The sun., 1897-02-16
RUIN THE CORPORATIONS,
PRESIDENT M. IT. SMITH ON Jgr
RAMPANT POPULIST CRY.

The Head OF the Louisville and Na.sXu,.
System Says the Tondencr Is to C.,e.
cate Rsiirosds- Government Ovu.r.L,-
Preferable TO Robsery-Tieket Broker.
LOUISVILLE. KY. Feb. Is. Milton II. Smith
President OF the Louisville and Nashville Ran,
road, caused n sensation to-day by the man.
ner in which he took up a fight in the Boa,d
of Trade and the Commercial Club to s.cu,s
an Endorsement Of the Sherman Anti.scalp.,,
bill. He sent q three-column letter 10 IN.
Courtsr-Journol. in which. after paying H..
compliments to Congressman Josiah pa,,cr.
son of Memphis. who IL fighting the bill and
after SLOWING that the scalpcrs were the root
of neariy.all tho passenger traffic dlscriinina
tion. which tho law forbids. he addressed him.
self TO the defence of corporations apain,,
Populist legislation. saying;
Tho phase VI public opinion TO which de-
sire to call the attention OF your readers Is the
Indifference manifested when wrongs arc in.
nivted by individuals. communities. and Gov.
ernments upon corporations. and especially
railroad corporations. The moral sense Of
tho public has been. or is rapidly becoming.
blunted In matters affecting railroad corpors-
tious. Could these perversions, this inability
to distinguish between right and wrong, DOS
sibly occur wcro any other interest than rail-
road corporations directly affected2
unfortunately, this same pervcrsior OF the
moral sense pormeates tho entire body politio.
Il encourages. II It does not cause. much Of
tho .unfriendly legislation. national. State,
and municipal. We zee the Congress OF the
United States epacting and the Government
enforcing laws regulating railroads and re-
quiring enormous expenditures on the interest
OF n limited number OF patentees and manu-
facturers. and at the same time persistent ef.
forts made TO enact legit lation confcrrlng on
Commissioners power to hx rates; that is to
kay. reduce tho compensation received by the
ncf snd increase her bnpd.ns
laturee of the States devote good deal Of
their time TO similar legislation. in efforts TO
reduce revenues and Increase expenditures.
"A bill was recently introdu eed in the upper
house OF the Tennessee legislature entitled,
An act TO regulatotbe liability OF the master or
employer to tho servant or employee for In
turies received In the service OF such master or
It's Sisors psoSons Ters m INTENDED to .d
suits In securing more numerous and larger
judg ments. Coming to the attention Of tbs
Should q vicious mule indiscriminately dis
tribute the brains OF too trusting employee.
locating the neck OF n driver. or ono needle.
employee hamstring another with scy the. the
farmer farmer % mizht & 6e ruined, heed & es en-
ployee By the careless handling OF molten iron,
the result might DO unfortunate 10 the en-
But this was not what these Just and wise
Lawmakers intended. II was .he railroads they
Bill making T Il applicable @ TO common Carriers @
only. and after so amending adopted IL. The
mule may indulge in indscriminate slaughter
and the employoo sarelessly in1ict injury upon
q fellow servant or upon himself with impu-
nifty. provided the mule tcloncs and the en-
ployoes are employed by railroad company.
1t Is recognized that the law relating TO per-
ronal DAMAGES rs construed by the courts arc
so rapidly increasing tho burdcnt from this
source as TO threaten bankru ,tov in the near
fusIre;i .T;. .,,...,,o -, ,,,. s..,,
tion. constantly growing In legislative bodies.
to treat the property OF railroad corporations
as something distinct and separate from all
other property. is causing some or those repre-
eentinR such interests 10 seriously consider
whether II be not better for the interest OF the
owners OF such property and for the welfare OF
the nation that the Government shall acquire
ownership and consequent management and
control of IL. Certainly it Is better for the
owners TO dispose OF their property at n fair
valuation than that II should be taken from
them bv the processes now SO rapidly depreciat-
Ing its value. May II not also be better for the
people TO honestly acquire the propcrtv by pur-
chase than TO acquire IL by tho Indirect meth
DDS pow in progress7 II public opinion ts to
DO dchauched by tho Redistribution OF wealth.
NAV We not anticipate that the movement will
not cease with the distribution Of tho wealth
invested In railroads. but that the same moth
DDS will be applied to all pronertyr"
Mr. Smith was very severe upon tho ticket
brokers. saying:
They arc to-day the most crupuious and
thoroughly organized association for the com.
mission of unpublished crime that ever existed
in this or any other country"