Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1903-06-12
CORPORATE DISREGARD OF LAW.

1t is usual to hear corporations
moan and groan over laws passed for
their control. They assume response
bility for all the good accomplished in
this country in conjunction with the
Republican party of which they form
a large and conspicuous part. and
therefore are sacred, they seem to
think. They have usually controlled
the Legislatures of the States, they
absolutely dominate congress, they
have had at their disposal many of the
courts and occasionally they have
been rather certain of the President.
Fortified thus 1t is not strange that
they should seek to own any small
sections they did not previously con
troll, and it is not at all strange that
they should handle any section as a
king handles his vassals, or indeed as
a negro slave driver is said to have
handled the slaves under him. So
customary has this become that the
people have learned submission. and
are generally afraid to enter a remOn-
STRANGE. But now there is a war that
goes over the heads of the people.
Having devoured about all in sight,
corporations have in at least one not
able instance begun TO devOur each
other. Tie Pennsylvania railroad, a
gigantic aud Very imperious ruler Of
the east was astonished sometime ago
to behold giant from the west walk
ing into its domain. This young
western athlete was ordered off, but
he declined to 10. Then began the
battle. This giant was the Gould
system of railroads a system which had
never been known in the east, but
which having grown beyond the stat
ure of ordinary manhoo cd In it's own
country went out seeking conquest
elsewhere. It is fact that history
nor fable have ever recorded a case of
apparent greater outrage than that of
the Goulds undertaking to build a
railroad east to the Atlantic according
to the Pennsylvania story book.
Wheresoeyer they went the''territory,
was that of the Pennsylvania railroad,
and to dare enter it meant war to
the knife and the knife to the hilt.
The Goulds were the largest owners OF
Western Union stocks, the poles of
this company were in many places up
ON the rights of way of the Penn
sylvania railroad. The telegraph COM
pany was notified to take them off. 1t
did not remove them because the rail-
road told them to. but asked court
whether they should be removed. The
court said these poles were not law
fully there as the term of the contract
had expired. Most any person other
than this naughty and imperious rail-
road would haYe allowed reasonable
time for their removal. But no. Be-
fore the court had pronounced its
opinion the railroad company had an
army of men with axes, and the mo-
ment the decree was pronounced these
men were put to work and they tore
down and destroyed $75O.0OO worth of
property in few hours. Such case
has no parallel. These poles were
placed there under contract, and a
reasonable time should have been al
lowed for their removal. This was
denied by the railroad and precedent
has been set which will evidently come
often to haunt it. Suppose for in.
stance train were wrecked and it
should fall upon the land of a citizen.
with equal right he might set torch
to it and burn it off his premises.
A thousand cases can be cited where
the destruction of property would be
far more justifiable than this one of
the Western Union telegraph poles.
The railroad threw these poles on the
property of others for hundred miles.
The adjacent land owners should not
have had their property injured by
this dumping of tangled wires and
kindling wood on them. But this
shows the utter and absolute disregard
that corporation had for the rights of
others.
Is it remarkable then, seeing the
spirit which is infused into such cor.
porations, spirit of disregard and
defiance to all rights and all property
of others, that States are rising in
their might and saying to them, thus
Tar shalt thou 60 and no further? The
example cited is one. which NAV not
trench largely on the general rights of
the public, being a case of dog eat
dog, but only those are blind who do
not see. if such acts are perpetrated
by one corporation on another
where the poor individual will stand.
and we may we'll ask ourselves what
rights will we soon have if the Penn.
sylvania railroad continues its course
OF destruction to all interests it i'm
AGNES initiate against it? Can we
indeed live without a permit from this
our Lord and Master?
->-S->-
Mr.. Roosevelt visited the tomb of
Lincoln on his recent trip. Finding
negro soldiers On guard there be pro
ceeded in his characteristic way to tell
Them what great people they are, and
how he loves the color, and how an
propriate it is for them to guard that
tomb, and wound up with that ancient
story about how he had fought side
by side with colored troops at Santiago
Lincoln unquestionably was fond Of q
joke. but to have followed him to his
fkI.u al.