St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-12-18

ern Iowa and Western Wisconsin. Salts
factory compensation to proper parties.
Applications must be sent in at once.
RAILWAY MMISSIONERS.
The recent convention of railway COM
!nissioners. held at Des Moines. was marked
by two notable features. One was the ex-
preston of a preference for the CuLLoM
bill over the REAGAN measure, and the
other was the enthusiastic applause given to
a paper which was read before the cOnVen-
ton defending the system of railway pool
ing 1t is a little remarkable. to say the
least of it, that such wonderful harmony
should prevail among the railway commits
sioners of the several Western states and
the managers of the several railway lines
respecting two of the most important mat
tiers in controversy between the railways.
and that the railway commissioners should
prefer that feature of the CULLOM bill
which provides for a commission is readily
understood. The commissioners are stuck
on themselves. 1t is expecting too much OF
human nature to suppose that man who
holds an office with a salary attached of
from three to five thousand dollars year
is going to convince himself that the Office
is a bad thing. AS long as there is a good
living in it and there is prospect that he
can hold on to the Office, it may be set
down to a dead certainty that he is going to
be impressed with an earnest belief that
the public welfare demands the retention of
the Office. 1t is only losing time to stop to
argue a prOpOS ton of this character with
an officehoider Therefore it need not be
a matter of so much surprise that the rail
way commissioners of the several Western
states in convention assembled, should de-
clare in favor Of bill which retained that
feature over a bill which did not recog
niZe it.
But the same weakness Of human pride
and SelfisnueSS does not arise as an element
of defense of the railway commissioners in
respect to their action on the question of
railway pooling. In their opposition to ali
legislation designed to control railway
transportation. the champions of railway
interests have uniformly resorted to the
plausible argument that the commerce
which is governed the least is governed the
best In dealing with all questions arising
in the operations of commerce the spirit of
American institutions seeks to grant the
largest freedom consistent with the general
safety. Therefore, whenever the argu-
ment had been presented that the in
CAPABILITIES in the practical working of the
railways could be most successfully regu-
lated by the influence OF the laws of trade,
especially the corrective influence of COM
In 10 no
cOncede the justice of the argument and to
yield to its force Thus it has almost
become automatic in American rail-
way jurisprudence that competition is
the life of trade and the surest
regulator of railway Irregularities.
Now the people who have just settled
down to a comfortable conviction in this
belief are startled from their imaginary Sc
curity by demonstration from their own
Amounted railway regulating officials in
favor of destroying railway competition.
The destruction of competition is the OBJ
ject of the pooling policy. 1t may be
CLOSED over with all the deception that
sOphistry can give it, yet the existing sys-
tenn Of railway pooling is nothing more or
less than desire to rid the railway system
Of its competing feature. Of what value is
it to people to have two or more parallel
lines running between the same points
when those lines enter an agreement
among themselves to suspend competition
by uniting the traffic in one common pool,
from which the business. or its proceeds, is
divided among the companies in fixed per-
centages? Looking at it from a railway
standpoint exclusively, the pooling system
can readily be defended on the ground that
it secures to the railway companies the GER
tainty of good profits. But looking at it
from the standpoint occupied by the public
and viewing 1t in the light of the general
welfare, it is impossible TO conceive of
single argument that can be adduced in its
defense. 1t is all the more singular. then.
that the railway commissioners, who are
supposed to be acting in the capacity of
public agents. should be SO dem0nstrative
in their appreciation of a policy that is so
destructive to the public interests. 1t is
noteworthy fact, however, that while,
as a collective body, the convention
of railway commissioners manifested
such warm enthusiasm in behalf of
the pooling system, the individual men,
bers took good care not to place them
selves on the record as in favor of it.
When the matter came before it for final
action. the whole subject was laid On the
table, the convention adjourned, and the
members hurried home to make themselves
solid with their constituency for another
term Of Office.