Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909, 1904-12-16
The Hand of Corporations Visible

The Hand of Corporations VlSiDie'
There is not private citizen
in the United States who can
bring an action under any of our
statutes against railway corpora
lions for extortion or even fraud,
though the evidence be conclu-
sive and irrefutatle and obtain
certain punitive damages, nor
will our courts infict penal retri-
button upon any of the many
offending corporations.
We are Informed that there are
no penal clauses in our statutes
for the government of railway
corporations. 1t is visible from
remote point of view that such
statutes were written by the
hand of very able railway attor-
neys and passed in state and
national legislatures by corpora
ton lawyers.
NO PROIECl1ON FON 1NoDCNA4A>l
OR CONSUMER.
Railway extortion is species
of robbery practiced under cover
of charters creating corporations
OF public carriers.
A freight rate is charge for
the transportation of certain
1commodity to its destination,
and must be paid by the shipper,
who in most cases is railway
agent, purchases the product
from the producer, he deducts
| cost of transportation from the
: price paid to the producer hence
the producer is compelled to pay
the railway extortion.' If the
$ producer ships his own products
a to market he pays the railway
l extortion, and adds it to the
| price paid by the consumer. .
i All railway extortion is paid
t either by the producer or con-
=, sumer. It is immaterial how
many middlemen may handle the
product, the extortion in freight
rates is just SO much robbery
i practiced under forms of law
5 upon either the producer or con-
e sumer, FOR which there is nc
/ remedy under any statute for TIE
y control of the railway corpora
II tions of the United States.
u We are told that the law pro
% vided that all rates shall be JUS
and reasonable, but the law tall!
to say what is just reasonable
and provided no penalty for rail
s. way extortion to the degree 0
,e even notorious robbery.
,e An action may be brought II
n Federal Court at the expens
~ of the party who has been out
er rageously plundered and If h
a. can defeat an army cf corporation
tn lawyers, he, may receive tn
IS. difference between what the cour
RI may conclude is just rate an
a rate of extortion.
I'd If the middlemen do the shlT
raj ping, the producer and consume
of have no standing i'll court VIII /
er- ever, nor can ;hSv make an al
m peal to any tribunal under heave
IL for relief. This piracy has b=e
ars in progress for a whole gener
"a ton, and our party bosses e:
led holt us to further tolerance
ill this system of extortion, robbel
Id and spoilation,-whlle our OF
NO cial bunco-steerers tamper Wi
the this corporate monster IN cou1
the and legislatures, state al
to national.
the Have we no statesmen W
ted see the eminent peril to our d
ner mestic and foreign commerce,
Ird- not indeed to our internal peae
A Cannot our renowned Jurlsts a
,so- distinguished legislators give t
| be people some form aud order t<
idle national po2icv which will ex
sion its i,.hleuc- to protect the P
ION, ducer and consumer from
the claws and NAV of the greed
fha, colp,rauon~? Ii rot there /
and power tna, VIII give supreme
tor preston 20 3 viii under
the white heat its indignation
new will melt l'.suly corporate
lad upon the ii IF burning y
ling cano. r. nj. HOPKINS
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