The Farmville herald. [volume] (Farmville, Va.) 1890-1934, 1906-05-25
ON TIE ROAD TO ANARCHY

The Richmond News-Leader say
that "the most audacious and shame
less confessions Of rascality TO which
the public has been treated are those OF
the Pennsylvania railroad officials be-
fore the Interstate Commerce Commits
sion" Ithad been charged for years
that officials Of that and other rail-
roads have held stock i'm coal mines
and that they were using the railroads
10 discriminate against "lndepcndenl
coal companies; that is, companies that
had not bribed the officials with blocks
Of stock. OF course This charge was
denied Lying and perjury are quite
common among officials of many of
our large corporations Even John j.
Rockefeller, John ID. Archibold, and
Henry Rogers declare and swear that
the Standard Oil Company is innocent
of wrong-doing.
1t was proven before the Commits
sion that leading officials of the Penn
sylvania railroad had been bubed
either by blocks Of $ took or
by cash, TO discrim mate i'm
favor Of certain coal mines, and il was
also brought out that Robert K. Cas-
satt son Of the president Of the Penn
sylvania railroad, is interested in "a
number Of these coal mines, and that
they were favored by the Pennsylvania
system. New freight rates We're given
m special consideration Of young Cas-
satt The General superintendent of
the Altoona division acknowledged
that he held $40, 900 of mining stocks,
paying from 10 to 2Opercent dividends.
These stocks, he said with a grin, he
had accepted O and asked no CUES
tons.
II should be remembered that It /,
against the law for RAILROADS in Penn
sylvania to be financially interested
in coal mines. They are, under the
law, carriers and nothing more. t.
was brought out IN the great coal strike
that the Pennsylvania law on this
point was daily broken, openly, hrazeu-
ly, defantly; and the Governor of that
state refused TO take steps against the
law breakers. The court records reek
with testimony of laws outraged by
the corporations and not conviction
that amounts to tuppence
The most ominous feature of this
whole nasty business is pointed out
by the Newsletter in the following
terrible indictment
at is evident that this great system
is saturated with corruption from top
10 bottom. Graft is all through 10
from the scores of thousands received
by the PRESIDENT son down tO the ten
dollar bills, boxes of cigars, whiskey
and trinkets bestowed upon minor Of |
ficials. The thing seems 90 have gone
50 far that the giving and taking of I
brihes came to be regarded az part of /
the ordinary course of business ltI
" hN Us Uail A@ TIC 4 Ai hl~IA AUN erie D
ment In which officials are taught to /
depend on brides for their living
This great system employs tens OF /
thousands ofmen, most ofthem young
active and intelligent and the actual
or prospective fathers Of families For
many reasons positions ON the Penn
sylyania are sought eagerly. 10 Is
horrible TO think Of an these thous-
ands Of American citizens living and
working In an atu0spherereeking and
poisonous with moral corruption
What can the Young Mems Christian /
Association, the churches and all the
active agents OF religion and morality
accomplish I'm such am atmosphere /
How can they instil honesty into the
hearts Of workers who see their su-
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