The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1892-02-25
Railroads and Public Sentiment

.RallrOaQS ana IuDilc SoLClnlSnT.
Realizing that the Kent railroad bill |
will be defeated in this legislature, sew
eral of the newspaper supporters of that |
measure, and Others. of its more ardent |
friends, promise that the fight will be |
resumed in the election of the next Leg
isture and that a still more stringent law
than that proposed in the Kent bill will
be adopted. 1t is easy for partlZans,
who only look at one side of question,
to convince themselves that there is no
other side to it but that which they sane
ton, and consequently it is not surpris-
ing that the defenders and aggressive
advocates of the Kent bill contend that
its assumed merits will be recognized in
public discussion and the policy it III
wolves become more popular. We do not
agree with these gentlemen. and venture
the opinion that another Legislature will
never be elected pledged to any such rad
ical measure as this bill. The more ii
is discussed and the more clearly its IN
just and oppressive provisions are made
known, the more surely will it come
under the condemnation of public judg
ment. 1t will be demonstrated, in the
time intervening between now and the
fall of 1898, that the railroads themselves
will show that grievances can and will
be more readily and effectively redressed
by their own action than could or would
be done by a Commission. The railroad
arrangements will approach all questions
of this kind with full knowledge of the
remedy for any wrong complained of,
and will be ready to apply that remedy
where it is needed. The policy of the
railroads is to apply common sense rules
to their conduct and directions to favor
the people as far as it is consistent with
the healthy existence of the roads to do
SO, in all schedules for passenger and
freight transportation, and make the
roads public carriers, designed for
public benefit and to accommodate pub
lie interests. 1t is to their interest to do
so, and it is mere assumption to assert
that the general policy of railroads is to
either Inconvenience or Cypress the PEG
pie. A calm consideration of all the
phases of this railroad question, and the
practical every day relations of the peo>
pie to it, will present to the public mind
the true state of the case, under consid
erations and surroundings, that will
evoke deliberate Judgment and impair
tial conclusion. 1t is possible to manu-
facture prejudice against corporations
inf1ammatory appeals and reckless de-
nunciations-to assume that they are i'm
positions upon the public that they are
robbing everybody but their officers, and
are something like Juggernauts, crushing
all before them, but this must be
of short duration. The second-sober
thought of the people will correct such
false impressions, and return to safe and
durable methods and results There is
necessarily no conflict between the le-
ultimate and reasonable demands of the
people and the railroads. Their interests
are interviewer and interdepetldent
They cannot be we'll separated, and
what will contribute to the prosperity of
the one will help the other The rail,
roads will not adopt policy that will
provoke pnblic resentment. They know
that public sentiment is an important
factor in their successful operation They
court the friendly feeling of the people
and are not likely to lay themselves la
BILE to legislative criticism and ami
madversion.
AS we view it, the mora the whole
question, implicated in the Kent bill, is
thought over the less likely will any
such measure be enacted into law.
Proper restrictions ought to be adopted
The restraints of law have to be placed
upon all human relations and all public
interests, but let them be reasonable re
straints, within the bounds of comm on
sense and common justice, and with
reference to the rights of corporations
as well as the people. The railroads do
not object to them and the people, when
free from passing prejudice and under the
influence ofcalm reflection, will not ask for
more. The people realize the essential i'm
portance of railroads. They know that
they could not prosper without them;and
are willing to do justice to them and by
them And the railroads will always
give audience to complaints and are
ready to correct any manifest wrongs or
palpable hardships, that may grow out
of new schedules and official orders; or,
in fact, any part of the details of man
agement.
We do not think, therefore, that the
sensational agitation of the subject of a
commission, with powers such as the
Kent bill provides, will find approval in
the conservative judgment of the people,
nor will public sentim ant be so perverted,
by such appeals, as to lose considerable
reckoning and be rushed pell nell into
the extremes that demagogues and selfish
partizans would precipitate it,