Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1906-07-27
THE RAILROADS AXE SURE,

the treatment they are receiving fl ON
the public They seem surprised that
those holding public office. the public
press, and the people are against them
The Cause is easily found They are
like Easau with every mans hand
against them, becauaa their band is
against every man. This is discover
able whenever railroad gets an indi
vidual in its power. Then it fl iya him
aliv..
We have sean this more fully dem
onstraIed along branch Of the G. so.
known as the Greenbrier division than
anywhere, simply because we have
come in contact with freight handlii g
there more directly there than else
where. We have also been tied by
the b. & 0. whenever it had the
chance, bat the Greenbrier division
of the G. & o. holds the blue ribbon
and will lay on the raw hide as scienti
fically as any in the land if your back
is ever barred to it. One can ship stuff
into the country where tn 1t road runs
with some reasOnableness, but let the
small shipper undertake to get any.
thing out, that is ship back toward
Ronceverte from toward Durbin and
he will never fully recover his breath.
Once party had an engine and saw
mill shipped from Way nesboro. Penn
to Cass, w. Va. which is On the Green
brier division. The freight bill, speak
ing just now from memory. was about
$43. The party buying the engine did
not want it at Cass, but wanted it at
Marlinton, SO asked the railroad to
return the car from Cass to MarlintOn
the Car had never been unlOaded-
and when he went to pay the freight
bill for bringing the car from Cass to
Marlinton, distance not exceeding 25
miles, it was-speaking from memory
about $45; that is So more than was
charged by all the roads bringing it
say 400 miles from Waynesboro, Penn,
to Cass. W. Va.
Not long since party shipped a Car
about half full of stuff from an Old
lumber camp, the whole worth at pub.
lie auction Was not much over $3.50.
from Marlinton to White Sulphur,
distance Oft IS miles say-and the Charge
was $33 Thus it goes on every day,
nr,lu fhic o1,
all lines, and the people are powerless
to complain. In w. Va. there is no
one to complain to, they have no rail
road commission out there, and the
courts are the only resource. Until
recently these have been kind to the
roads. The habit is now wearing off
eyen with them, with time and trouble.
We heard of judge out there who had |
bought $50 mileage book with a $40 |
rebate. when he had used the book he |
vent to the agent who sold him the |
book and demanded his $40 The agent |
'ald be could not refund it, but would |
'end the book to a certain Mr. Farm
sr, Philadelphia gentleman who gets
/ rake off in this business. The Judge,
however, would not daily, he went
traight to magistrate and sued for
lis ten dollars and got judgment. This
hOws that the love bonds are being
broken between the roads and the
courts.
But going back to the question of
Why everybody's hand is against the
ailroads. we have only to say that our
'eople treasure these lniquities, they
'lde their time and when the day
Omes they drive the knife home just
Is it has been driven home in them.
Why railroads treat the public as a
rigand does a village, or a wolf does
lamb, We have never been able to
iscern. Why it does not go ON the ,
rinciple of live and let live, We have !
ever known. But we suppose there ,
J feeling of superiority in riches over
overly, OF power over impotence that ,
nles in these matters. Wise coun-
lis and an honest effort to be fair +
ould change much of this, and posi- j.,
ly the day will come when even the !,
lightly, those who lord it over the law, @
Jay heed the words of Solomon: go
the ant thou sluggard, consider her +
avs and be wise.'' y