The southern sentinel. (Winnfield, La.) 1883-1910, 1907-09-06
State and Federal Courts and
the Railroads.

State ana Federal courts never
should have been brought into
angry collision as has been done
in several of the States where
questions of the regulation of
railroads have been at the fore.
The State governments un-
doubtedly possess not only police
power, but civil jurisdiction over
railroads, and all corporations en-
gagged interstate in business. The
trouble over the railroads grew
out of the fact that several of the
Southern States enacted recently
laws reducing the rates of pas
senger fares in their territorial
limits.
This State legislation against
railroads seems to have been 40
complished, not after thorough
and impartial investigation of the
rights and wrongs of any pos
sible questions of overcharge and
extortion by the railroads, but
rather in obedience to general
popular cutlery against the rail
road companies. 1t was seen that
in response to a general popular
demand Congress was legislating
for the regulation and restraint
of railroads, and an cutlery was
raised that the States should also
join IN the work of specially con-
trolling the corporations.
The greatest amount of this
State legislation was done by
Northern commonwealths, but a
few of the Southern States fol-
lowed their example aud reduced
passenger fares. In the States of
North Carolina, Virginia and Ala
bama they applied to the United
States Courts to protect them
from the State laws, and in both
cases there were Federal judges
who, IN the exercise of extreme
partisanism, issued orders multi
flying the State laws and seeking
to paralyze the State govern.
ments, and the result has been
that angry passions have been
aroused when there was no need
for anything of the sort, and the
State courts and authorities have
been grievously affronted.
In the Northern States where
similar State legislation has been
had the conflicting provisions
have been put in such shape as
that they could be carried for final
adjudication to the Supreme
Court of the United States as soon
as that high tribunal shall reas-
semble, and there the matter rests.
But in the Southern States over
Jealous Federal officials, who
seemed excessively eager to show
that although-they were Southern
ers "to the manner born" their
loyalty above all was given to the,
central National Government.
lost no opportunity to impress
their high calling aud authority
upon the State officials with an
ungraciousness of manner and
disregard for Judicial ethics, that
were disagreeable to the last point
if not positively insulting. Such
demonstrations naturally ruffied
the temper of the State authori-
ties, and a most unfriendly sort
of feeling exists. Doubtless with
these excessive manifestations of
loyalty to the National Govern
ment there is lodged hope that
such remarkable official zeal will
meet an early reward, but at any
rate a situation has been created
that never should have existed,
and which wise men truly patrio-
tic and imbued with a due sense
of official duty would not have
brought into being.
The railroads are of the very
greatest i'm portance to the South
ern States which need every pos
sible instrumentality and facility
for their development, and the