Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1902-01-17
MAGNATES TO THE FRONT.


of corporation magnates before the
committee on corporations OF the State
convention last week. Dick, Tom and
Harry. President Smith and Attorney
Brown, scurried to Richmond and
begged the committee to do nothing,
but leave such matters to the Legisla-
ture, which alone, they said, should
be entrusted with them. This would
be all right if the people were not too
we'll acquainted with the results of
leaving such things to the Legislature.
1t is a lamentable fact that the upper
branch of our Assembly has for years
been under corporate control, and
having learned how easy thing it is
to control the Legislature it is no won
der that important questions such as
corporate control and taxation should,
they say, be left to the Legislature.
To leave these questions to the Legis-
lature is to defeat them. and that fact
had as well be admitted, once for all
time, and the people instruct their
constitution makers to act regardless
of the Legislature.
1t has been amusing to hear some
of the statements made by these mag
mates. Abuses are more numerous
where railroads are attempted to be
governed than where they are not.
Freight and passenger rates said one,
are higher in the States where they
have no commission than where they
have. Lets see If they are. We have a
railroad in this State which thinks
nothing OF charging cents per mile
for passengers, if it chooses to do so, on
any of it's branches. We have rail-
road in this State which has declared
through it's officers that its policy is
not to allow any more coal to be mined
along it's line. We have several rail
roads in this State which charge ship
per just any sum they please when
there is no competition, regardless of
what it is worth to haul the freight.
In fact there is nothing more usual.
We cite the following in point. Some
time ago Car load of machinery was
shipped from Waynesboro, Penn, to a
point in West Virginia. The whole
freight charges from Pennsylvania to
the West Virginia point were $45. By
mistake the goods were wrongly billed,
and the car went seventeen miles fur
Their on than was intended. The rail-
road company was asked TO have the
car brought back to it's intended point.
The goods were never unloaded. The
charges for so doing were $50. so. That
is, the company when it had the ship
per in its power, charged $22.50 to-
haul car II miles, which had been
hauled 400 miles over two or three
different roads for $45. Yet one high
o f1icial proclaimed that he had heard
IN o complaint on the part of farmers
or shippers The statement caused
smile we know over much territory,
for the road that gentleman represent
ed is one Ct the most complained
gainst of all, and if its workings
were spread on the records of the con-
vention there would be no chance of
staying the convention in doing much
that has been outlined. When one
high official was speaking the chair
m an of the committee asked a few
very pertinent questions, and the
official said if such things had been
done they were wrong, but he did not
think isolated cases by one erring road
should he made to affect those who had
not committed such offenses. The
t ruth is that what the chairman asked
about was not an isolated case, but |
was THE POLICY of one of the lines of |
one of the greatest railroad systems in |
the United States.
1t is useless to deny that there are
many corporate abuses that ought to |
be corrected, and it is useless to deny
that the corporations are directly res
ponsi BILE for these abuses. They can.
not be corrected by legislation, because |
the corporations control the Legis- |
lature. Having done it in the past, |
we know they will do so in the future.
1t is useless for the people to become
a lar med over an attempt to correct |
corporate abuses. There is far more |
reason to become alarmed lest they be !
not corrected. The people have no
vast army of officers and attorneys to |
wire pull, and work, and influence
legislation in their behalf, they can
raise no great lobby fund when needed. |
The corporations keep men on their
rolls especially adapted to these things
and money ready to use if necessary.
The people have some chance in this
convention to prevent their everlast-
ing and eternal spoliation, and they
should not go to sleep and awake When
1t Is too late. We know that there is
no power like the power of the people. |
Before that power the heads of mon
archs have rolled away like ball,
Kingdoms have crumbled to decay, and
SO too may come the time when cor
porations and trusts may become SC
1nsolent that the people will be com
PEELED to rise in their might and hur
them from their place and power |
This can be avoided, if now, that W.T.
are making laws, we shall enact few
wholesome ones upon this very impor
tant subject. The issue IS forced on Ut
The college professor will now II,
his hand in running New York. He
has sold his ice stock, and his railway
stock, and his gas stock, and has i'll
fact laid aside all the sins that doth
10 easily beset him, and can run with