Evening star., 1898-08-15

Public Servants. or Public Hasfsrss
The Star has commented on the rich and
variegated advice of street railroad officials
to the Commissioners on the subject OF
regula ting overcrOw ding and the defective
brakes which recently resulted in fatal
disaster on the Capital Railway The Wash
ington Times this morning adds to the as
sortmeut its contribution, which is classi-
fed by The Star under the head of railroad
advice. for the reason that the Times man
could not put himself more completely in
the shoes of the Great Falls road if he
owned It, or grow more sputteringIy indig-
nant over the almost forgotten removal
Of the lexington overhead trolley poles if
he had a pecuEiary interest as hired lob
byist or otherwise, in the fortunes of that
corporation.
President Weaver warned the Commits
sioners that they cOuII not make a police
regulation on the subject of overcrowding
and defective brakes because Congress had
not anticipated them 10y framing a law on
this subject. President Crosby advised the
Commissioners against such regulations be-
cause he feared the dear and railroad
damaged public would be thereby stripped
of the protection of the common law. The
Great Falls and lexington companies
say: The newspapers have no more busi-
ness with the street railroads than the
railroads have with the newspapers" and
advise the Commissioners to tell the news
papers to go to Havana or Halifax or a
synonymous locality.
The Vanderbilt motto, ''The public be
ID which arises so spontaneously to
the lips of a semi-pubEc corporations own
ers and hired men will not commend itself
as rule of action 10 the Commissioners,
who. as conscientious public servants. rec
ognize and perform duty to the people.
The theory that a semi-public corporation
which receives from the community the
gratuitous and often exclusive use of the
streets is under no obligations to the COM
munity, that a common carrier created and
favored by the law is not subject to legisla-
tive regulation. and that the public has in
respect to these pampered beneficiaries no
rights which the latter are bound to respect
is at cnce impudent, offensive and ridicu-
IOus.
There is no presumption in assuming that
an honest newspaper, which cannot be
bribed to betray the public interest for the
benefit of special, private interests, repre-
sents the people Of a community and
speaks with their voice The newspaper
ObEAAl u uc anu VI tell Is the people 5 adNO-
cate. retained in advance to protect the
community's welfare against all assaults.
The Star is not perhaps entitled to all the
credit given to 1t by the Times for the de-
feat of the desperate and protracted effort
Of the overhead trolley people to fasten
their clutches upon Washington, but it con-
tributed in every way in its power to this
good end, and it now has the satisfaction
of seeing Installed i'll the national capital
On both the great street railway lines Of
the city an underground electric system on
the Buda-Pesth plan which it advocated a
source of comfort and pride to the COM
munity, and u model which is being fol-
lowed by other progressive American cities.
The Star enjoys the gratitude of an appre-
ciative community for its part in this fight,
and ii can endure with equanimfty the
spiteful and belated attacks of the over
head trolley people, their tools, lobbyists
and miscellaneous henchmen.