Omaha daily bee., 1905-08-01
THE RAILROADS AND THE PEOPLE.

Norfolk Press: II must be nice thing 10
be railroad and pay your taxes with an
injunction.
Albion News: The lcaven is surely work
Ing. just think Of t.! At the county con.
yention in Lancaster county the repub-
lican candidate for congress delivered a rip
roaring anti-monopoly speech, and was
cheered to the echo. still morel A reso-
luton condemning the free pass was
adopted with a whoop. What does it mean
There is no machine or combination power
full enough to combat public sentiment.
Auburn Granger; The State Journal attrl-
! butes the election OF a republican 20 con-
gress from the First district OF Nebraska
to the stand taken by the republicans in
convention against the free pass as a bribe.
Who'd have thunk e.? The anti-free pass
question was frenEied populsm q few years
ago, but let the good work 60 on, for the
free pass in the pocket OF an official is
surely a bribe direct or otherwise. and
all truly patriotic Nebraskans should hail
with rejoicing the death knell thereof. II
such It be.
Bradshaw Republican: The editor of this
paper has small suggestion to make,
though in a small and feeble way. The sug-
gestion is this. Let a convention of all re-
publican editors OF the state be held at
some convenient point Lincoln, for in
stance. Let the railroad pass question to-
gether with its relative bearing and in
tiuence as brlbe upon the newspaper edi-
tors of the state be canvassed, and II after
cool, careful, deliberate and impassioned
discussion OF the entire question and situa-
ton, it is found that the pass does act as
gag or restrainer to the press in dis
cussing the evils Of the free pass system,
let resolution be passed returning to the
railroads every mile Of transportation held
by all republican editors, then cut loose
with a free and, untrammeled swing and
make a campaign so hot and furious that
the steel rails Of the railroad will fairly
sizzle. Come fellows, IL you are in real
earnest about this free pass question
you are ready to do what is fair-no quib-
bling, no squirming.
Grand Island Independent: Business by
lawsuit Is not the kind of a proposition
that would commend itself to the average
farmer, manufacturer or merchant. Yet
that Is the method OF transactlng affairs
which is now proposed to fasten upon the
railroads of the country by means of the
proposed rate legislation. Every success
tul business man knows that the best way
Of doing business is by conference and
contract between the parties interested
rather than through the efforts of an out
fail that recourse is had in the courts
These excerpts are from one of the latest
made-to-order editorials provided for the
country newspapers by the railroad literary
bureau at Omaha. Business by lawsuit is
not the best business proposition. But
what business man would want to do bust
ness in a country in which there was no
recourse to courts? Or in line in which
he was convinced he had no equal and fair
opportunity? And the average business
man, farmer and manufacturer is becoming
convinced that at present these conditions
prevail to a greater or lesser extent in our
own country. There is abundant evidence
to show that conferences and contracts
have been unavailing in the eradication of
disc -iminations in favor of some firms and
localities, and hence these means have
failed. The people of the country do not
object so much to the earnings, real or
supposed that railroads are making as
they do to the manner in which they are
making them.