Wichita eagle., 1888-12-26


peal OF certain provisions OF
the interstate act will tend to raise
the standard of morality in railway cir
cles." In other words, that the congress
of the United States in the enactment of
a constitutional law looking to general
regulation of commerce among the va
rious states of the union, has debauched
the railway management of the country.
| Does he desire to have people believe
that prior to this law that the various
Y. NJ. G. A. rooms of the country were
daily attended by the traffic managers,
and that since the law such is not the
case? Is congress to resolve itself into
an interstate evangelical body and wipe
out wholesome laws, to the end that con-
fessed violaters of law may continue
their same evil practices and clear their
guilty skirts by carrying pooling con-
tract in one pocket and repeal of the
interstate law in another?
Would repeal of the law for any
other crime raise the standard of NOR
atty?
Was not the interstate act enacted
to prevent certain wrongs which
in the mind of congress existed
prior to the law-and which We're evils,
per Sc, contrary to public policy-viola-
tion Of good morals, vicious in principle,
reprehensible in practice, and III the
teeth of fundamental principles that
have governed the common carrier"
from infancy of the common law-and
yet we are informed by the head of a
corporation that was conceived in fraud,
born in an atmosphere of corruption
and bribery, its history stain on our
national council, a corporation that has
| lived ali these years by eluding the acts
Of congress, and formed illegal CONSOLE
dations, that an act of congress declaring
that to be wrong by federal statute
which was an evil before, should be re-
pealed because the morals of its directors
command its servants to adhere to these
vicious practices.
These trusts and consultations mean
the centering of the railroads at New
York as the home office-aS all Kansas
roads are centering at Kansas City, Mo-
the end of consolidation means that all
railroads will finally be New York.
and be above and beyond the reach of
state legislatures. The interstate act,
and its amendments-the scalping Of
scalpers, the punishment of infractions
! OF the law severly-the addition of a
criminal jurisdiction, to that end, is the
| salvation of the west. That this law
needs amendment there is no doubt, but
! that in a republic, containing many SOW
ereignties, all within one greater sover-
eighty, the limits of both being defined,
there is just little doubt that the inter-
state act is demanded, because congress
is the only body having plenary powers
to control through commerce, demanded
because the states are powerless, to cor.
rect the evils, demanded because the
railroads are building UP centers, and
are Gripping and pulverizing the grow
ing towns OF the west to the end that no
trade center shall be created except at
the wish of the railroads.
The trade of Wichita, in fact every
probable wholesale or jobbing point in
the west would thrive, and double and
quadruple, if the present Interstate act"
was equitably administered throughout
the west, but we Of tina smaller points of
the west realize that it is to the interest
of the railroads to aggrandiZe present
railroad centres, hold down possible
future centres, and have as few distrlbut-
ing or pooling points as possible, and
narrow the limits of trade, confine 1t at
Kansas City, Mo-, or east. and at last,
after the water is squeezed out of all
heavily bonded railroads, form system
Of consultations" divide up and parti-
ton the entire country into railroad
empires, form a general treaty Of peace,
be rid of competition and war no more;
in which event all railroads in the west
will be operated from one common
centre.
The scheme of FINAL combination has
been the dream of every railway man
agement for years, and naught but
bonded debt and desire to get as much
property as possible has prevented the
contamination of this dream.
Lastly the interstate act has not caused
the wrecking Of roads, east or west, the
appointment of receivers, loss Of divi-
dendS, general depression in stocks or
the unhappy conflict that has in the last
year arisen amongst railroads. The
building of nonpaying lines, the absorp-
ton of crippled and insolvent lines and
requirement Of nonpaying lines, all over
the west, taken together with short crops
is the cause Of this railroad couflict.
The year 4. d. 1885 was the beginning
Of an uneXampled prosperity in the west
and the railroads shared the unbounded
enthusiasm that seemed to be caught up
in the air and spread like contagion
where ever a railroad bond could be
voted. All over Kansas a Traveller was
never ont of sight of the engineer corps,
the graders and the tracklayers. First
mortgage bonds $15, 900 per mile were
foated in the east, the shcrt crops came
the freight was light, no dividends
earned, fixed railway charges to be met
and the depression that squeezed the
entire west. squeezed the railroad and
the railroads are charging it up to the
Interstate act.
The remarks of Judge Cooley prove
that the violations of the law are greater
than anyone could anticipate, and that
the very obnoxious provisions of the law
are needed.
The law needs amendment The legis-
lature of Kansas should confer on our
railway commissioners power TO examine
and suggest amendments 10 our con-
greSsmen and senators, and if need be go
TO Washington, Also confer power on
the attorney general to receive COM
plants from all places unjustly discrin-
mated against and present the complaints
to interstate commissioners. The cost of
prosecuting these complaints taking
Lincoln, Nebraska, tor example) is such
that the state should assume the burden
of Fighting the wrongs of its people |
through its law offices and out of It's
treasury.
The state is powerless to enact any
law affecting through traffic. but it is
not powerless to- aid its citizens to OBJ /
tain redress by giving them the assist
ance of It's attorney general in the pre-
ferring of complaints and presentation |
of them for hearing. KANSAS"