The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-02-25
"Our People Are Helpless.
The Cry of West Virginia the United States Peo-
pie Sell Their Votes Hog Combne-The Hog Combine
Sends Scott and Ekins the Senate and Elkn Chair
man Of the Committee Which Fixed Our Rate Bill
By LINCOLN STEFFENS

'
4 lit went to Baltimore to interview the
l president OF the Il. &. o. The president
wasn't certain that ne could see Mr.. Bull
Hit that day, and he advised him to call
on the first vice-president. MIR. Bullitt
took his advice. The first vice president
could give him no encouragement, how
ever, so Mir. Bullitt sat down and cheer
fully wrote a lcttcrt to the president,
and he got an answer: and also he got
/ another reason. Here is the letter.
MIR Logan NJ. Bullitt.
Dear Sir: The present coal develop
1 ment on the rond IL to considerable ex-
tent beyond the ability of the operators
to market the product or the railroad to
| promptly and fully furnish Transports
ton facilities to move II. Therefore, the
company cannot reasonably encourage
|, the expansion of the situation. The com
mcrcial obligation thus imposed prevents
| going beyond what Is the company's
strict duty under law in tho matter. 1t
/ is believed that you will appreciate the
| propricty of this position.
Yours very truly,
\ Oscar G. Murray.
This was what the cheerful Mr.. Bulltt
| was after-a letter--and he went with II,
not to court, but to the Interstate Com
inerce Commission. He flied his COM
plant on April %, 1905. The commits
sion had hearings and in its findings
Of fact" remarks upon the two different
reasons previously given. for refusing
to comply with Mr.. Bulltts request for
siding, and 1t considers them. But"
the commission says. at the hearing
other matters were advanced all
practically included in the additional ex-
pense." Then the commission proceeds
In dry. complicated, legal terms to show
that the said defendant, the B. & O.
Railroad. Is a liar
! Nevertheless, the commission consid-
crs the lie very solemnly. and finds"
that, true or false, II is only "discrImira-
| ton" Read:
!, Defendants claim of Justification. bas-
ed upon the statement that its coal
/ carrying equipment Is already overtaXed,
| would apply equally to any kind OF
| traffic at a particular point. II it's Ohc
| railroads) position Is correct, 1t may re-
| fuse to grant transportation facilities to
any village or town which may here
! after be built adjacent to Its line OF
| railway"
And that is what Governor Dawson
said the railroad trust as he calls
1t. does do now. 1t decides. he says
what part of the State shall be develop
ed and what part shall not be develop
/ ed" And the commission bears him out.
| for It finds" that "the circumstances
in this case justify conclusion that
the discrimination is not only wrongful
as between complainant and other more
favored shippers, but amounts to undue
and unreasonable preference and
that an order should issue" And an
order did ISSUE and the order may be
upheld in the courts. Logan Nj. Bullitt
and the Red Rock Fuel Company may.
in the course OF time win their case on
appeal but .the next man who applies
will receive the same treatment"
SO Governor Dawson is right as to
this case of tyranny. Is the general
4 state of things true as he describes it?
Il know of several cases Just like this.
A and West Virginians tell me they are
4 typical. And Governor A. B. White.
4 Governor Dawson's predecessor. said
they We're typical in his time. But the
motive of the railroads may show
whether their sense of Commercial OBJ
ligation'' is a matter of policy.
Why should railroad want to say
1 what part OF a State shall not be de-
i! yeloped? Or, to get a little closer to
the case. why should the b. & o. wish
to prevent the development of mine
$3.50 feet from it's lines? Railroads want
to make money, don't they?
The Governor of West Virginia makes
a guess at the truth in this letter. He
says,
!. II think an investigation would show
\ that the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad is
interested In the production of coal-not
directly, perhaps, but indirectly and sub
i stantially.
lit makes little difference as to the
4 effect upon our people whether the corr
poration itself is directly interested in
the production OF coal in competition
with other purchasers of coal or whether
officers and directors or controlling
4 stockholders are so interested. The re-
suit Is the same
i No. It might make no difference as to
the result. But 1T would make a differ
ence as to the policy of the railroads II
4 the directors or controlling stockholders
] or operating officers OF the railroad were
4 personally Interested in the coal BUSH
ness, that would explain why they ran
the road--not to develop all the resour-
ces OF the State, but to kill off" little
shippers and protect large shippers"
/ If the railroad men happened to be
(. partners OF the large shippers" We
know they would Willingly see the rail-
read make less money II they could ..--',r
more. How do we know that? BY the
evidence OF the life insurance investiga-
{. lions of New York. The directors OF
4 those companies are the same sort Of
i men that run our railroads; some OF
i them are the very same men that run
our railroads
We know how they ran the life In
slrance business. They ran, those sacred
i trusts az gratis. Why not the rail-
4 road? The greatest graft developed IN
the insurance INVESTIGATIONS was not
4 the direct stcalings, but the abuse of
4 the power of the officers and directors
\ who sacrificed the interests Of the insur-
i ance- companies to force the development
or subsidiary banks and trust companies
], in which they were Interested. And this
Il Ia the graft that we are looking at now.
For Governor Dawson need not have
guessed" Tho Interstate Commerce
i Commission makes no bones about the
! tbo saloon eating rrensv cold chicken