The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-02-07
IMMORTALITY.
A state of RafIroad Affairs That Calls
for Plain Speaking.
San Francisco Chronicle.

San Francisco Chronicle.
The official disclosures Of rate-cutting
which have been made before the Inter
state-commerce Commission merely locate
definitely a few cases of violation or law
such as everybody understands to be COM
mon. They are annually reported by the
commission as certainly in constant &C.
currence, although not ordinarily capable
of proof. Traffic managers OF important
railroad systems confessed without reserve
that they were constantly violating the
law by giving rebates TO large shippers.
Under the law they cannot be prosecuted
on their own testimony and we hear or
no steps toward prosecuting those who
nave received the rebates or even for COM
polling the restitution OF the stolen money
1t is, in fact. notorious that such crimes
are not punishable for the reason shat
high officers OF railroads will unhesftat-
ingly periure themselves rather than tes-
tify 10 facts which would send their &C
completes or even their competitors TO
prison.
such a state OF affairs requires plain
speaking. II our great railroad systems
are manned by lawbreakers and perJuferS
governed by precisely the same code or
ethics which governs the thieves and muir
derers who fill our penitentiaries, II Is TIME
that the public understood the situatoa TX
such a condition exists IL IL an lndlcallon
that our entire commercial system Is based
ON fraud and supported, when necessary,
by perjury. We have no commercial nen
more likely 10 be honorable. or having
greater appearance OF an honorable NE.
than the high-salariec officers Of our great
industrial and carrying corporations. IL
these men will hire themselves out 10 gor-
porations to cheat and lie We certainly
cannot expect anything better from retail
ers or travelling statesmen or their employ
ers. And 1t is a fact well known 70 al Tno
have extended commercial dealings thai In
all these classes liars are so numerous
that nobody can tell. at least IN dealing
with STRANGERS, whether he is getting the
truth or not. 1t is. however, generally sup
posed TO be true that as men get old and
money in trade they adopt the
truth habit as they adopt other luXurlcs,
expecting the lying TO be done by their
hired men.
IL is necessary TO deal thus plainly with
this subject I'm order that remedies may
be applied before it Is too late. History
teaches that rotten Civilizations rave hitn-
erto persisted in social cataclysms. II 10
believed that mankind has now reached a
development in which reform may be ef-
fected without massacre. But this presup-
poses that there still remains In the COM
munity an energetic majority or honest
men which will not only ecOgnize infamy
and punish the infamous but viii take
measures 10 enable honest men 10 pursue
their aVocations unvexed by the competi-
ton Of ~rascals. But we shall never reach
that point il we shut our eyes 10 existing
conditions. The man who gives or accepts
an unlawful rebate. not given 20 all ship
pers. is more dangerous 10 society h a
redhanded murderer. He f. morally as
rotten and should be driven 90 herd with
the criminal class TO which he belongs.