The Red Cloud chief., 1898-06-10

were moved one mile. 10 you tblnk tnat
any interest performing such immcnsc
service as this can be in difficulty and
tn, balance Of the country not feel IT.
Forty millions Of dollars were paid out
for public taxes. over three thousand
millions Of dollars that have been invest
ed In railways have earned no dividend
for years. This is not water. as some
ropulist orator will say, but good. honest
money. These securities ar" held all
through the land. and their failure to
pay any return has brought disgrace up
on us abroad ana suffering ANA wan in
many a family and community at home.
"Onc Of the chief difficulties viii tho
law as 1t stands today is that the pun
ishmcut for private contracts and rebates
b. entirely out of proportion to the oticnsc.
Tho Imprisonment clause was pat IN as
an amendment to the Interstate COM
Ilcr.c law and ! believe the commission
and everyone who has watched its work.
ihgS Will agree with IN, hat II las been
u failure; more than a failure. tina II
has caused perhaps more Generalization
than anything else. The public has not
believed IN 1t. II has been impossible 10
secure conviction, 1t has prevented the
railway official who desired to- Toe honest
from complaining of his competitor whom
he thought was dishonest. III iact, IL has
been what every law Is that IL not sup
l'A ''NA - vi - ~ -
What. in fact. is the manner Of conduct
inC business today? The railway official
who desires to hc honest aud La" -ahldlhS
secs tra'ic leave his line and finds the
freight that N" was carrying haulcS 10
the warehouse of his rival. the earnings
Of his line decreasing aud complaints
from TIA" management of loss Of earnings.
and In the distance he sees looming up
tho loss of hts position. At the same
time, the shipper who desires 10 oD'S
the law sroS some rival selling mrrchan-
disc 10 his customers AT prices ne cannot
meet. ana he knows very well mat hc Is
securing concessions from some railway
20 onahle him 10 do this. Tho railway
agent and the shipper who wish TO obey
the law sit down together ana look II
over. What relief T. there Tor them
They can complain OF their rivals. posi-
bly, convict them under III" interstate
commerce law and send them to the pen
i'ontiary. bat such action would bring
down upon them the condemnation or the
public ana would ruin their business. for.
a. ! stated before, the public does not be-
licVe IN this severe feature OF tho law.
and will not support anyone VINO 'Aior'eS
II. The result H., these men, IN despair,
ARE driven to do Just what their opponents
are ~doinG-thcy become lawbrcakers
themselves. | have drawn no fancy PIC
tWre; it Is What IL occurring every Gay
around you.
"ls it wise. Is II broad craftsmanship.
10 leave Il business as large as that ot
the railways-ono in which onc-tith, at
least. of our population is engaged, one
which affects the comfort aud happiness
Of nine-tcnths of the peoples it wise TO
leave IL outside of the law? 1t H. said
that the most expensive occupation to
the community Is hat of the burglar, he
has 10 spend so much time ana destroy
SO much to get so little. L. /; worth while
to force the great railway ir;.rests OF
the country into the same positioa2
who opposes this les islatica? First,
certain people who dcsile 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-
trol, and believe that taey should lie left
entirely alone.
.
An Of us who have any interest in our
country. who desire It's prosperity, are in
tcrcSted in the solution Of this great
question. II IS not a time for the dema-
gCgue to howl about corporations. II is
hot n time TO talk about the wrongdoinPs
Of railway managers. There are always
some, in any business, who will not do
right, ana there always viii be, but the
great mass Of railway managers to-day,
assure you. are as honestly seeking IA So
.Ution Of this question as are YOU or any
member OF the legislative body. | be-
l!evc voice the belief OF Il very large
majority OF them ,hat the two proviS-
ions ! have mentioned are necessary and
will lead 10 the settlement of this qucs-
ton. II this body VIII join and heartily
iudurSo this course and work FOR II, its
accomplishment can hc attained. We
have unwittingly in this country applied