Capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1893-1895, 1894-08-27
A CORRUPT SERVICE.

-. r. EEamlDrIs w Ten ulcu taih W
the dangers Of 6, rruptiUn and l".iti'
control II the government sh 'uld take
charge I the Central Pacific and Uni n
Pacific railroads, it is clear that they
forget the corruption aud partisansbip
that now control these lines. There is
no department Of the general govern
ment in which the most searching scrL-
tiny of political enemies has been aGle
10 detect oDe-hundredth Of the cbr-
ruption to be found in any of the blg
railroad systems of the country.
The unexplained absence of 81, 900, 900
from the Atchison, Topeka and Santa
Fe accounts is something that has not
occurred in public affairs In this coun-
try since the Tweed ring was broken.
The policy Of discrimination, rebates
bribery and favoritism that is in force
in the management Of the Central Pa
cific and Union Pacific cannot be paral
leled in the public service except in the
Tammany Police Department of New
York City. The following letter is a
revelation of railroad methods:
(Subject-Fre ght Rqtes.)
STANDA I'D OIL. .COMPANY
(Persolal.l
SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 4, 1888.
W. H Tilford, Vice President Standard OIL
Company, 28 Broadway, New York:
DEAR SIR:-I will telegraph you this
afternoon, as per translated copy Of
~ a.4N a.I faf fah i.
self-explanatory. l herewith hand you
a copy of a letter l have Just received
from Mr.. Sproule, assistant general
freight agent of the Southern Pacific
company, this city. This letter inter.
pref to mean the 90-cent rate is for US
10 stock up from time to time, and that
the 81 .25 per hundred rate will be in ef-
feet whenever we may desire. This
$l.25 rate is what Mr. SProule refers to
IN the latter portion of his letter, as my
offer of go cents to Mr.. Stubbs was on
condition that he has the rate of 81 %
put in effect whenever we might ask
him. This letter also reads as II the 90
cent rate and the 81 rate was to be put
In effect January 1st. No doubt Mr..
Btubbs was unaware that we stocked
up at the present rate of 821.
e. A. TILFoRD.
The communication is eloquent Of
jobbery. 1t indicates bargain, where
by for consideration not named, the
managers of the railroad sold to the
Standard Oil company the monopoly
of the oil market of the Pacific Slope
by making S0-cent rate when the
Standard shipped, while a $l.25 rate
was charged everybody else.
Is there anything to match 1t in the
public service? Has any instance of
bribery been discovered in the Post
Office Department whereby great
publishing house gets third discount
on its mails.
Has the closest investigation found
the commissioner of internal revenue
knocked off third of the tax on liquor
distilled by the whiskey trust?
This is common enough TO be re-
garded as "business," when done by
railroad manager. Yet If Collector
Wise or Secretary Carlisle should, for
secret payment, let goods through
the custom house for Smith q Co. at
80 cents while everybody else was
forced to pay $l.25, the country would
ring with the story Of corruption.
The sole recent exception to the rule
that official conduct is immeasurably
more honest than habitual corporate
practice is the under assessment of the
Southern Pacific properties by the Cal
ifornia state board OF equalization,
owned by the company,
Government ownership of the Pacific
roads would have Its dangers. 1t would
require q non-partisan service, tenure
during good behavior, civil service ex-
aminations and promotion for merit.
1t would require to be guarded against
extravagant management. But II
would be free from the great evils that
make the railroad companies feared
and hated today as the seigneurs Of the
cid regime were feared and hated by
the slaves they oppressed.