The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1888-12-20
ODIUS PRACTICES.
Judge Cooley vsntiIates His Wrath
Over Railroad Wrongs.
Evidence Enough to Warrant Several
Criminal Prosecutions.
The Inter- State Commission VIII
Investigate all Complaints.
uIhe Full Extent Of the Law to bs
Melted Out to the Guilty.
PRACTICES.

CHICAGO, Dec. l3.-Interstate Com
merce Commissioners Cooley and Nor
rison left for the east last evening. In
an interview printed in local paper,
Judge Cooley says that the willful VIC
lations OF law and illegal and illegiti-
mate means resOrted to by railroad Off
Gals to secure advantages over each
other, revealed by the investigation
made by himself and Commissioner
MORRISON, were much worse than auy
member of the commission had sup
posed. The reason that the matter
had not been taken up before was that
the commissioners aid not get any
more knowledge Of their doings than
was furnished them by aggrieved par
ties. The railroads seemed to be gov
erned by the rule that prevails among
all aw-breakers-not to tell tales on
each other. Large prominent shippers
and merchants were benefited by the
violation Of the law, consequently had
no reason to complain, and were not
likely to bring the violations of the
law before the commission. Conse-
quently only cases of minor impOr-
lance were brought before the commits
sion. Even in these it was the great
est difficulty to Secure reliable evidence.
The trouble was, he said, the commits
sion was located too far away from the
basis OF operation of the roads. 1t
should be located where violations of
the law could promptly be brought to
its notice and where prompt and
thorough investigations can be made.
Investigation into the methods of
railroads in transacting passenger
business and other transactions re-
sorted to in order 10 evade the law,
had given him and commissioner Nor
rison a better insight into the illegal
az fano fnA 70 I,wr hn raafl AG
than they had been able to obtain
since they had assumed the Office.
The revelations of crookedness
were simply astounding. Evidence
had come into p )ssession OF the COM
Inissioners that would warra..t
criminal prosecutions against several
railroad officials. The worst feature
was that every official they examined
admitted the facts, but said he did it
because others were doing it. Some of
them even went so far as to justify the
illegal action on the ground that the
law was oppressive and unjust.
One manager was reproved for
paying aScommission of six dollars on
ticket worth twelve dollars and fifty
cents, and insisted that there was moth
ing in the law to prevent him from pay
ing as large commission as he pleased
and afterwards sent a written docu-
ment to the commission, making an ar
gument in Justification of such
action. If the railroads thought
that the commission would
rest with the admonition given them
at Tuesdays mass meeting of general
managers, Mr.. Cooley SAID, they were
greatly mistaken. That was done
simply as warning, TO give them an
opportunity to rectify the evils COM
planned of without further delay, and
to bring them to a realization of the
fact that the law must be enforced.
The commission, he said, will act
promptly hereafter in every case of vio-
lation of law that comes to its notice,
and the guilty parties will be punished
to the full extent of the law The
commission cannot afford to have the
law made odiOus by permitting its
willful violation.