The farmer and mechanic., 1906-05-29
TIE "YEIIOW DOGS" ECLIPSE.

When the country was ringing with
the scandals disclosed by the inVes-
tigation of insurance conditions in
New York. this paper ventured the
statement that when in the fullneSS Of
time there should be obtained even
an inkling of tho corruption practiced
by the great railroad systems, the
country in the shock of the surprise
would almost have q memory of Hyde,
McCurdy and Mccall each glowing be-
hind his separate halo. The mere
crust Of the abuses has been scratch
cd and already the force of the pre-
diction made at that time is Nividly
illustrated in the cartoon printed else
where in this issue from the Balti-
more News The PENNSYLVANIA Rail
road has been called the daddy of
the railroad trust. It's family needs
attention no less than the boss
The present Investigations conduct
ed by the interstate commerce COM
mission disclose q state OF affairs
which had been suspected as existing.
but the extent and virulence of the
w
as the time has been which has been
devoted to these examinations the re-
suits are amazing. 1t appears not
only that the PENNSYLVANIA system
through it's known ownership Of coal
mines has been practicing every sort
OF unfair discrimination to the Sitting
of competition, but that there has
est and dirtiest sort of individual graft
Through its monopoly of the CARRYING
facilities the road itself has not only
forced the mine owners to strict
obedience. destroying those that were
not comp!acent and reWarding others
who lent themselves to the wrong
but it appears that in several nota BILE
instances officers connected with the
road have practically sold the right
to do business with the world for
stocks in the coal companies for which
they paid nothing. With the weapon
OF the control of ears. it is easy for
the PENNSYLVANIA to make or destroy
d coal company. 1t occupies the last
strategic stand of black-mail and
highway robbery. The attitude of the
railroad man in a position to act has
been powerfully suggestive In effect
it has amounted to a demand like that
made Of a dive by the polce-that to
do business" the man that has the
power to "shut uD the Joint must be
fixed The difference such as exists,
is to the Advantage of the police who
in the event Of opposition tightly
close a resort of vice: whereas when
the railroad is defied. the business
that goes to the wall is not only legi-
innate. but one in which the public
is directly and vitally interested.
From a mass of testimony showing
the receipt Of coal stocks by men
prominent in the Pennsylvania man
agement as practical gifts demanded
from the company. together with the
sale of mines forced into liquidation
by the arbitrary refusal Of cars. We
take the following Is Illustrative Of
methods which have been in vogue:
F. 4. NonBoyenburG general man
ager for Reikard Brothers & Com
pany. mine operators. testified that the
business of the company had been
practically ruined through inability to
secure cars. From 100 cars in 1904 !.
the supply was reduced gradually to
80 in 1905. The witness said that
at one period his company was COM
PEELED to sell coal that cost S1.4S to
produce as low si.05 in order to
keep the miners at work. The mines
he said. had been operated al a loss
for the past two years and a half Ha
had complained he said to almost
every official of the Pennsylvania Rail
road. but got no relief
belleVe said the witness. thar
somebody high up gave orders ~
freeze me out and all of the otbe,o
Simply followed instructions I haIie,a
that y j. Cassatt is Responsible
believe through the community ..e
'erest plan he controls most Of tbe