The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-09-21

| courtesy OF special rnilrond 3tre1ns, OF
| cars, for vote hunting trips or for So
| cial visits7'
what Is IT but graft when the Big
| -Four who compose the beef trust get
special freight rates, which enable them
TO drive competitors out OF business?"
"What Is IL but graft when a leader
In haute finance organizes the United
States Steel Corporation and invites a
conftdinr public to purchase sccurities.'
three-uuarters, If not four-fifths of which
represent nothing but water2 How many
thousands Of Ignorant, but innocent. IN.
vestors. relying upon the high charac-
ter deserved reputation. commanding
Influence, 'aeat ability financial stabil.
lty' and 'unblemished business honor Of
these men have beer ruined by having
these securities foisted Upon them3 All
the graft Of the Machens and Beavers,
who have been In government employ
for score OF years, Including even the
star route frauds, looks puny and In
significant beside the colossal sums
squeezed out OF the people through the
floating and manipulation OF Steel Cor
poraton stock, TO say nothing Of the
scores Of millions wrung from the people
in inflated prices charged for Its pro-
ducts because it was protected by a
tariff Of from s7.S4 a ton and upwards
on Its manufactures
what is 1t but graft when the schools
book trust is able to force It's books into
tho schools and keep other books out r.
Now as to the remedy, II remedy there
be, to this apparently all-pervadng graft.
First let us have an end to the idea
that he who corrupts the public off
cals directly or Indirectly and thus
secures valuable special privilege, there
by obtaining millions, has made his
money By business acumen, enterprise
and foresight, while the few hundreds
secured by petty swindlers through col
fusion with corrupt contractors have Sc
cured theirs by graft Whocser obtains
something for nothing whether It takes
the form Of water in an interstate rail-
road or trolley line. in a telegraph or
telephone company, in an electric light
or gas company; whether it Is an ,ln-
loading OF the securities Of a steel trust,
the milking Of the public through O tariff
on sugar. woolens, steel, salt or borax;
whether 1t is in the form Of a STANDARD
OIL monopoly, or n monopoly Of copper;
whether 1t takes the form of forestalling
population (either with or without adj
vance information Of what is projected),
and thereby reapng an enormous harvest
In 'unearned increment-all are grating
upon the body polite"
'"rho form OF graft which has been
most destructive Of public morality, is
eunquestionaby that Of the public service
corporations. There is not clean page
in their whole history; It has been one
Of long continued, persistent bribery, not
only in connection with the fine work,
which has been almost uniformly prac-
ticed in Inducing Legislative bodies to
grant the original franchises; the periodic
bribery OF subsequent legislatures through
which extensions and notifications have
been obtained; but equally persistently
Of the officials who are charged with the
duty Of enforcing the laws applicable to.
these corporations and Of seeing to 1t
that the terms Of their charters are
compiled with
so successful have the special privi-,
.lege corporations. Interstate railways,
urban and interurban railways. gas, wa
ter, electric light, telephone and telegraph
companies been in their evasion OF the
terms of their charters and Of the laws
governing their operation, and of those
levying taxes thereon, that 1t has become
the common expression: you don't sup
pose they obey the laws. do your"
Having drawn this powerful arraign-
ment OF the corporations and corporation
managers, whip have laid the foundation
for the carnival of graft which has been
running riot in America with increasing
violence for the last quarter of a cen
fury. the Hon. Mr. Baker suggests State
ownership of all such public utilities as
elimination OF this source Of political and
personal corruption. On tho face, Mr..
Bakers suggestion appears plausible, but
there Is no assurance that the graft in
the aggregate would not be Just as great
as dt is to-day between the railroads
owned by tho government and the other
corporations owned by private individ-
uals. In the limits OF this article 1t is
impossible to discuss the ownership of
railroads. This much is clear from Mr..
Bakers article, however, that honest cor
poration commissions and especially an
honest interstate commerce commission
with sufficient statutory powers and
backed by strong public sentiment can do
much toward removing this cancer which
is eating into our very vtals as q re-
public.
E-----==--=
The Family and the Tariff.
II tho Democratic campaign hand book
l n