Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1906-07-06
KINGS CAN DO No WRONG.

Anb,opists for the railways In tneir
,onte tnpttious ignoring of the Chuicn'
mon rent rate bill, Rec nothing the
Gods conld do but ignore the law. Inls
ia strange Iugic. Must the cons''.u
tiopality of laws be decided ny '4
persons affected, or by the cour's =,
by the persons, the courts nave snan
functions. Suppose the laws re'a',''
to robbery. arson, gambling, or 'he
Vending Of liquor should be chahgeu
BY our Legislature Suppose thefe ~o'
learned lawyers who declared Iha' 'n
now laws could not he enforced against
onv ,awbreakers in any OF these llhes
because unconstitutional. wo1ld ihe
parties be justifable in ignoring 'he
laws aud continuing their eiiinee
When the Legislature declares tnlhg
sb,.ll not be done, then to do that lnths
ia a violation of law, until the law ID
annulled by competent tribunal.
The Virginia Legislature has SAID 10
the Railroads unless you 40 SUCH
ltbino Won shall not collect more than
2 cents per mile from any passenger on
your lines. The railroads have saiu
"to with vour statute, we VIII
do AS we please" The roDber, Tue
gambler. or the owner OF whisKsy
J Joint. has just as much right t" o Oh
in the face of statute as railway
| This conduct is among the most re-
markable ever known. Here are cor
porations who have pursued the Leg
e | islatures relentlessly in order to gel
Q every law passed they could devise iol
K their advantage and gain. which wall
g into the private property OF the GIL
II zens of the State even into the ahode
o of their dead. to stake out their lihe
q and build their roads, without so mucl
II AZ asking the owners leaves WHICH klc
!. this passenger off their trains beoaus
al he does not do this thing, and that on
n off because he does that which require
v ticket holder to run from one end Q
Of town to another to Gnd aoMe agen
D. who shall put some kind OF stamp o
l. some ticket. else the whole is forfeit
ic ed. which demands for mileage book
IN 33t percent. more than the aileRea TAR
20 and then requires signatures upon to
i'll of signatures to be made, or they poci
Of ct the money promised to be returne
IT, to the owner; which require passel
10, ger in some of it's cars to wear tags
It, their hats for Identification. whilst
80 their trains, after the manner of co
ID yict in a penitentiary who Wea
II stripes, and yet these people who hea
c. bardships and indignitles on those wi
az are compelled to travel, who are
he punctillious when the laws are bro
re en- which are to their interest, and
tic defiant and regardless of laws while
he are not. hold their cOnclaves, consu
in their lawyers, and issue proclaim
ton in effect "TO 49, with your laws
IN. 1t is the first instance of bold, OPP
nv and published defiance. They ha
! q detied the laws often, they have tra
Dh- pied on them as if they were trash
,ut the highway, but never before ha
An they called the public to witness th
Ia they and their law makers may 20
is. -. Yet we hear some say they a
a right. Nero had his defenders, 30 b
ike Hannah, but Nero was driven to des
kill at his own hand, and Haman was
ad tually hanged. The fate of these t
de distinguished persOnages might be p
her fitably studied by some OF the rul'
no in the railway world.