The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1886-01-29
The EvILOF MONOPOLY.
! Governor PATHS on speaks TO the Farm
ers on Railroad Discrimination.


said
+ DiscI limitation benefits the few at
the expense of the many II enriches
organized capital and large producers TO
the impoveTishment of private capital
aud small producers it fosters coTpOT-
ate speculation 10 the destruction OF
individual enterprise it builds up great
fortunes in a few ard reduces to the
ranks of dependent labOrers masses Of
men that would otherwise enjoy the
fruits of their industry in enterprises of
their own. One need not travel outside
4 of Pennsylvania to fiud illustrations for
/ all these evils. Pennsylvania has been
an especial sufferer from all these inju-
/ ries. Railroad discrimination built up
i and established the Standard Oil mo.
Z nopoly, by which a source of natural
wealth, illimitable aud marvellous, was
entirely detected from our State
. Thousands of citizens were bankrupted
and individual enterprise was driven
( from the oil regions. But for discr;mi
nation the Standard Oil Company would
not be in existence to-day. We shall
estimate the widespread evil this single
/ creature of discrimination has caused.
Not alone has it taken tho oil industry
from Pennsylvania and private enter
prise, but it has taxed the consumers
of the country for its benefit, has de
b8uched legislatures, has corrupted the
/ avenues OF justice, has mocked the law,
and is stretching out its arms in every
direction to mOnOpolIze other sources of
wealth and means of supply. Discrim-
inatiOn has made Philadelphia, once the
grst commercial city of the Union aid
still with the highest manufacturing re-
sources, little more than mere annex
to New York. Those great beds or an
thIicite coal which seem to have been
reserved to make Philadelphia one of
the chief industrial and manufacturing
marts of the world, have, through dis
elimination, been made to burden her
citizens and retard her development.
Discrimination has built up here and
there throughout the State and country,
along the lines of railroads, popuIouS
towns that are the seats of enormous
iIOn, steel and other works, that have
enriched their owners and interested
railroad officials, but have peopled those
ciGes with mass of dependent iaborers
who live from hand to mouth, who are
thrown out OF work at the VIII of their
employers and who can hope for moth
ing but the meTest necessaTies Of life in
their existing social condition. Rail-
road discrimination has given the New
Republic line of princely railroad ma
Oobs and lords of the soil with fortune
that uutTank royalty and domains of vir-
gin soil that exceed in area a German
State. But it has given US, too, in little
more than generation, mass of rest
less, discUnteuted labOreTs, often eating
the bread OF iGleuess and cIamoring for
concessions from few great employers.
1t has reduced the number of owners of
farms until it is million less than the
tenant farmers, and everywhere It has
tended TO centraliZe wealth and increase
the ranks of dependent labor. Il NAV
be said that many OF these evils resulted
from other causes than discrimination
and That it alone should not be charged
with faults that are the outgrowth of
many causes. This, however, is taking
but superficial view of the subject.
My position is that had railro.d corpo-
rations acted as the just public trustees.
which in law they are, and not as pri-
/ vate business enterprises managed hv
! selfish speculatOrs-had they used their
| franchises fairly, justly and impartialIy
/ had they confined themselves TO their
! duties as common carriers-had they
! obeyed the laws and not corrupted
| legislatures, judges snd Executives to
! enable them TO defy the Iaws-the
/ greater part of the evils that | have
enumerated would not now exist.
/ Is Is unnecessary, however, at this
| day to prove that discrimination is an
/ evil That it is is admitted by everyone
/ but those who profit oy it. The oues-
| tlon is as to what is the proper remedy.
I TIE number of those who defend or
/ excuse it is so small as to be un nworthy
of consideration. The times are ripe
/ for redress and correction. But what
! will work the redress-what will cor
! rect the evil There are those who saw
| that the true remedy is more railroads
| Competition, they say, will put a stop TO
monopoly +; therefore give US more rail-
| roads. This argument, applied to rail.
/ road injustice, has recently in this State
| been put to a severe test. In the none
that by the application OF this doctrine
1 Pennsylvania might get some relief
/ from the monopoly of her great trunk
! line and its combined injustice, I was
/ induced in 1883 to sign the bills which
/ made possible the construction of the
/ South Pennsylvania railroad. which il
/ was said would give our citizens another
/ Western and seaboaTd outlet. A mar.
I tIal result Of the experiment is known to
| the world to-day. The people of our
| southern tier of counties particularly
! have learned a bitter dIssappointment.
! the hollowness of the promises of organ
| lied capital to redress the wrongs of
| another organized capital. The South
! Pennsylvania railroad is to-day claimed
| as the property of the corporation of
which it was projected 20 be rival
! Against law and justice, in the face of
plighted faith and popular protest. an
effort was made to sell it out in order
to strengthen and establish the povUar
for evil of the vast cOrDOration tb,t l. II
so far proved itself stronger than the
! courts or the Executive, Constitutions
or the people. 1t will soon be ascer-
tanned whether its lawless Supremacy ia
to be perpetual. The opinions of the
Dauphin County Court recently fled in
the railroad cases are full of ENCOURAGE
ment to the people if they do but an
preciate them.
am convinced, after long reflection.
that there is only one sure remedy for
the people Of Pennsylvania, and that is
to enforce the laws of the State bv penaI
statutes. It must be made a crime
punishable by the Imprisonment for
railroad officials to break the law. Since
all other efforts have failed l am now
for trying the efficacy of the prison law.
There is no trouble at all about the
laws so far as they declare the duties of
the people and the railroads. The seven
teenth article Of the Constitution needs
no addition or amendment. 1t is suffi-
cient in all its parts to correct eyery
evil of railroads from which the people
now suffer, II it be enforced. 1t is lust.
true, lawful. 1t is legally and equitably
sound in every member. 1t simply
needs honest legislators to pass the laws
to enforce 1t, and pure judges to inter
Dret th09a Laws Tat tha novt 7 ao;.I,