The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1892-08-04
RAILWAY WARS.
A Suggestion by the New York "wor Id
That WIN Not Work.

its editorial page under the suggestive
title Conquer Reading by Exhsusting It,"
By pushing the present suits against the
Reading system,' says the writer, land
beginning and pushing ss many more as
possible, that system will be eaten up by its
own lawyers" By 'insisting on this
course and "constantly urging it," the
readers Of the World are assured that it
twill incalculably serve the interests of
the people"
There have been various plans suggested
for the overthrow of the Reading, but this
of Conquest by exhaustion" is the sim.
plest. Mr.. Cassatt, who be terror of railway
com binations thrilled the newspapers in
February and March, insisted that the
Government should interfere Mr. Cassatt
sudden horror of monopoly did not go so
far as to propose dissolution of the
alliances under which the Pennsylvania
system had been made a powerful monop.
oily. Nor did he propose return to the
dear old Camden and Amboy days, nor
revival of the blessed tonnage tax, nor
restoration TO the Northern Central, the
Philadelphia and Erie, the Philadelphia,
Wilmington and Baltimore and other
rsvished corporations of their bereft honor
and dignites. His game was the Reading,
and his associate "agsinst monopoly" was
MIR. Terence V. Powdsrly Several New
York newspapers with unconscious humor
were pathetic over the Governors refusal
to act, when implored by such eminent
labor movement as Mr.. Powderly and Mr..
Cassatt.
Another cogent member of this anti
Reading alliance is Mr.. Henry Clews,
Wall street magnate, whose financial posi-
ton is like that of those enterprising gen
tlemen on the Jersey coast, to whom every
storm is harvest when it gives them the
blessing of wreck. Mr.. Clews advised
the state of Pennsylvania to take possession
of the anthracite lands, and ignoring the
millions that had been paid for ownership
by thousands Of investors treat coal as an
inherent natural right, as air, water and
sun. OF course the principle involved was
confscation. Money invested in the trans
portation of wheat, the regulation of water
supply and the manufacture of light was
on this principle as smenable to confscs-
ton as that invested in coal. Mr.. Olews
would, however, confscste coal as war
upon the Reading, and in the interest of
Wall street adventures who had not ri ven
dollar for coal development.
OF these various wsrlike processes, the
FL Do tla Of haN ha
Governor interfere against monopoly"
the Clews plan of confscation, and the
World plan to conquer Reading by ex
hausting it," marrying the Reading by
law suits, until, like that forlorn, vermin-
deVoured bishop on the Rhine in the
German fable, it was ''esten up by its own
lawyers" the latter seems to have been
adopted. There are, we believe, half.
dozen suits brought, as the World advises
in its Conquest by Exhaustion" The
World, as our readers note, commends
these suits, no3 for their merits, but as
part of ''the conquest of the Reading.
One of them was dismissed out of court
the other day in Esston. That makes no
difference. The suit cost money. There is
no reason why there should not be dozen
more. If Reading ''is to be eaten up by
It's own lawyers" the question is not what
the courts may decids-but keep the courts
busy over decisions"
Yet this question seriously considered is
of the gravest nature. If the money to
defend these suits is to be taken from
Reading investors, and if by forms of legal
machinery it is to be taken to such an ex
tent as to Conquer Reading by exhausting
it," where are the supplies found for their
prosecution2 Lawyers are paid on both
sides of a cause, If the defendant is to be
exhausted, who nourishes and recuperstes
the plaintiff Only the editor of the
World supposes that Plaintiff Gummere in
the Easton case paid penny OF the cost
The New York EUeaing Post distinctly
refers TO it rs zone of the Pennsylvania
suits against the Reading" If the EUening
Post we're not careful paper we might
overlook this statement. Yet when q
leading and conservative newspaper sums
up this conquest by exhaustion" campaign
as in reality series of Pennsylvania suits
against the Reading it opens an important
field of inquiry. ."
No corporation within her jurisdiction
has had the royal endowments OF the Penn
sylvania. We revive none of the criticisms
so many of these endowments invoked
from the repeal of the Tonnage tax under
Governor Curtin to the present day. We
have no sympathy with them. The Penn
sylvania is one of the forces of the nation,
an institution of which the Commonwealth
may DO proud-the work of dynasty of
gifted and intrepid men, and from that
work we would not take stone. Nor do
we grudge the Pennsylvania Railroad
whatever it has asked, nor whatever it may
ask in reason. While the Pennsylvania
has taken with the open hand whatever the
people have given, she has resisted with
clenched hand whatever has been given to
| any one else no matter how just and
equitable the claim, Take the entrance OF
the Baltimore and Ohio into Philadelphia