Hutchinson gazette. [volume] (Hutchinson, Kan.) 1895-1902, 1899-09-14

what 1t would cost TO replace oil tho
railroads with their equipment and
property of every description Tho
100 per cent or more of bonds ana
stocks above actual value Ia due large
ly, but not altogether 10 watering, for
TO some extent II represents eStrava'
gance to construction and shrlnkagc
In values
The immense volume OF this busi-
ness, whose receipts aggregate nearly
three times, and whose net revenues
about equal, the total receipts OF the
National Government, shows that II
must be regulated by public control IN
some form, 1t touches the public wei
fare at too many points to be left UNI
controlled by no considerations SUI
perior to the profits Of the corporations
or the caprices of their managers Az
the same time the immense bulk shows
also the difficulty OF wise or effective
supervision and the incalcula6le harm
alike TO the carriers and the public II
that supervision were done by unskill'
full or hostile hands,
One Of the greatest evils OF the pres
ent system IL the pronCness OF these
corporations to intervene in politics
Realizing that q government by tho
people Is only possible when the gov
eminent Is kept untouched by the
power Of great moncycd combinations,
there Is nothing which arouses public
indignation more than the almost UNI
concealed interference OF these corpor'
ations In the nomination and election
OF legislators, congressman, governors
and United States senators Their
contributions to presidential campaign
funds Is n national scandal. Worse
than all Is their influence in the mp
pointment OF the life judiciary OF the
Federal Government and recent evil
dence given before the Industrial Com
mission shows that they are not above
tam erlng with the nomination and
election Of state Judges chosen by the
people,
1t is not for such purposes as these
that corporations nre chartered, Their
interference In such matters is not to
advance but TO thwart the public in
erest, Such expenditures OF effort
and Of money are not made without
expectation Of most adequate returns
They are not necessarily made in be-
half Of either political party, for tho
late Jay Gould cynically expressed the
truth when he said that sin Demo-
cratic district he was u Democrat and
in Republican district u Republican,
but in every one u railroad man"
This interference IN the nomination
and election Of public officials fatlgues
popular indignation even more than
the Hobbies maintained In Congress
and state legislatures, to affect legis-
lation and is q great lover towards
forcing demand for government own
ership Of railroads
The greatest OF evils attendant upon
the present system, viewed from FIN
ancial standpoint, greater than excess
s,ve rates, and more difficult TO re.
press, because secret Is discrimination
in rates BY this means individuals
and even cities can be destroyed and
others built up by their destruction.
The Standard Oil Co, which forced
the railways to carry its products at 30
cents per barrel while compelling
them not only to charge all Others so
cents per barrel, but even to pay the
extra so cents paid by its rivals into
into the Standard Oil treasury, is q
sample Of the methods Of these modern
highwaymen, the trusts The Stand
ard OIL Company is shown to have re-
ceived from tho railroads $40, OOO 900
bonus by this means in IS months.
Other corporations have followed tho
same methods until small manufacture.
ers have been crushed out and equality
Of opportunity which was the boast Of
our institutions has become non-exis.
tent.
The crucial question for solution is
whether the interference of great cor.
porations in politics and their secret
discrimination in rates, whereby trusts
are created and sustained, cum be sup.
pressed without resort to government
ownership. These evils must be eli.
minated, The hope OF America lies in
the very fact that our people will not
submit to such abuses much longer.
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Real prosperity cannot be said to
flourish In community like that of
New York today when labor organiza-
tions report $1,000 Nom bcrs unem.
ploycd Who will attempt to estimate