Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-06-17

petroleum had all-that Anglo-Saxon con-
fdence in the justice of, the courts and in
II we could get Jaw enacted by Congress
prohibiting railway determinations, then
We would have no more railway discrimf-
nations and no more trouble. We paid
$1,000 to retired railroad attorney Of
great ability to draft an anti-discrimina-
ton bill. The conditions were that 1t should
be a bill that when enacted into law the
railway companies 9coufd not drive a train
OF cars through. Judge Reagen of Texas
took charge Of that bill. and we spent
eight long years circulating petitions, get
ting men to petition Congress to pass that
DILL You all know what a magnificent fight
Reagen and the friends of that measure
made in Congress for its passage.
Interstate Commerce Law Violated.
I'VE all thought that that bill was al
most ruined by the column amendments
in the Senate, but, however, after many
weary years of waiting and working, the
measure was passed and we had the inter-
state commerce law, but do you know that
these great railway combines and monopo-
listic combinations don't seem to care any
more for that law than though 1t was not
upon the statute books7 By every subter-
fuge they evade and violate It. II this
great monopolistic power can control the
appointment of Supreme Court judges and
Attorney Generals, they don't care what
the law is They are becoming bigger than
the law. aye, bigger than the government
itself. They dare to threaten the inter-
state commerce commission and Ignore us
orders, and this commission Of this great
government seems powerless to perform
the duties provided for 1t In the law that
created 1t.
Topeka and Santa Fe railroad went into the
hands of a receiver and about the first
thing that that receiver found out was that
the officials of that road in short time
prior-two or three years-had paid out to
monopolies, trust-favored shippers, over
seven millions Of dollars in rebate. and
while this was a states prison offense there
seemed no disposition on the part OF the
attorney general to bring these great Grim
inals to judgment These great railway and
monopolistic combines seem to overshadoW
the government and dictate and control the
action of its officials. Behind the power of
railway discrimination, the Big Four beef
combine, the sugar trust the steel com
bine. the Standard Oil Company and the
rest of these trust combinations feel so Sc
cure in their power to throttle competition
and plumber the producers and consumers
of America that the stock of these COM
panies, some of them from 80 to SO per cent
water, are selling from two to four hundred
cents on the dollar
Mr.. Chairman, the greatest battle in the
record of time has been fought by Mr..
George Rice Of Marietta Ohio, for the right
to do business in this free land for the
right to do the business Of his choice. What
part Of the seventies the railway managers
to cripple Rice in the interests of the Stand
ard Oil Company people raised and doubled
the rate on oil out Of Marietta, where Rices
refineries were. The raise was only on Oil,
and only out of Marietta.
A Remedy Proposed.
1.-The control of the public highways is
the most important duty Of the govern
ment. Give me the control of the highway
over which the products of your labor must
go to market and let me fix the charges,
and 1 can make you my slave. The eleven
billions of capital combined in the railways
of the republic, organized, as they are, I'M
der joint traffic and passenger association.
in which they have throttled the law Of
competition, and have constituted one
gigantic railway trust, controlling the high
ways of the people, debating who shall and
who shall not do the business of the coun-
try condemning this man to poverty and
that man to riches. These eleven billions Of
capital holding this power combined with
the Standard Oil Company, the sugar trust,
the steel combine, the Big Four beef COM
bine the tin plate trust, together with all
the billions organized in trust combinations.
have constituted themselves the political
dictator of the country. They furnish the
millions for corrupt political campaign pur-
poses. They assume to own the votes of all
the men in their employ and he who be-
comes politically obnoxious to them Is
blacklisted and turned out to starVe or
hunt a new occupation
Condemn by Eminent Domain Power.
How can these railways be taken from
these corporations?, 1t IS easy, the public
welfare demands 1t under the eminent do
main of the state. The power exists to
condemn these railway properties just as
under the eminent domain Of the state
private lands were condemned on which to
build these railways for the public welfare.
hoe them
they are truly worth, and in this tranSac-
ton let us be careful that no injustice is
done enither to the people or to the stock
holders of these railways. But some one
says how could the government pay the
interest upon the enormous public debt
which this purchase would create. Mr.
Chairman, the people who are the gov
ernment are paying it today. These cor
porations are taxing the people by exorbi-
tant freight rates to pay the interest on all
of the bonded debt of these roads, dividends
on much watered stock, and in addition,
hundreds of millions annually for the bene-
fit of these trusts, monopoles and favored
shippers.
Under government ownership the people
are only changing the managers of their
highways, for these railways are the peo-
pies highways, and one of the greatest
jurists that this land ever produced has
said that a public highway cannot be pri-
vate property And the people have the
right to control their highways and main
tain them on the principles of equality.
One of the great advantages of national
ownership Is that the bonded debt neces-
sary to acquire these roads could be placed
by the government al from IL to 3 per cent
less interest annually than the bonded debt
of these roads are now placed under cor
porate management and this great reduc-
ton of interest would be an important fac
tor in cheapening the cost of transporta-
ton upon the products of the people. But
greater advantage, a more overshadow-
ing advantage Of government ownership is
+l,o ryntrI6 he al lie to cEalya ofPf
grip of these monopolists from the Threats
of the people.
Does Not Fear Power of Patronage.
But some good men fear the power of
patronage which the national ownership of
railways would give the party in power.
DO not fear 1t, that can be controlled by
civil service laws, but even If the national
ownership of railways would be source
of strength to the party in power, they
would be obliged to be responsible to the
people for a just, honest and fair admin
istration.
These evils can be prevented by assum-
ing control of these railways and guaran-