The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1894-12-17
Reed Speaks His Mind.

tiiC <hinClhNdil pNOpiC tiiob thSy e'Nh''AN
courage in their public servants quite
as much as they admire supersensitive
discretion. An instance in point is sup
piled by the ado which certain unfriendly
newspapers have vainly tried to make
because Thomas b. Reed, in congress
recently, took occasion to speak his
mind candidly with reference to certain
phases of the railroad problem in this
country-uttering sentiments which
many, other politicians, though they
had thought precisely as he thought,
would, for policy's sake, have sur
pressed. The attempted ado has sig
nally failed, and the people, or at least
those who are fully informed as to
the facts, merely admire Tom Reed
the more. These facts were, briefly,
as follows: A debate was in progress
upon the bill to permit railroad pooling
under certain restrictions. Represent
ative Daniels, of New York, had de-
livered what has become, among nu-
merouS orators, the conventional fling
at railroads and had beautifully eX-
coriated them, not unlike our friend,
Ira II. Burns, who, upon recent oc-
casion, referred to them, we believe,
as Corporations without bodies to
crush, souls to damn or hearts to move
and melt" At this point, quite uneX-
pectedly, Mr.. Reed arose, and, accord
ing to the Congressional Record, said
in part:
Mr. Speaker, 1t ought to be the object Of
legislation to benefit all the people of The
country, and in order to do that there
ought to be a full understanding of the
ramiticatiuis and permeations of busi-
ness. 1t Is not enough to say that rail-
road is 'soulless corporation" and there
make an end of the matter. The fact is,
railroads are owned by human beings.
who have invested their money in them,
and 1t is of as much advantage to the
community to have a good railroad as 1t
is to have good mandatory or good
street or any other good thing. There
fore legislation on the subject ought to
be conducted in rather broad way. Ii
ought not simply to say, Low freights
are a good thing for the people who use
transportation" as II that covered the
whole question. Even If you conflne the
question to the advantage of those who
use transportation, even then it is not
sound to say that low freights are the
only thing to be considered. 1t is very
desirable to have railroads, and to have
them in good condition. Railroads de-
rive their life from what they get Cor
transportation, and If you take away
lnol. lt
you cannot expect them to continue to be
institutions which will satisfy the wants
of the people. Our experience In Maine
has shown us that it Is much more adj
vantageous to have one united railroad,
which furnishes transportation at a rea-
sonabe rate and furnishes every facility
for 1t, than II was to have two or three
rival railroads which were competing and
cutting each others throats In short,
the outcome of consolidation there turned
out to be far better than any of us an
ticipated. / opposed the consolidation,
having at that time certain ideas on the
subject which are now quite prevalent in
this house; but l watched the result, and
l found that the combination instead of
turning out to the public disadvantage,
resulted In better stations, better trains,
better transportation facilities of every
kind. What | want to point out is that
ond tbat tbis is not merely a onestion to
ha disnosad of simnly hv saving .T ot nc
bo,a ipuar fro,oht rates anothar o,,as1
.ior 10 ora yo1 nrasar,,,ng your ina,nn
,,ontaii,,, for transnorta ton In snob n
ahano thot ~ u,,i, do your y,,orr r,oro Oh
,'nnta ,,ao,,si,, thon ~ oon ha d.,ra T., an,,
IT,. 1,o,,9 rhon oeain thora !. onotha,.
I'LL moirt not narhans VOW, i,onortl
,,t p',t. s,iII ynrth oons,dor,nr ~
en-, 90. ~, i,,s,,oa 10 n,nr,h onn,,5ou
10, rhat ,s tha ,uost,on ~ tho rioht,
s -, narson. ,,ho oy,n stoor IN tha Snn
,.ooas ~ Thau have fmrnisbed an instr,
,,utc,,t,, ,o ,,,hinh noon,a want 70 usa on1
.y ,,, ,,,, o,'s,bt 70 hova soi,. rot,,n,, u,.u
peIn"pS ,mIs i,,,ost,,ant do nat co.,, t,nt
~. o,i Ut. ~ ~ ba,,o ~, ,nronSo,,oI,o
.neS 1usnt ohia " ,J an rot,,nr ,I,a', I,s.
~ tnn, 49, nu' an tbe.a thinss ~ soanS ~ Ou5m' 5,o
W naN.' ~ az 80, tie aooa',,t ~ nv,
VusTr tSe H., u,erstoto ~ nommarce law wes nosoad
tuo railroads would comnete until thew
came to an agreement Whether it is
desirable to revive that right OF agree
,hene VI nj tbatght os oI, tha oonsidero
tions / have mentioned. because competi-
tion is not the whole story In this world;
not oniy low ireish, ra,es, ,. pui iaciiitles are
,,nrestrained and without the possibility
of agreement between the competing par
ties may result, owing 70 human lnhrmlty'
III nromy me ,Se % two % Srocers Of town col, their
goods at a fair average price, the one as
we'll as the other. If they should go into
competi.ioh nor sne ai', purpose ,,i, Ui urlv'hs
for the advantage of the public in the
long run, because the public want gro
Gerry stores quite as mueh as they want
low p',oe toSr,y & into account Tboresoro ~ II 10 10