Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1888-12-14
Our Geveraors.

Tho suit with which Wiedon & Sons,
Clearne,d coal operators, threa en- the
Hsnnsylvania railroad maybe brought and
msy not and II brought may or may not
10 pressed to Judgment. 1t is business
matter with them, and IL the Pennsyl-
vAniA railroad company satisfies them,
tAey will not bring 1t into court. That
opoy have good causeof complaintagainst
q 4 beyond question. Their only trou-
be will be to prove it. That the railroad
company had had, and probably still has,
favored shippers In the coal region, every
one knows who knows anything Of the
business. The Berwind White COM
p,ny, In whose profits Al. Cassatt was
exposed, years ago as having big In.
terest, are the chief Of these shippers;
and their business has grown as that of
other operators has shrunk away. The
tendency Of bituminons coal mining
In the ClesrAeld region has been to con
oentratlon into few hands, because Of the
system Of railroad favor in freight rates
and car supply. 1t seemed, year or two
ago, that this favoritism was to be broken
up BY anti.discrimination laws and by
the advent into the Clearfeld esion OF q
new carrier, the Beech Creek railroad
company. But the two railroads seem to
have made an alliance and the state
legislature refused to prescribe punish.
ment for railroad discrimination; SO that
the old abuses flourish still. Coal is
shipped TO tide water at Philadelphia for
. great deal less than 1t is supplied
to Philadelphia consumers. The local
tradein Pennsylvania is taxed by Penn
sylvania railroads in excessive charges for
furnishipg 1t Pennsylvania coal !; and the
trade of districts outside OF the state
stimulated by the supply Of cheap Penn.
sylvania coal.
II we had Pennsylvania governor
and legislature, who were honest ser
wants Of the people, these things would
not be thus; and they always will be
while such poor tools as Beaver Sre made
governors, and the legislature is selected
by corporation agents. Everyone knows
that Beaver is not of the fair stature Of
. governor; and II he had not been of the
stuff that tools are made of he would not
have been governor. A Pennss lvania
governor 10 not often commanding
figure and there is not one among the
men named to take the Republican
nomination for the next gubernatoriat
term who may not be relied upon to pro.
tect and defend the influences that have
% long and steadily held the state under
their hoof.
The people may not generally realz
that the Democratic candidate for gov-:
enor at the last election was defeated be
oause Of the railroad and corporation in
B 6uences solidly arrayed against him. Ths
thleves knew there would be trouble if ar
honest man became governor. The son
Of Jeremiah Black was not made of the
material that suited them In a governor.
Mature and education would have made
Chauncey +. Black governor for the
people and not for the railroads, and they
( rejected him. Plain as was the exhibition
Of this influence, the people Of the stat,
do rot understand to-day that 1t was hi
expected devotion to their interests thai
defeated him. Republican partisans voted
against him, however much they hated
: Republican domination; and the "aoat-
e9s" were driven along with them.
And so 1t has come to pass that the
Democratic councils Of the state are
brought to consider whether they can
longer afford to aptsgonize these great
!. interests that control elections TO suit
them, by their money and the influence
they exercise through their many subor-
dinates and great rami6cations and this
will be the question to be met next year.
Shall it be patriot against tool, or tool
against tool 7 II the people want a
saving chance, IL behoves them somehow
70 show that patriotism will win their
votes; or practical politics will discard it.
rhaso RAD Ranro0Hara