Evening journal., 1892-02-18

Of it with due regard to the requirements Of
the law and the public interests involved
The published reports / have seen purport
ing to give his views or mine have been un-
authorized and are untrue
Attorney General Hensel upon having the
above statement Of Governor Pattison
shown to him and upon being asked what
truth there was in the published report that
he had considered the railroad deal before
it was announced, and had determined
then, or since, to take no action in the
premises, said;
A Denial by HenseI.
with regard to the particular statement
printed, believe, first in The Record H'hila-
delphia) and amplified elsewhere that had
information Of the leases ten days ago aud
had decided the state would not interfere, l
have just sent dispatch to The Record say
ing its statement is utterly incorrect and
that / never had any information Of the ar
fangements between these railroads other
than such as was conveyed to the public
through the newspapers nor before those
publications
4 have neither come to any determina-
tion nor decided upon any course Of action
further than / have made known the same
to the public, and any statement heretofore
made " hereafter made to the contrary is
untrue
This department is not responsible in any
way Tor the somewhat misleading reports
sent out from day to day purporting to rep
resent conclusions reached and action deter
mined upon with regard to the common
wealths interference in the lease Of certain
railway lines by certain others alleged to be
parallel or competing. It is true that from
the first announcement Of the consummated
arrangement between them the alleged vio-
lation of the constitution involved has had
consideration by the executive. II does NOT
raise the same issue which was determined
in the South Penn's and the coal conspiracy
cases neither Of which, by the way, was
ever finally determined in the supreme
court.
The Courts May BE Appealed To.
"You may be assured nothing done or
omitted by this department win be prompt
ed by consideration for the contending in
terests Of rival corporations; nor will any
action be taken or neglected with an eye
upon the stock boards. 1t has net been the
practice or the policy Of the attorney gene
rails Office, so far as l am familiar with its
administration, to invoke or lend the name
and powers Of the commonwealth 10 merely
DiANANC 4ultIt6lca I0L ItcIIN 10 Aub EAbINDT-
dinary remedies when Others as effective
could be employed; nor has it been consid-
cred a fair and reasonable exercise of the
states power to vex and assail any interests
in the commonwealth without duo inquiry
and fair hearing
1T is the usual practice to entertain any
respectable complaint of the abuse misuse
or nonuse of corporate franchises, and upon
due notice TO give full hearing to complain
ant and complained against. ] stand ready
to do that in this case
'When it is made to appear that the pub
lie interest is affected and the circumstances
renderit proper or necessary that the com
monwealth intervene resort is had to the
courts, wherein by fit judicial processes in
quiry is made and Judgment is reached
Only when sudden exigency warrants it or
irrepafable injustice is threatened or where
the wrong is to be prevented instead Of be-
ing corrected, is more precipitate action JUS
titled. No hearing is ever denied complain
ing suitors, but in no case, except such as
have just referred to, is litigation instituted
until the danger to the general public in
segest is demonstrated.
the Public viii BE Protected.
mo exception to such orderly methods
win be made, because in this particular case
it is alleged the infraction complained Of is
to the detriment Of one private corporation
and to the advantage Of another, OF because
it is maintained on the one hand that the
immediate effects on the business interests
Of the state are beneficial, and on the other
hand it is held that ultimately the public
viii suffer from monopoly in one Of the
/ great necessaries Of life and of the manufac-
turing industry,
| 1.-THE questions Of constitutional law and
Of pablo policy involved will be met when
they are properly presented. If it should
be made to appear after such hearing that
the constitution has been violated, that
public interests are prejudically affected
and that the proper remedy Is the interven-
tion of the commonwealth, the necessary
and proper measures will be taken, with due
public notice to all concerned.
Nothing viii be done in hurry and
nothing will be done in corner, but the
public interests will be duly protected
against every danger that threatens it Sc
tar as it lies in my power and within the
scope Of my duty. Meantime noprivate in.
terests or individual that is affected is with
out remedy or need to wait on the common
wealth.
The b. and o. Not Absorbed.
President Mcleod, Of the Reading rail
road, was seen by your correspondent and
he denied most emphatically the rumors il
circulation here and in Pittsburg that the
Reading road had absorbed the Baltimore
and Ohio railroad, and that the next an
nouncement would be that the Reading hac
a transcontinental line to the Pacific. Thes'
rumors also alleged that jay Gould was th'
secret which had put in motion this move
ment to solidify the great roads Of the coun
try, and President Mcleod, when asked
about it, again replied that there was not 1
word Of truth in the statement.