The morning call., 1892-03-05
RAILROADS AND CORRUPTION.

Mr.. C. P. Huntington has furnished q
morning contemporary with views on
the connection between railroads and Pc
ltical corruption which are calculated to
nislead. The President Of the Southern
Pacific says:
do mol believe here is any considerable num-
Der of conupt men in ali OF our legislative bod
les, though l am disposed 10 think there are
always few / do cot think the rail-
road companies are responsible for such ex-
amples (0f carrupiOu) to any considerable ex-
tent It's possible THAT some bad men have
procured their OWN election % The Legislature in
California thinking that when thy got there
they would Introduce some bill thai would work
harm to tho corporations II passed, aud that they
clBld get something out OF the company If they
would Kill the bill that they themselves had intro
dueed. and to that exteat the railroads may have
been responsible for the appearance of those
men in The Legislature. Railroad cor
poraionS are rot responsible for the wicked
legislation OF the past twenty years; but because
railroad property is more exposed TO the raids
of tile rabble than any oiber kind of property
the communists, agrariaas. ImpecuniOus and i'm
Iroyident Of all parties and nati0nalllies have
united III Efforts TO destroy il by taking away It's
Gaming power.
This picture OF the struggles Of the rail
road lamb to escape from the teeth of the
political wolf woul be more touching il it
could be reeonciled with the facts. 1t is
true that political adventures have often
tried ana have sometimes succeeded in mag-
lag living by being elected to the Legsla-
tGFe, and introducing cineh bills for the
purpose of being bought off. But the cor
rupti0n which has resulted from this source
las been far less than the corruption which
:. has been introduced into State politics by
the fixed determination Of the railroad CON-
pahy-eXtended over a series Of years-,o
elect Legislatures, aud to secure the ap-
pelptment Of State officials who were chosen
I because they could be relied upon to serve
the interests Of the company. That is a
matter which ought to be within Mr.. Hunt
ington's personal knowledge; if, owing to
MS residence In the East, BE is not aware Of
II, he can obtain the information from his
associates WHO have lived On the spot
Fer many years no Legislature has been
f. elected that has not contained majority of
men pledged TO serve the railroad company
at need. Probably no Governor has been
CHOSEN who was not acceptable to the COM
pany No Board Of Railroad Commission
efS mas been elected that has not comprised
t@o Tailroad men TO one impartial member
no Jndge has been nominated without the
assent OF the power at Fourth and Town
send. No political boss has been entbroned
until bis fitness was Endorsed by our rail.
road managers. At every election. il is he
lieyed, the sinews of war have been fur
nished to both parties by the company in
consideration Of favors to come. These are
not idle rumors. They are statements of
fact for the truth of which every we'll
informed person will vouch. And it is these
facts which lead Californians to regard the
railroad as the root and source of the cor
ruption which debases our State politics
and which keep alive the popular desire to
bring the comrany to terms somehow. and
to wrest the control of public affairs out of
its hands.
Mr.. Huntington calls the critics OF the
present regime "a rabble," and charges them
with trying TO take away from the railroad
It's earning power. 1t happens that the
E party which has been for years endeavorng
( TO reduce railroad freights-so that they
shall only be twice and not three times as
heavy as they are in the East-and to COM
I pei the railroad to pay its taxes as individual
citizens do comprises nearly every man of
standing aDd prominence In the community.
while the party which is opposed to them is
recruited from the same ranks as the late
Senatorial combine and marshaled by per-
sons in the pay of persons connected with
the company. 1t may be that 1t is the
former and not the latter who are entitled
to the appellalion Of "a rabble." But
whether rabble or no il these advocates of
lower freights and uniform taxation are. as
Mr.. Huntington says, trying TO take away
from the railroad its earning power it must
be admitted that they are not accomplishing
much in that direction. The Southern Pa
cific Company earned last year fifty millions
OF dollars, OF which about seventeen mill
lens were profit. 1t has made four men. or