The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1890-04-11
A WISE POLICY.

1t was splendid address which Mr.. G..
Z. HUNTINGTON gave in accepting the office
of president of the Southern Pacific rail
way company. He encouraged the direct
ors as to the value OF their property. as
surfing them that with proper management
the roads could be made profitable. He
also outlined his policy. which would be to
build branches into the many beautiful
valleys of California and other states and
territories, thus creating business for the
company while developing the resources of
the country.
But the part of the address in which the
public will be most interested was that
wherein he enjoined the officers of the
company not to interfere in political af-
fairs. He said corporations should not
be used to advance the interest of this
party or that, or to raise up any one man
or pull down another, and this corporation
shall not be used henceforth for any such
purpose if its president can prevent it. but
he will do all tnat he can to bring its prop
erty up to the higheat state of efficiency at
minimum cost, not forgetting that there is
Withholding that leadeth to poverty.'n
We hope President HUNTINGTON meant
every word of that, and we do not doubt
that he did, in which event it will soon be
developed that no mistake was made in his
selection as the chief of the mighty com
pany which owns or controls $500 miles
of railroad and has an invested capital of
Sl50, 000,0 600
Railroad corporations complain that thew
are the victims of constant assaults bv
the public, and the complaint is more Or
less well-founded. The people are finding
fault with the railways, are lighting them
and are treating them as if they were pub
lie enemies; but whose fault is it that this
condition of things prevails! The railways
have themselves to blame, for in many in :.
stances they openly work against the peo
pie. Everywhere they go into politics.
openly or covertly taking sides and using
their influence or power for the advance
ment OF this party or that. They have con-
trolled city governments, have had MAORI
ties in state legislatures, and even been
supreme in Congress, in all these places
adopting ordinances or passing laws in the
interest of the corporations at the expense
of the people. Should anybody be as
tonished that the people revolted and
waged war against the railroads 1t would
be surprising if the masses did not fight
what they had right to regard as their
enemy, and it would also be strange if the
people, regaining power, did not sometimes
go too far in the way of retaliation.
1t is admitted that injustice has
often been done to railway corporations
by legislatures and by cities, but this has
almost invariably been done in a spirit of
revenge for wrongs inflicted There has
been goading to it, and the railways
seldom have the right to complain They
have not only taken part in partisan poll
tics but have exercised a controlling
influence, as they were able to do by reason
of the great number of employees to whom
they could dictate. Something of what a
railway company can do in the way of
carrying elections is known hereabouts.
There was time when Nebraska was
owned, politically, by the Union Pacific:
the people finally revolted and drove the
agents of the company from the legislature
and public office, and have since maintained
degree of mastery. The Southern
Pacific has been accused of making and
unmaking politicians in Nevada and Cali
fornia. True or false the people were
made to believe the allegation a few
years ago, and they cost the rail
way company millions by the pas
sage of unreasonable and unjust laws.
Governor STANFORD saw tthe evil of his
great corporation undertaking to control
in the politics of the two states named, and
of late years little has been heard of the
Southern Pacific owning the legislatures
at Carson and Sacramento. and it is no
longer charged that the congressional de-
legations from California and Nevada get
their instructions from the railway com
pany's office. President HUNTINGTON openly
avows himself opposed to railway inter
ferance in politics, and if he will insist
upon this policy, denying assistance to all
parties, holding aloof in campaigns there
viii be little likelihood of popular fight
against the Southern Pacific or of adverse
legislation. The people Appreciate rail-
ways, but want them to keep within their
locri 10 cra6