The western recorder., 1898-06-09

-
terred 10 Of the courts. that no under
standing or agreements can be mad.
anu nave combined to produce the rno.s
complete breakdown that has ever br.n
seen m any business. There Is less faith
today between railway managers with
reference TO their agreements 10 main
tain tariffs than was probably ever known
on earth In any other business Men
managing large corporations who would
trust their opponent with their pocket
LOOK with untold thousands IN IL. will
nardly trust his agreement for the MAIN
tenance OF tariffs while they are in the
room together. Good faith seems TO have
oephrted from the railway world, so far
as ramc agreements are concerned
zone OF the chief difficulties with the
law as II stands today Is that the pun
ishment for private contracts and rebates
Is ehtireiy out of proportion to the ofrense
The imprisonment clause was put in as
an amendment TO the Interstate COM
merce law, and believe the commission
ana everyone who has watched its work
ings VIII agree with me that II has been
failure; more than a failure. that It
has caused perhaps more decentralization
than anything else. The public has not
believed In 1t; 1t has been impossible to
secure conviction: 1t has prevented the
railway official who desired to be honest
from complaining of his competitor whom
ne thought was dishonest. In fact II has
been what every law is that Is not sup
ported by public sentimental failure
what, In fact. is the manner of conduct
ing business today? The railway official
who desires TO be honest and law-abiding
sees traffic leave his line and finds the
freight that he was carrying hauled to
the warehouse Of his rival, the earnings
or his line decreasing and complaints
from the management OF loss of earnings.
and In the distance he sees looming up
the loss OF his position. At the same
time. the shipper who desires to obey
the law sees some rival selling merchan-
disc to his customers at prices he cannot
meet, and he knows very well that he Is
securing concessions from some railway
to enable him to do this. The railway
agent and the shipper who wish to obey
the law sit down together and look It
over. What relief is there for them?
They can complain Of their rivals possi-
bly, convict them under the interstate
commerce law and send them to the pen
itentiary. but such action would bring
down upon them the condemnation of the
public and would ruin their business: for,
as / stated before. the public does not be-
lieve in this severe feature of the law.
and Will not support anyone who enforces
II. The result is. these men. in despair.
are driven to do just what their opponents
are doing-they become lawbreakers
themselves. l have drawn no fancy pic
ture. II Is what Is occurring every day
around you. Boards of trade. CONNER
cial bodies and conventions have repeat
edly reported on it, and all have come
to tho same conclusion; and yet. for some
inexplicable reason, congress has failed
to act.
"Is It wise. is 1t broad craftsmanship
to leave n business as large as that of
the railways-one in which one-nfth, at
least, of our population Is engaged. one
which affects the comfort and happiness
of nine-tenths of the people-is 1t wise to
leave 1t outside of the law? II is said
that the most expensive occupation &c
the community is that of the burglar he
has to spend so much time and destroy
so much to get SO little. Is 1t worth while
to force the great railway interests OF
the country into the same position?
who opposes this legislation? First.
certain people who desire the government
to own and operate the railways. Sec
ond. others who wish that the Interstate
railway commission should make all
rates. Third and lastly, certain railway
managers who are opposed to any and
all legislation and who object to any con-
troll. and believe that they should be left
entirely alone.
''As to the first parties need not spend
much time Upon them. Very few people
in this country are ready to launch the
government into the management OF 1885,
900 miles OF railway and the employment
of a million OF men. 1t would in the end
be the destruction OF the republic. one
NlShtH tHt tOlutnls-
sion TO regulate everything: the other
wants then to regulate nothing.
rs 1t not better, Is II not wise. for us to
take a medium course? The question OF
making rates is most important and
most delicate business. The question
whether the grain from Nebraska shall
be exported to Europe via the Atlantic
ports or through the gulf or by way OF
Canada. the question OF what tariff it is
profitable to make land this usually de-
.pends entirely upon what freight there
il TO carry pacKo. the protection OF dffrer
ent ports, the development OF different
classes of business. all involve such i'm
mense interests that the human mind that
realized the task would shrink from glv-
ing 1t to one set Of men, no matter how
wise or experienced they were. and
man who would desire this power would
be rash beyond conception.
"Pltted against this view and deter
mined to prevent any legislation is the
railway manager who believes that he
should be left to sail his own boat. fight
his own battle. manage his line as he
pleases. This plan was all very well 2s
years ago. but the people have decided
otherwise, and he who does not change
and recognize the present situation is a
back number. Regulation by the people
has come to stay.
'All of us who have any interest I'm our
country. who desire It's prosperity are in
terested in the solution of this great
question. II is not time for the dema-
gogue TO howl about corporations. It IL
not time to talk about the wrongdoings
of railway managers. There are always
some, I'm any business who will not do
right, and there always Will be. but the
great mass OF railway managers to-day. ]
assure you. are as honestly seeking a So
luton of this question are you or any
member OF the Legislative body. ! be-
lieve I voice the belief OF very large
mafority of them that the two provis-