The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-12-29
THE WORST CRIME or OUR DAY.

One of the foremost lawyers and
public men in America is Justice Gay
nor, of the New York Supreme Court.
He keeps pace with the needs of the
times and in public addresses and 9TH
erwise seeks to direct public opinion
along what he regards as right cham
nels Last week he delivered an
address before the New England So
'ciety of Duchess county. and. instead
of talking upon some obstruse subject
that would put his hearers to sleep he
chose the Invest theme in America to-
day, taking the transportation monop-
oily as his theme. From his address
these brief and illuminating sentences
are taken:
1.-The worst crime of our day is fav
oritism in freight rates upon our pub
lie highways
Discrimination in railroad rates. is
the mother of trusts. That the public
highways Of country should be used
to aggrandize a few by destroying
many is so infamous and so heartlesS
that we shall be looked back upon as
a generation largely lost to moral sense
for having suffered it to continue so
long 1t has done more wrong than
all the OIllcI ClIiuCS OCilIICu III OoA
statutes.
1.-THE first and greatest trust. was
built up wholly by discrimination In
railroad freight rates. and all the IN
furious trusts are fostered if not
wholly sustained by'it. When the oil
of one man or set OF men was carried
to market by the railroads at, speak
ing approximately freight charge of
one-quarter or one-half what ali 9TH
ers had topaz. the latter were ruined
and had to quit. They could sink
wells and refine oil just as we'll as
their rivals. but when such rivals got a
reduction or rebate in freight rates
which enabled them to ruinously un-
dersell all others. that was the end
of the rivalry And this is only an
illustration of what has been done In
other great branches of production.
The Atlanta Journal says that half
a dozen railroad systems yearly levy
and collect from the people of the
United states tax almost five times
as great as the sum which the govern
ment of the United States realizes
from its import duties and tnat
because of the impotence of the inter-
state commerce commission they are
not required to give an accounting to
any one under heaven, the language
of the New York judge does not ap-
pear TO be too strong. The condition
is a crime against the sovereignty of
the people,
Secretary of the Navy Morton. long
q successful railroad man, declares
that he has long believed in govern
ment regulation. Until the Presidents
ssage appeared Mr.. Morton has
been careful TO conceal such opinions,
but his views may be called expert
testimony Other railroad men have
expressed like opinion. Some-doubt-
less Mr.. Morton among them-are
sincere in the expression of their views.
But if anybody supposes that Cassatt,
j. Pierpont Morgan and the other
four men who yearly levy almost four
times as great a sum as the govern
ment of the United States realizes
intend to permit the Interstate Com
merce Commission to fix and regulate
rates. they know little of the motives
that actuate such men.
If Mr.. Roosevelt insists upon an act
that actually gives this power 10 the
commission, he is in for a war. If he
consents to law that is acceptable
to Morgan and Cassatt, as it is re-
ported he will DO. then the whole thing
Will be a farce