The Tucson citizen., 1902-02-01
RAILROAD DISCRIMINATION.

ON barrel OF on from b'"li'01l' W
EI Paso. distance of about 500 miles is
something about - cents, and that the
freight on the same commodity from
beaumont to Tucson less than 3oo
miles further than FL Paso is about
four times as great he begins to ap-
preciate the commercial necessity OF
restraint on the management OF rail-
roads The State of Texas has rail-
road commission and through it the
railroads are compelled to give the
people of that State reasonable rates.
Arizona has no railroad commission
and in consequence the railroads charge
"all that the traffic viii bear
The Interstate commerce commits
sion has done its duty fairly we'll in
pointing out in the most forcible terms
the defects of the present Interstate
commerce law and the consequences
that result from them. Year after year
the commissioners have called the at
tention of Congress and the people to
the need of amendment to tne law
which will give the commission ade-
quate power to enforce the laws
against discrimination in rates. Year
after year these recommendations
have been dsregarded, under the in
fuence of the people who pronI by
the defects of the law.
For years the proof of this defiance
of law has been unequestionable. 1t
has become notorious that the busi-
ness men who took advantage of
these violations regarded the obliga-
tions of the law as moral only, be-
cause there was no way of adequately
Furnishing them for the violation of it.
And a moral obligation seems to count
very little if there is any money tc
be made by ignoring it. Probably
wearied of the public Indifference to
the wrOng-doing the commission in its
last report says:
That the leading traffic officials of
the principal railway lines men oc-
cupying high position and charged
with the most important duties. should
deliberately yioiate the statute law
of the land. All in some cases agree
with each OIner to do SO: that it
should be thought by them necessary
to destroy vouchers anu to so mani
pulate bookkeeping as to Obliterate
evidence of the transactiOn that hun
dreds of thousands of dollars snOuld
he paid in unlawful rebates to a few
great packing houses; that the busi-
ness of railroad transportation, the
most important but one in the coun-
try today. paying the highest salaries
and holding out to young men the
greatest inducements, should to such
an extent be conducted in open dis
regard Of law. must be surprising and
offensive to all right minded persons.
This would seem to be true, and yet
it is not. for either the very thing
that he commission complains of Is
it has not been surprising and of
fensive to all right-minded persons,
or. if we accept it's statement fully
the number of right minded persons
is very limited and they are not in
Congress or engaged in business. 1t is
largely through this unlawful dis
elimination and the protective tariff
that the most oppressive trusts OF
the country have been built up. ant
yet there are people who claim to be
right minded, and who assert thai
these trusts are necessary economic
developments" and really beneficial tt
the country
And furthermore, the government
and the public have seen these viola
tions going on year after year with
out any evidence of moral shock
They have seen business men crushed
by giant rivals through this laWess
ness. They have seen cities GIscrlmn
ated against. They have seen the peo
pie of vast extents Of territory fOrccr
to pay tribute on the necessarics o
life. And they have titled these law
breakers captains of industry" an
have fallen down and worshippe
them A professor in a great Uni
versity has seriously maintained tha
they were the geniuses of the age-th
Shakespeares and Millions, with mind
turned to commercial pursuits
There is something hopeful in I'll
fact that body of officials has dare
to speak out thus plainly. but 1t mu
be remembered that 1t will require
tremendous struggle to remedy tn
vested wrong. The most tremendo'
interests OF the country will be a
rayed agains 1t, and the spirit of cor
mercialism has so permeated and