Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1892-09-05
POWDERLY ON THE DEAL.


from the retailers, and in turn the trade
of the retailers is withdrawn from the
wholesaler. Debts remain unpaid, Gre
ditors are becoming impatient, and soon
the wholesaler will come down on the
retailer who owes for goods long since
given out on credit. The retailer in
turn will look to the consumer for his
money, and if the consumer has a little
property it will be sure to go under the
sheriff's hammer. These are the results
OF the Reading combine. All of this is
due to the fact that we have cowradly
public officials who dare not offend king
monopoly by living up to their oaths of
office Did we not hear Governor Patti
son excusing himself for not moving
against the Reading combine in these
words:
writ of quo Uarranto would be an arbitrary
proceeding that would prove turtle, think.
1t means, speaking in popular language, that
the courts would be asked to declare the
charters of Reading, of Lehigh and of Central
New Jersey forfeited. Hundreds of millions
of securities-stocks and bonds-would become
without authority of law if the writ were sue
cessful. Yes, hundreds of millions would be in
peril. Widespread disaster would be wrought.
Innocent holders, not merely capitalists, but
orphans-would be the sufferers.
How can a man, unless he is himself
stakeholder and director in the Read
ing, know whether widows are the
holders of stocks of that concern? If he
does know it, is he not aware that honest
stocks should be able to withstand an
assault on dishonest combination form
ed for the express purpose of robbing
other widows as well as the public
generally? Did not this man see at the
time that he uttered these words that
hundreds of workingmen were being
discharged in the interest of that dis
honest combine? Were not they as dear
to him as the stockholders of the Read
ing in whose behalf he slumbered while
the combine swallowed the state?
Let the stockholders of the Reading
hold up their shares of stocks, and it
will be seen that for every one of Cover
nor Pattison's widows, who would be a
sufferer if he brought the robber com.
bine to terms, hundred workmen were
discharged and deprived of the means
of earning living. For few alleged
widows and stockholders, the governor
of Pennsylvania allows a merciless and
conscienceless combination to trample
the constitution of the state under foot,
discharge workmen by the thousand,
and run up the price of coal on millions
who must warm themselves by the aid
of anthracite, Widows who are wealthy
enough to buy railroad stocks are better
off by far than workmen who do not
earn money to buy bread.
Complaint was made to the governor
of Pennsylvania just as soon as it became
known that the combine was formed
February 10. He turned the matter
over to Attorney-General Hensel, who
went through the farce of giving hear
ing to complainants and, later on, enter
ed some sort of proceedings. Where
the proceedings were entered is not now
known to any but the state department,
and "it does violence to our knowledge
of human nature to expect that he was
at all sincere in his pretensions of opposi-
to the combine. Long after Pennsyl-
vania was requested to act, the officials
OF New Jersey, from governor to Chan
cellor McGill, took the matter in hand
and, as result of their work, the deal
is declared illegal, an injunction is
granted and the combination must not
continue to operate in New Jersey.
What was possible there could have
been done more easily in Pennsylvania,
for the constitution of this state is plain
and unequivocal in its opposition to such
acts as were contemplated by those who
consolidated the railroads in question.
The New York San called Sam Sloan,
the president of the Delaware, Lack
awanna and Western Railroad, an
anarchist because he would not allow
the other railroads running into Buffalo
to make cat's-paw of him in handling
their freight during the strike. What
has that paper to say of Mr.. Mcleod for
expressing himself in these words:
The injunction will have no more effect than
If it had been directed against the Sioux
Indians
If this is not anarchy, what is it?
Judge McGill has given his decision 1t
is the law until reversed by some higher
court or law. Where does Mcleod get
his authority to set it aside after the
manner of Sioux Indian? If he acts
as an Indian, will he be dealt with as
the Indian would? These are questions
for all the people to examine into and
act upon. Keep your eyes on Mcleod
and the Reading manipulators; see that
they bow to the mandates of the court
or go to prison as other criminals do. If
1t becomes necessary to engage counsel
to prosecute Mcleod for contempt, how
many will subscribe to a fund to defray
the cost of trial? Let us no longer allow
law, justice, right and manhood to be
trampled on by such men as assert that
they stand in relation to law as the
Sioux Indian does. Mcleod wanted
law at Buffalo; let us give him enough of
| it in Pennsylvania. 7. Y. PowpERIY,