The record-union., 1892-03-07
COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT.
C. P. Huntington interviewed on I'm
portant Questions.

why Railroad Corporations Should
Keep Out of PoIitics-Sound Rea-
soning and Good Advice.
From San Francisco Examiner, March 4th.l
With q Uiea0 to GsceTtdi1ti1ag the exact at
titltde Of the Southern Pacific corporation
atpon some matters Of ride general Sig'alf-
canoe and great immediate interest, the
EXAMINER, through ats New York c07're-
sponde1at, placed before C. p. Huntington
q series Of questions With The request that
they be onSwercd for publication. Mr..
Harrington answers as JotloacS:
Ever since the problem of quick and
easy communication between the Pacific
Coast and the East was solved by the con-
struction of the Central Pacific the rail-
road has continued TO be the great factor
in the commercial development and pros
perity of California, as it is of every COM
munity that it reaches. That it owes a
great duty TO the State which fosters it is
as true as the reverse of the proposition,
viz: that the State owes much to the rail-
roads. They are connected by the tie of
mutual interest, and if in this aspect of
the case anything can be said by those
who are entitled by long experience to
speak intelligently on one side or the
other of this subject, in order to put be-
fore the people of California considera-
tions which may possibly be worthy of
heed, and at least OF reflection, it seems to
ho A.,fx - /, =,
say il.
A number of propositions and queries
have been handed to me with request
for my opinion in regard to them. In
responding thereto I have considered
them III their order, as far as may be
practicable, but have not the time, out
side of the multitudinous things that 1
am compelled to do in properly caring
for the great interest that my co-owners
and the public expect me to look after,
and for which they hold me largely re-
sponsible, to answer them as fully as [
would like to do; but can and will re-
ply in few words to each of these ques-
tions, without pretending to exhaust any
of the subjects raised by the inquiries.
''FirSt- Whether rGilrOad corporations
can be kept ont Of politics."
To this question I should answer. yes:
although when property is attacked by
the spoilsmen it should and must be de-
Tended by its owners. In doing that one
need not enter the field of politics; that
Is, in the sense of a politician, for to pre-
vent the wrong the good people of all
parties should be called upon for help.
aud 10f,lA no 1,n to4l
parties when the property they are called
upon to save is being used for partisan
purposes, and that, too, when the law
under which it was created intended it
for the rightful use of all people, to share
and share alike, without distinction of
creed, nationality, party or individual.
"IS the Interference Of Sach corporations
f's public AFFAIRS Injurious to its oa0n best
INTEREST,""
1 should say that there is no necessity
for railroad company to meddle in poll
tics or to be used for political purposes, al
though PERSONS connection with or in
terest in railroad property is certainly no
reason why he should not pay some at
tention to matters political, as / believe
all American citizens should understand
the laws of their common country. and
see to it that tie power to make those
laws is entrusted only to good and true
men who will not enact any laws except
such as they can conscientiously approve
and stand by at the cost, if need be, of
their lives.
l think every employe of a railroad,
holding high or low position, should have
the privilege of voting as his conscience
dictates, the same as though there was no
such thing asa corporation. A railroad
company as such should not be manipu-
lated for partisan purposes nor its influ-
ence utilized for the accomplishment of
political ambitions, and its offices should
not be used for caucus rooms.
Would the eUtts Of political railroad
ing be remoUed by Government ownership
Of the roddS2''
think not. although personally I
would like to have the Government take
the railroads at fair valuation and own
and operate them; but / do not think it
would be we'll for the Government, or
for the people; for, while they ought to be
the same in interest, the time may ceale
when such interests may cease to be
identical, as nothing stands still and his
tory tends to repeat itself. If the many
hundreds of thousands who are now get
ting their bread and meat'from the Gov
ernment were more than doubled in
number and we should arrive at a crisis.
as we have before in our national history.
would it not increase. the danger to the
republic to add more than million of
men who are needed to operate and care
for the inland transportation of this coun-
try to the vast number who now look
to the President for their daily support?
Like those now holding places under the
Government, these men also would nat
urally become partisans: changes of adj
ninistration would be followed by
changes in the personnel of the service
Under the present system the best rail-
road men are, as a rule, called to manage
these properties and their political be-
liefs are not an element in the question
of their appointment. At least, the writer
of this never asked or cared to what
party any employe belonged Hence.
the highest interest of both themselves
and their employers lies in the direction
of the most conscientious and faithful
service to the property itself. and since
the value of the property depends upon
the patronage of the people, it becomes
the interest of those who have the man
agement of the companY's business in
their hands to see that the public are
equitably treated and accommodated to
the utmost extent consistent with fair
consideration for the interest of those
who have involved their money in the