Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1889-01-09

Wbat Sseee Cssley says or II.
sQnnlEzuan Cooley, Of the interstate

O0lk0o0 C00loy, OF the lnter-Stat0
nnln11ons Addressed the Boston Mer-
- aDociation at its banquet on Tues
- evening, upon the subject Of the
ogklng Of the inter.state Law. Judge
&o0sy, = recognized, tho country over,
~ = very able man, and he has
lsae : great deal 10 give effect TO
- interstate law, In whose effective
|11Doaaious 10 takes very great intereet.
~ = ~ work 10: make IL operative and
~ undertakes Il with great zeal. In the
1ooss q its working, the Law, which had
( - very much opposed by the railroads,
80 found to be . great benefit TO them
I'D Judge Cooley says that It 30 con-
olnued TO Be, and their complaints against
= grow le,s and less, until the time came
When some OF them undertook to get
oeound IL provisions. lie thinks that
80 significantly shows that IL is not the
Nv which hurts them, but rather their
1ndisposition to observe it. The law
Givss them protection; but to Sc
sure its protection they must observe
- themselves, and expose TO Its
eondemnation those who violate 1t.
1nstead Of doing this, the railroad man
eger, who finds rival manager violating
- law, straightway violates it himself,
4 4eclaring that he is forced TO do It in
I oolf-dsfence; an ordinary business man.
AeW, Judge Cooley suggests, would never
ohink Of offering such An excuse for vic.
lating the law, or Of violating IL on such
rEetext; he would observe the law him.
n1lf. and hand over the violatOrs TO the
hand OF justice.
The trouble with the railroad president,
peechance, is that he has q fixed idea that
10 law. and he are out; he is 10 steadily
Nquired to dodge the law, that IL is q
very novel idea TO him that the law can
1elp him. When he finds another rail-
rad cheating, IL never occurs to him to
Invoke the law; because cheating has
besn his habit, too, and has become the
lAw OF the trade.
Tho complaint now made by the rail-
xuad against the interstate act is, that It
se0ps their pooling. But Judge Cooley
shows that .pooling has never been eff.
eient lin obviating rate wars. Pooling
nsans fair apportionment OF business
emong contestants for it, and by their
voluntary agreement but when there is
mt business enough to keep them all busy
3 y - vain to expect that they will be con-
Int with their share, a. It would be to
oEpect to satisfy lot Of wild beasts by
dividing among them q carcass which is
1nsufIicient for their appetites.
Thsre can be no voluntary combination
y railroad companies, in Judge Cooley's
opinion, that will do justice alike to the
\ eeompanies and the public. The country
VII not endure trust that would he
Elective to combine them, and nothing
- cohesive would answer their need.
Ehstr trouble comes chiefly from the. fact
shat the railroads are too many for the
beelness. Railroads have been built
senstantly for the profit in their
seJustruction. Judge Cooley says
nat . gentleman of considerable
e3perisnce lately said to him. " The most
! pgu0table business now Is the building Of
worthless railr0ads-nO matter how
worthless, II the bonds can be sold. The
projectors put nothing in, and they deter.
nlne Tor themselves how much they will
lake out for building"
That is the fault of the fact that they
;1re able to sell their bonds; and that is
the fault Of the fact that there are many
tbols with much money. The loss of the
money TO those who lend 1t upon such
poOr security is not q matter to be greatly
Begretted. The misfortune is in the dis.
tuEbance caused to the transportation
business Of the country.
The lOgicof Judge Cooley facts points
. government control of railways rs the
only means by which their operations
Sehn b controlled 30 as to be profitable to
lthe owners and fair to the customers.
Ihs interests Of both are the same. In.
talilgent railroad management is as much
1oG the public interest as 1t is for
taat Of the owners. Intelligence calls for
1hhness and no such conduct is possible
- tho present run, at least, of railroad
1nauAgers. unless they wear the collar and
chain Of the law. Men who become rail
1oad builders for the amount they can
lake and who become railroad mana.
0GS for the same reason, are not to be
frusted to the unrestrained enjoyment of
their sppetites.
responsibilities OF Power.