
under the control Of the Pennsylvania rail-
road, may not be left wholly to the Demo-
cratic party, which up to the present has
stood alone in denunciation Of the policy
and in an effort to secure the legislation
needed to prevent and punish the
violation Of the constitutional man.
date against the consolidation of COM
peting railroad lines. The Republican
legislature refused this legislation, and
the Republican state convention de-
clined to demand It.. This was but lately
done; but since the Republican convention
thought that it could afford to stand by the
Republican legislature in splitting upon the
constitution, there has been a commotiOn
in public sentiment which might control
the convention if it was now sitting.
There is nothing like good hot tempest of
public indignation to move the politicians
soul.
AS matters now stand the Republican
party in this state approves and the Demo
cratic party denounces the attempted rail-
road mergers. But in the localities pene-
trated by the new railroads the denunciatior
is general and regardless of party. So
among the independent thinking Republi
cans of the state, the opinion is held that {
great wrong is done in the attempted viola
tion of the constitution. Judge Agnew
who is an uncompromising Republican
but an honest man as well, and an ex
FOUNDER of the law, declares himself Opposes
to the design of the Pennsylvania railroad
of which he is a stockholder, to mono
police the carrying business of the state
General Beaver, the last Republican car
didate for governor, has just addressed
public meeting at Bellefonte in oppositio
DO the deal.
That meeting, as well as other meeting
that have been held in the centre Of I'll
state, called upon the governor and alto
ney general to interpose the arm of the stat
against the attempt to bring under one col
troll railroads that were chartered and bui
and secured their rights of way upon IL
ground that they would, be competir
roads.
Th.,gayernor and s.;torney cencra' IA
DuT lately been as swift as the wind to il
terpose the constitution against the law {
the legislature giving to the employees {
the state money it forbade them to receive
The governor and attorney general stoppe
this game, with the constitution alone
stand upon.
If the governor and the attorney generi
fail to bar with the arm Of the state I'll
attempted consolidation of its railroad
the question will be, Why do they not d
this?
The constitution is plain. No one di
putes its prohibition. The only question
as to the way to make it effective. An
this is for the attorney general to dete
mine and to apply. He cannot say he doe
not know how. Else he would need to I,
sign his Office to one who knows. E'
Chief Justice Agnew is confident that
can be done, and his logic appears to b
sound. At any rate, it is sound enough t
sustain the attorney Of the state in bring
ing the matter before its supreme tribunal
And we say to the governor and to tn
attorney general, what the people say, tina
this must be done. We have no doub
that it will be done as soon as the evidenc
is obtained that the proposed violation o
the constitution will be persisted in.
That it will be is not certain. 1t is clea
enough that the men who engineered
wish now they had let it alone. The donkey
in the Pennsylvania railroad manage
ment, who insisted upon its undertaking
the silly dicker, against which its wises
counsellors advised it, cannot but know
that they have made mistake. The.
are bull-headed and arbitrary il
time Of peace, but great towards in TIM
of war. They are certain to surrende
before popular fury, when it gets respecta
bly, hot as it is going to get shortly il
this matter. They will run, as they have
run before and the sooner they begin, th,
greater the sense they will show.
1t is just about as sure as anything car
be that the people of Pennsylvania intend
that the provisions of the constitution
against the consolidation of competing
railroads shall be effective, and that il
shall be beaten by no subterfuge and
defied by no creature; of which all wise
men will take notice.