The Washington critic., 1886-12-21
WASHINGTON, DECEMBER 81, 1886.
WHAT THE TRAFFIC WILL BEAR.

WHAT THE TRAFFIC WILL BEAR.
The struggle between the public and
Its transportation servants-the railroad
corporations-has narrowed down to
the question whether the Senate will
vote to control those corporations or
be controlled by them. The decision
of this question is soon to be made.
The report of the conference commit
tee on the Reagan. Cullom bill to regu.
late interstate commerce cannot be
lodged or amended. 1t must be
squarely voted upon--aye or no. 1t is
not an attempt to regulate freights and
fares, but merely bill of rights for
the people, by which the railroad
tyrOnnies of 10 day are to be stopped.
1t is TO be law for the government of
that power which has become more
powerful than the law by which it Il
allowed to exist,
Europe who could save his crown
thirty days after the imposition of such
burdens upon the people as our rail.
road masters lay upon the shoulders Of
the American people, The corpora
tions which live only by the breath of
life breathcd into their nostrils by
State legislatures, have been allowed to
hold every iron highway in the land
and to demand whatever tolls over
them their rapOci,y may demand and
helpless travellers and shippers will
pay.
We are entitled to "what the traffic
will bear" says Mr.. Albert Fink, their
great pool manipulation.
"The traffic will bear" whatever
rates producers will pay, rather than
be deprived of the use of the roads.
So slavery only exacted from slaves
as much as they could bear, and gave
them as little in return as would sus-
tain life and laboring strength,
Iighwaymen are equally polite.
They do not rob all travellers, but
leave the road safe enough to encour-
age their use. They take only what
they think "the traffic will bear"
Railwaymen will compete with each
ether sometimes, over long routes like
that between Chicago and New York.
That is when pooling conspiracies are
broken by the poolers. But people
who live in towns connected with the
market by only one railroad pay two
and three times as much for freight
and passage as those who live farther
off. a New York legislative commit.
tee developed the fact that the flour
millers at Rochester, N. Y, paid the
New York Central r. ilrOad Company
mo &c per barrel for freight to New
York City than it cost the millers of
st. Paul and Minneapolis to carry their
flour through the Rochester depot to
the same destination.
The railway managers will work
hard to beg and buy the Senate not to
interfere with their royal will. We
shall see who they control. Let the
people be once aroused, and their care.
less and over confident servants who
make merchandise of their power will
lie amazed to see how little Meir traffic
Will bear.
VARIOUS railway officials are having
goo deal to say just now about the
gross injustice contemplated by the
Interstate Commerce bill, of forcing
pro rata rates upon the railroad com
panies, or virtually compelling them to
sell at retail for wholesale prices. Some
of these officials say that their roads
will be ruined in consequence, and so
they might be seriously injured were
there any such provision in the pro-
posed law. The men who make this
outcry must do it either through igno-
rance or with deliberate purpose to de-
ceive the people and prejudice public
sentiment against the bill. What is the
section relating to the long and short
haul? Simply this:
THAT 1t shall be unlawful for any com
mon carrier, subject to the provisions of this
act, to charge or receive any greater com
pensatlon in the aggregate for the trans
property, under substantially similar cir.
eumstances and conditions, for a shorter
than longer distance over the same line IN
the same direction, the shorter being in
cluded within the longer distance; but this
shall not be construed as authorizing any
common carrier within the terms OF this ac
to charge and receive as great compensation
for shorter as for longer distance"
In other words, where the tariff pc
ton or carload for n certain distance i
800, it shall not be lawful for th
railroad company to charge any create
sum for fraction of that distance.
The divorce suit of Lady Colir
Campbell against her husband, Lor,
Colin Campbell, has ended mt last an.
the authorities will Mt once proceed t,
disinfect the courtroom. Whether tn
it.deserves a place among the ctRss
celeJres Of the day or not, it has Ger
tainly attained an Infamous celebrity
and not the least wonderful feature 0
it, is its termination in joint verde
Of acquittal. The case differs from tn
recent police investigation In Washing
ton in this respect; that whereas the lat
ter found all the parties to it guilty, tn
former acquits both plaintiff and dc
fendant and returns a verdict agalns
General Butler only, who was not o
trial. When justice gets up among th
Brit sh arlstocracy it seems to take tn
bandages off its eyes.
"IT IS FAIR to assume" says th
Natioaal RepuJlican, chat every frien
OF the Interstate Commerce bill shoul